Interdisciplinary PhD Positions at the University of Vienna: “Empowerment through Human Rights”, Austria

August 17, 2009

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Interdisciplinary PhD Positions at the University of Vienna: “Empowerment through Human Rights”

About the positions:
The University of Vienna announces the vacancy of 12 PhD positions for college assistants within the
interdisciplinary doctoral college “Empowerment through Human Rights”. Duration of the posts is three years
each; 20 hours part-time employment will be at the University of Vienna for the whole period. During this
period, the college assistants will work together in the interdisciplinary group and will each write a stand-alone
PhD thesis. College assistants can seek participation in related research activities within the institutions involved
to an extent of another 20 hours. The deadline for application is 30 September 2009; interviews with
applicants will be conducted from 15 October onwards; the planned starting date for all 12 positions is 1 January
2010. Remuneration is granted on the basis of the current collective agreement of the University of Vienna,
amounting to € 16,780 per annum.

About the doctoral college:
The development of human rights protection and promotion in recent years has given rise to the understanding
that human rights issues cannot be regarded a mere legal problem but that they have to be considered from
different perspectives. Against this background, the doctoral college “Empowerment through Human Rights” is
comprised of the disciplines of law, sociology, psychology and development studies. It will focus its research
on the human rights protection of members of vulnerable groups, such as persons affected by poverty,
migrants, refugees, minorities, persons with disabilities and victims of gross human rights violations.
“Empowerment” of these vulnerable groups constitutes the central element in this regard.

The four main topics covered by the doctoral college are:
· The Protection and Empowerment of Vulnerable and Discriminated Groups
· Poverty
· Migration and Asylum and
· Consequences of Gross Human Rights Violations, in particular Torture, or Disability on the Individual

The interdisciplinary research activities of the doctoral college will be founded on a “Human Rights Based
Approach” (HRBA), which builds the bridge between the different disciplines. This approach offers the
possibility to consider certain phenomena, such as migration, poverty or the consequences of gross human
rights violations on the individual from a rights-based perspective. Fundamental elements of this approach are
empowerment of persons to exercise their rights; obligations on the part of others, in particular States; a system
of effective accountability; and the principle of equality and non-discrimination. In addition, participation of
members of vulnerable groups in the research activities is an important element of the HRBA. Please see
extended description of the project at http://human-rights.univie.ac.at/ for further information on the substantive
contents of the college.

The college assistants will receive individual supervision of their theses within the respective disciplines by the
members of the faculty, Prof. Ursula Kriebaum and Prof. Manfred Nowak (law), Prof. Christoph Reinprecht
(sociology), Prof. Walter Schicho (development studies) and Prof. Germain Weber (psychology). In addition, they
will be provided with comprehensive interdisciplinary supervision by all members of the faculty. The members
of the faculty and other renowned guest lecturers end expert practitioners will hold a variety of courses,
workshops and tutorials jointly in the interdisciplinary setting of the group. Instructions in additional skills such as
scientific writing and publishing, project acquisition and management as well as involvement in university
teaching through individual and joint courses will complete the academic curriculum for the college assistants.