The world is changing at an ever-faster pace. At the Johannes Kepler University Linz, we work on technologies and the ideas of tomorrow on a daily basis. At the same time, we educate over 25,500 young people to meet the demands of today’s job market. In short, we are Upper Austria’s largest institution for education and research. Are you interested in being a part of shaping the future of Austria’s most attractive campus university? We currently have a job opening for a:

Research Associate with Master's/Diploma degree for a 30-hour/week (part-time), temporary position

Organizational unit::

Abteilung für Soziologie mit den Schwerpunkten Innovation und Digitalisierung

Entry date::

04/01/2026

Term from:

04/01/2026

Temporary employment to::

09/30/2029

Job Reference Number::

23140-2026-001793

:

As part of the interdisciplinary research project “explAIn-X – Explainable AI for Cross-Domain Green Transformation in Mobility, Energy, and Production Systems” (funded by the FFG, coordinated by Fraunhofer Austria, subproject led by Prof. Uli Meyer, Institute of Sociology), we are seeking a dedicated research associate.

Job Duties::

Contribute to the interdisciplinary project “explAIn-X - Explainable AI for Cross-Domain Green Transformation in Mobility, Energy, and Production Systems” (funded by FFG), co-led by Prof. Uli Meyer (Institute of Sociology), organized in a consortium of multiple partners in academia and industry, coordinated by Fraunhofer Austria
Cross-case sociological research on Explainable AI through perspectives on socio-technical systems and tacit knowledge
Close collaboration with project partners from academia and industry
Publication of research findings in international journals
Presentation of project results at academic conferences
Opportunity to develop a dissertation within the framework of the project

Your Qualifications::

The successful candidate must hold a completed Diploma/Master’s degree (or equivalent, e.g., Diplom) in sociology or a related field within the social sciences
Solid knowledge in the sociology of technology, sociology of work, and/or organizational sociology
Expertise in perspectives like sociotechnical systems and/or tacit and experienced knowledge
First experience in conducting qualitative empirical research (e.g., interviews, ethnographic observation, document or case study analysis) with strong command of qualitative research methods
Strong interest in the interrelation of Artificial Intelligence and society
Excellent command of German and English (at least C1 level)
Interest and/or first experiences in inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration as well as in project coordination and management

What We Offer::

On the basis of full-time employment (40 hours/week) the minimum salary in accordance with the collective agreement is € 3,776.10 gross per month (14 x per year, CA Job Grade: B1)
Stable employer
Attractive campus environment with good public transportation connections
Attractive continual educational opportunities
State-of-the-art research infrastructure
Dynamic research environment
Broad range of on-campus dining services/healthy meals (organic food at the cafeteria)
Exercise and sports classes (USI)
…and much more

Application due date:

03/04/2026

:

The Johannes Kepler University wishes to increase the proportion of academic female faculty and, for this reason, especially welcomes applications by qualified women. If applicants are equally qualified, a woman will be given preference for this position. The university welcomes applications from qualified applicants with disabilities. These applications will be given special consideration.

Contact::

If you have questions, please contact: Univ. Prof. Dr. Uli Meyer, T +43 732 2468 7753, E-mail: uli.meyer@jku.at.

Exertion place address:

Altenberger Straße 69, 4040 Linz