You want to understand how things are connected and make a fundamental impact? We offer an environment where you can realize your full potential. At one of Europe’s largest and most modern business and economics universities. On a campus where quality of work is also quality of life.
We are looking for support at the Institute for Language and Discourse in Business
Fulltime, 40 hours/week
Starting as soon as possible, and ending after 2 years and 9 months
Qualified candidates with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply for this position. If necessary, a reduction of the extent of employment is possible.
You have a passion for the English language and linguistics, and are interested in studying the ‘dark side’ of business communication? You would like to engage in research that is meaningful and has social impact? The Institute for Language and Discourse in Business is currently inviting applications for a Postdoctoral Researcher (Project Staff).
What to expect
This position is advertised as part of the FWF-funded ‘Examining discourses of corporate environmental wrongdoing’ project (10.55776/ESP2112125), led by Dr. Mathew Gillings in the Institute for Language and Discourse in Business. The project focuses on the discursive construction of corporate environmental wrongdoing from a range of stakeholder perspectives. It is a full-time, fixed-term, postdoctoral researcher position made up of the following key parts:
- Research: Working as part of a project team, you will conduct research focusing on the discourses of corporate wrongdoing, crisis communication, and corporate sustainability communication.
- Research output: You will engage in innovative research and publish it in high-quality outlets, particularly in the area of corpus-assisted discourse studies and corpus pragmatics.
- Research support: You will collaborate within the team, engage in data collection, and support publishing activities.
- Research funding: You will offer support in applying for research funding.
- Organizational tasks: You will support senior faculty in their research, teaching, and administration.
- Networking: You will have the opportunity to create your own professional network.
What you have to offer
- A doctoral degree: You hold a completed doctoral degree in English language and/or linguistics and/or business communication.
- Research profile: You have a research orientation that is strongly aligned with that of the Institute for Language and Discourse in Business, as well as an interest in engaging in research projects focusing on the discourse of corporate wrongdoing.
- Research output: You have a promising portfolio of high-quality publications (commensurate with academic age), demonstrating academic rigour and relevance.
- Advanced skills: You have strong theoretical and methodological competence, particularly in corpus linguistics, discourse studies and pragmatics, and you have experience in corpus compilation and annotation. You have experience of working with programs and tools allowing for the compilation and analysis of large corpora (e.g., R, Sketch Engine, Python, etc.).
- Research funding: You have potential for acquiring research funding.
- International experience: Academic experience in an international, preferably anglophone, environment is a plus.
- Language skills: Expert command of spoken and written English; a willingness to develop a working knowledge of spoken and written German.
- Social skills: You are highly motivated, able to work in teams, and communicate effectively with both internal and external stakeholders.
- Organizational skills: You have experience in website administration and social media communication.
What we offer you
- Flexible working hours
- Training opportunities
- A wide range of benefits , from an in-house medical officer to athletic activities and a meal allowance to a variety of employee discounts
- Meaningful work in an open-minded, inclusive, and family-friendly environment
- A modern campus with spectacular architecture in the heart of Vienna
- Inspiring campus life with over 2,400 employees in research, teaching, and administration and approximately 21,500 students
- Excellent accessibility by public transportation
Curious? Visit our website and find out more at www.wu.ac.at/benefits.
The minimum monthly gross salary amounts to €5,014.30 (14 times per year). This salary may be adjusted based on equivalent prior work experience. In addition, we offer a wide range of attractive social benefits.
Application Information
Do you want to join the WU team? Then please submit your application by November 18, 2026 (ID 2945). We are looking forward to hearing from you!
WU is committed to diversity and inclusion and actively encourages applications from people of all backgrounds. We particularly welcome applications from women. Not sure if your profile fully matches our requirements? Apply anyway! In case of equal qualification, female candidates will be given preference. Applicants with disabilities will be supported throughout each stage of the recruitment process. Candidates' qualifications will be assessed in the context of their academic age.