26.10.2026

Research Associate – Neurosurgery Stream (m/f/d, E 13 TV-L, 80%)

Cluster of Excellence “Machine Learning: New Perspectives for Science”

Bewerbungsfrist : 11.11.2026

The Cluster of Excellence “Machine Learning: New Perspectives for Science” (EXC 2064) at the University of Tübingen invites applications for a

Research Associate – Neurosurgery Stream 
(m/f/d, E 13 TV-L, 80 %, 32 hours/week, fixed term until 31 October 2031)

in the ERC-funded project APORIA, starting on 1 January 2027 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The project

APORIA (“Augmenting Poiesis: Relational Inquiries in the Age of AI”), led by Dr Maxime Le Calvé and funded by the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant), studies everyday AI practices in three epistemic communities where making and knowing are deeply embodied yet increasingly digital: neurosurgery, design and anthropology. The project develops a theory of Aporetic Intelligence: how practitioners sustain, lose or cultivate productive puzzlement when AI tools promise to resolve it. It combines multimodal ethnography, microphenomenological interviewing, workshop based research and exhibition-as-research, and co-creates “aporetic field devices”, speculative prototypes and workshop formats that invite practitioners to reflect on their relations to AI. The team works between Tübingen and Berlin, with field sites in both cities.

Your tasks

• Lead the neurosurgery stream of APORIA: long-term ethnographic fieldwork with a cohort of neurosurgeons at the Department of Neurosurgery, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, focusing on AI-assisted surgical planning (notably tractography for awake brain surgery)
• Conduct microphenomenological interviews with clinicians on decision-making and learning with AI tools, contributing to the project’s training protocol
• Co-develop and run the “touch-and-go” workshop series with clinicians, and co-design aporetic devices with the design stream
• Publish in anthropology, STS and medical humanities journals, individually and with the team and clinical partners
• Contribute to the Ethnography Studio, the mid-term and final events and the project exhibition

Your profile

• Completed university degree (Master’s, Diplom, Staatsexamen or equivalent) and a doctorate, completed or well advanced, in cultural studies (Kulturwissenschaft), social or cultural anthropology, STS, medical humanities or a closely related field
• Experience of ethnographic or other qualitative field research, ideally in clinical, laboratory or other high-stakes professional settings
• Medical training and clinical experience, particularly in neurosurgery, are a strong advantage; familiarity with neuroimaging and surgical planning is desirable
• Interest in AI in medicine and in the embodied dimensions of expertise; sensitivity and reliability in building long-term relationships of trust in a clinical environment
• Very good command of German and English (fieldwork takes place in a German university hospital; the project language is English)
• Openness to multimodal and experimental methods (e.g. drawing, visual or digital methods, workshops); experience with microphenomenology or other first-person methods is welcome but not required

We offer

A fixed-term position until the end of the project (31 October 2031) in an ERC-funded, internationally oriented team; the opportunity to shape a research stream and to publish independently and as co- author; training in microphenomenological interviewing; the research environment of one of Germany’s leading clusters for machine learning, together with long standing field partnerships in Berlin. Salary and benefits follow the TV-L (collective agreement for the public service of the German federal states).

This position is funded by the European Union (ERC, APORIA).

The University aims to increase the proportion of women in research and teaching and therefore particularly encourages qualified women scientists to apply.The University of Tübingen is committed to equal opportunities and diversity and actively promotes gender equality. Disabled candidates will be given preference over other equally qualified applicants.

The appointment will be made by the Central Administration.

How to apply

Please send your application as a single PDF, in English or German, by 11 November 2026 to Dr Maxime Le Calvé maxime.le-calvespam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de , with the subject line “APORIA Research Associate – Neurosurgery”. It should contain: a cover letter (max. 2 pages) setting out your interest in APORIA and how you would approach the neurosurgery stream; a CV with a list of publications; a writing sample (article or chapter, max. 30 pages); copies of your university degree certificates and, if applicable, your doctoral certificate (if your doctorate is not yet completed, a short statement on its status and expected completion); and the names and contact details of two referees. Interviews are planned for 27–28 October 2026 and may be held online. We regret that travel and accommodation costs for interviews cannot be reimbursed.

Informal enquiries are welcome at the address above.