Vienna Doctoral School in Cognition, Behavior, and Neuroscience - Doctoral Positions (AUTUMN CALL 2026)

Vienna Doctoral School in Cognition, Behavior, and Neuroscience - Doctoral Positions (AUTUMN CALL 2026)

Faculty of Life Sciences
Job vacancy starting: 01. März 2027 | Working hours: 30 | Classification CBA: §48 VwGr. B1 Grundstufe (praedoc)

At the University of Vienna, over 10,000 people work together on the big questions of the future. Approximately 7,500 of them are academic staff members. These are individuals who, with their curiosity and their continuous pursuit of excellence, engage in international cutting-edge research and teaching. With us, you will also find space to unfold your potential.

With this topically open call the Vienna Doctoral School in Cognition, Behavior and Neuroscience (VDS CoBeNe) at the University of Vienna is looking for highly motivated PhD candidates with innovative ideas. The VDS CoBeNe doctoral fellows will perform cutting-edge research with options to bridge fields and use an interdisciplinary approach. We offer 2 University Assistant (pre doc) positions for 3 years under the team supervision of two CoBeNe principle investigators of any of our research fields.

Any PI of the CoBeNe faculty listed on the Autumn Call website could become your supervisor!

The second supervisor can be added to the PhD project after the selection process. The uniting theme is the interest in human and non-human behavior, understanding its underlying cognitive, emotional, social, cultural, physiological, and neurobiological bases, studying how the brain maintains or changes functionality over time, and probing its evolutionary origins and development. Our PhD program is tailored to individual career tracks and includes continuous mentoring schemes, multiple opportunities for national and international scientific networking, and transferable skills training for enhancing careers inside and outside academia.

Your personal sphere of influence:

As an university assistant pre doc, you will take over tasks like:

• Planning and execution of empirical studies.
• Publication of research results in international scientific journals.
• Presentation of research results at national and international conferences.
• Participation in the acquisition of new research projects.
• Participation in administration.

Your future tasks:

You actively participate in research, teaching & administration, which means:

• You are involved in research projects and scientific studies.
• We expect you to finalize your dissertation agreement within 6-12 months.
• You work on your dissertation and its completion.
• You engage in teaching (independent and/or in a team) as defined by the collective agreement.
• You can be involved in the organization of meetings, conferences, or workshops.

This is part of your personality:

Must-haves:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in one of the respective study fields, the degree certificate must be available before being accepted into the doctoral program (latest June 2027)
• Not enrolled in the doctoral study program
• Have not previously applied for the CoBeNe uni:docs call
• Project must be supervised by 2 CoBeNe PIs (2nd supervisor to be selected at later stage)
• High level of both spoken and written English (official certificate not required)

Nice to have:

• Very good ability to present and process research questions in a structured way
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Publications or basic experience in scientific work and research methods
• Basic skills in scientific programming
• Knowledge of academic processes and structures
• Experience abroad (research, study, or both)
• Teaching experience

What we offer:

We aim to fill the position by 01 March 2027 latest by 01 June 2027. The employment duration is 3 years. Initially limited to 1.5 years, the employment relationship is automatically extended to 3 years if the employer does not terminate it within the first 12 months by submitting a non-extension declaration. Job grading in accordance with collective bargaining agreement: §48 VwGr. B1 Grundstufe (praedoc) with relevant work experience determining the assignment to a particular salary grade (Salary scheme).

Work-life balance:
Our employees enjoy flexible, family-friendly working hours, remote/hybrid (upon agreement).

Inspiring working atmosphere:
You are a part of an international academic team in a healthy and fair working environment.

Good public transport connections:
Your workplace in the center of beautiful Vienna is easily accessible by public transport.

Internal further training & Coaching:
Opportunity to deepen your skills on an ongoing basis. There are over 600 courses to choose from – free of charge.

Fair salary:
The basic salary of EUR 3.714,80 (on a full-time basis; 14 times a year) increases if we can credit professional experience.

Equal opportunities for everyone:
We look forward to diverse personalities in the team!

It is that easy to apply (in English):

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete application through the job portal of the University of Vienna (apply now-button).

Complete applications include the following documents in English:

• A 5-pages PhD proposal, max. 15.000 characters (including spaces).
• Motivation letter explaining why you apply to VDS CoBeNe and addressing your motivation and qualifications. Clearly indicate your desired research area. (max. 2 page).
• Select 1-2 VDS CoBeNe principal investigators (potential supervisors) that you wish to work with and details of two referees, at least one who has previously supervised you.
• Copies of bachelor’s and master’s degree certificates in German or in certified English translation in addition to their original language. Self-translated transcripts of your certificates will not be recognized (including credit transcripts)
• Please add additional documents if they proof relevant skills (awards, internships/participation in research projects, programming languages, lab techniques, transferable skills etc.)

Application deadline: 15 October 2026, 14 am CET

If you have any questions, please refer to the FAQs on the call website.
Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call +43-1-4277-18248 or email [email protected] with their request.

If you have any questions, please contact:

Katja Hellekes
[email protected]

We look forward to new personalities in our team!
The University of Vienna has an anti-discriminatory employment policy and attaches great importance to equal opportunities, the advancement of women and diversity. We place particular emphasis on enhancing women’s representation among the academic and general university staff, particularly in leadership roles, and therefore expressly encourage qualified women to apply. Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female candidates.