Postdoctoral Position in Computational Humanities to Research the Macroevolution of European Literature

The Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics (MPIEA) investigates why and how people create art and how they perform, experience, and evaluate it. The Institute’s focus is on music, but we also engage with other arts such as literature, film, and dance.

The Research Group Cultural Evolution of the Arts invites applications for a

Postdoctoral Position
fixed term (24 months), salary scale 13 TVöD

This postdoctoral position will be affiliated with the newly established research group , which unites a Max Planck Independent Research Group and the European Research Council-funded project Macroevolution of European Literature (MELT), both led by Dr. Oleg Sobchuk. The main focus of the group is to understand the forces driving the long-term dynamics of literature, film, and other arts. To this end, members of the group rely on large cultural datasets, computational methods, and theoretical models of cultural evolution.

Your tasks:

The postdoctoral researcher will work with Dr. Sobchuk on researching the macroevolution of European literature between 1800 and 2000 across all major European languages. The position will focus on developing computational methods for analyzing and visualizing literary data. This includes developing new methods for inferring influence between authors and literary works, representing these influences through dynamic networks and directed graphs, and creating effective visualizations of large-scale literary networks.

Using these inferred connections and networks, we will tackle big-picture questions about the evolution of European literature. For example, why do new genres emerge, and why do they disappear? Why do certain authors become famous while others do not? How are styles and topics transmitted across time and space, forming lasting literary traditions? These and other questions are central to our understanding of literature—and we will answer them using massive corpora and computational methods.

Our requirements:

Essential:

• Doctoral Degree in computational humanities, computational social science, or a related field;
• Willingness to participate in interdisciplinary research at the intersection of the humanities and social sciences;
• Fluency in written and spoken English;
• Strong teamwork skills;
• Proven ability to independently design and conduct computational studies;
• Interest in learning and developing new computational methods.

Desired:

• Experience working with large datasets;
• Excellent computational analysis skills;
• Proficiency in R or Python;
• Solid knowledge of statistics;
• Experience in web development for interactive data visualization.

We encourage applications from candidates who may not meet all of the desirable criteria, as we are looking for potential and fit, not perfection.

Our offer:

This research will be conducted at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics in Frankfurt am Main. The MPIAE offers a highly interdisciplinary and international scientific environment, with English serving as the primary language of communication in the research group. Located in Frankfurt am Main, the Institute benefits from close collaborations with Goethe University Frankfurt and other leading research institutions in the region. You can expect a modern workplace and a pleasant working atmosphere.

The position is available from the earliest possible starting date and is offered for a fixed term of two years, with the possibility of extension. The agreed working time is 39 hours per week. Compensation is based on the Collective Wage Agreement for the Civil Service () and includes an annual bonus.

Your application:

The Max Planck Society is committed to diversity, equal opportunities, and inclusion. One of its goals is to increase the employment of persons with severe disabilities – applications from severely disabled individuals are therefore explicitly encouraged. In addition, the Max Planck Society aims to achieve gender equality and increase the proportion of women in areas where they are underrepresented. Women are therefore explicitly encouraged to apply.

Your application should be submitted by August 15, 2026, and should include:

• A detailed CV, including a list of publications and the names and contact information of at least two referees;
• A statement of interest summarizing your previous research and outlining the projects you would like to pursue during this postdoctoral project (max. 3 pages);
• One publication that you consider your best work, accompanied by a brief statement explaining why and describing your role in the project (max. 1 page);
• Copies of relevant degrees and/or certificates, including your doctoral certificate.

Please submit all application materials via our applicant management system.

For questions about the project, feel free to contact Dr. Sobchuk via .

Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics Grüneburgweg 14, 60322 Frankfurt am Main