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The Leiden Austria Centre and the Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, Science and Research invite applicants to the 2024-25 and 2025-26  Annual Leiden Visiting Professorship for Central Europe.

The visiting professor will be active at the Leiden University Institute for History and will co-operate with the Special Chair for Central European Studies established there by the Leiden Foundation for Austrian Studies.

Candidates with backgrounds in history, art history, literature, and music are invited to apply; social scientists with outspoken cultural or historical approaches to Central Europe are also eligible.

Visiting professors will be active in the second semester (early February-early June). They are expected to teach two courses (a BA lecture course and an advanced BA or MA research seminar) on broad and attractive themes connected to their research. Teaching will be in English (although passive knowledge of German can be expected among the students).

Leiden University provides visiting professors with office space and access to digital services. Housing will be arranged by the Austrian Studies Fund (previously: Leiden Foundation for Austrian Studies). Visiting professors will be encouraged to participate in the academic life of the Humanities Faculty and Leiden University. The scheme is intended to benefit the Leiden community as well as the Visiting Professor through the fruitful exchange of knowledge and experiences.

The Annual Leiden Visiting Professorship for Central Europe is intended to strengthen Austrian-Dutch academic co-operation in the field of Central European History and Culture. In co-operation with the Special Chair, Prof. Dr. Sarah Cramsey, the Visiting Professors contribute to a curriculum that attracts humanities students to key Central European themes. It fits wider activities of the Leiden Austria Centre sponsoring student and PhD-research, such as the Annual Lecture and a Prize for BA and MA theses as well as a Research Stipend provided by the Foundation (see details on the Foundation’s website) Through its frequent contacts with the eight other Austria Centres worldwide, the Leiden centre strives to foster an international network of young researchers.

Please click here for the list of visiting professors since 1991. Note that as of 2023-2024 the OeAD, Austria's Agency for Education and Internationalisation funds the Visiting professorship on behalf of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, Science and Research the Visiting Professorship.

Eligibility
Proposed Visiting Professors 1) hold of a tenured (‘unbefristete’) university position in an Austrian University; 2) are active in Humanities research areas or closely related social sciences; 3) hold a Habilitation from 2009 or later.

We ask:

• Visiting professors will teach two courses in English (though some knowledge of German can be expected among the students): a BA 2-3 lecture course and a BA 3 or MA/MPhil research seminar.
• Course themes should be attractive for students and thus not be too specialized

We offer:

• Office space and access to digital systems
• Housing
• Payment will be arranged by the OeAD, Austria's Agency for Education and Internationalisation on behalf of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, Science and Research and the respective Austrian University (Freistellung unter Beibehalt der Bezüge und Refundierung der Kosten durch den OeAD)
• Travel expenses (once)

Leiden University
Since its founding in 1575, Leiden University has built an internationally recognized record of excellence in teaching and research. The Faculty of Humanities is an international center for the study of languages, cultures, arts, and societies worldwide, in their historical contexts from prehistory to the present. We take culture broadly to include religions, philosophies, and worldviews as well as literature art, and technology. In research and teaching, we focus on Dynamics of Diversity, meaning the mobility of people, language, culture, ideas, art, and institutions in a globalizing world, and their interconnectivity through the ages. The Faculty is home to well over 8000 students and 1000 academics. It offers 26 BA programs and 27 MA programs. The Graduate School annually awards about 70 PhD degrees.

Diversity
Diversity and inclusion are core values of Leiden University. Leiden University is committed to becoming an inclusive community which enables all students and staff to feel valued and respected and to develop their full potential. Diversity in experiences and perspectives enriches our teaching and strengthens our research. High quality teaching and research is inclusive.Diversity

Information
Prospective Visiting Fellows can contact Prof. Dr. Sarah Cramsey s.a.cramsey@hum.leidenuniv.nl special chair for Central European Studies; Prof. Dr. Jeroen Duindam (j.f.j.duindam@hum.leidenuniv.nl) director of the Leiden University Institute for History, and Dr. Steven Engelsman (steven.engelsman@gmail.com) for further information on the Austrian side please contact Sector Mobility Programmes and Cooperation of the OeAD-GmbH (MPC) Ebendorferstrasse 7 1010 Vienna, Austria T +43 1 534 08-445 E oesterreichzentren@oead.at

Application Guidelines
Applications should be in English and should be submitted via the blue button in our application system. Please quote the vacancy number in your application.

Applications include:

• A cover letter
• A full CV including teaching experience
• Two one-page Proposals with title, description of theme, and a brief layout respectively for 1) a lecture course (BA 2-3) and 2) a research seminar (BA 3/MA).

The deadline for applications for the 2024-2025 and 2025-26 Visiting Professorships is Tuesday 1 November 2022 noon. All applicants will receive notification of the status of their application before Wednesday 1 February 2024, a full year before the start of the 2024-2025 Visiting Professorship.

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