Three 4-year PhD positions in Musicology (100%) at the University of Basel

The Department of Arts, Media and Philosophy at the University of Basel (Prof. Dr. Hanna Walsdorf) is looking for 3 PhD students to work with her and 3 postdocs in the Advanced Grant project “The Night Side of Music: Towards a New Historiography of Musicking in Europe, 1500–1800” (NightMuse). The project is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation for a period of five years (2024–2029).

It consists of three subprojects with one PhD position in each of them:
1) Religious Musicking at Night
2) Secular Musicking at Night
3) Addressing the Night in Theatrical Music

• You hold an M.A. degree in Musicology or expect to complete the degree by spring 2024. Your M.A. thesis needs to have been graded before October 2023.
• Knowledge of and a keen interest in early music.
• Interest in interdisciplinary and international collaboration.
• You are results-oriented, have a good command of English (other languages are desirable) and good writing skills.
• If applicable, willingness to acquire German language skills is expected.
• Demonstrable research experience, for instance, in the form of a research assistantship, will be considered an advantage.

• Collaboration in the NightMuse research group, contributions to its core topics.
• Independent research and further academic qualification (doctorate/PhD thesis to be written in either German or English).
• Research and conference trips.
• Collaboration on joint publications.
• Involvement in the organisation of international workshops and conferences.

• Employment for 1.0 FTE (4-year contract). Salary is between 47’000 and 50’000 CHF brutto per year (yearly increases).
• Collaboration in a committed, international and appreciative team.
• Family-friendly work.
• Affiliation with one of Switzerland’s leading institutes for Musicology with a strong research profile for early music.
• Connection to one of the most vibrant early music landscapes in Europe.
• Place of work is Basel (compulsory residence).

Application / Contact

Documents requested:

• CV
• Letter of motivation explaining why you want to conduct your PhD in the NightMuse project in Basel
• Proposal for your research within the project (max. 2 pages)
• Writing sample (e.g., your M.A. thesis)
• Names and contact information of two references, one of which should be your M.A. thesis supervisor. (Please do not add any letters of recommendation.)
• Full transcript of grades obtained at BA and MA level.

If you want to apply, please request the project description first by writing to hanna.walsdorf@unibas.ch.

Deadline for applications is 15 October 2023.
Starting date between 1 February and 1 May 2024.