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The Makers could be a name for a band, like the Beatles, the Ramones, or the Sex Pistols. But it isn’t. It is the name of an international research initiative in the humanities and arts, that brings together twenty partner organisations from ten countries, including universities, cultural institutions, and NGOs. Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences is proud to be one of them.
We are inviting applications for two postdoctoral research positions under the Czech Academy of Sciences’ Postdoctoral Programme for Excellence – Careers at the Czech Academy of Sciences. Successful candidates will have the opportunity to carry out their own research projects over a two-year period. The proposed research must fall within one of the research areas pursued at the Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences and align with the scientific focus and research strategy of one of its departments. Application deadline: 22 November 2026. Please send your applications to
Position Details
We are looking for candidates who:
- hold a doctoral degree
- meet the following eligibility criteria: their PhD must have been awarded no more than two years before the application deadline (November 22, 2026). The following periods are not counted toward the time since the degree was awarded:
a) periods of maternity and parental leave, and periods spent caring for a person who, under the Social Services Act, is considered dependent on the assistance of another individual; alternatively, instead of the periods of maternity and parental leave, a period of eighteen months per child may be designated as a non-counting period;
b) time spent on a long-term stay abroad, provided that no more than 4 years have elapsed between the award of the Ph.D. (or its equivalent) and the researcher’s inclusion in the Postdoctoral Programme. A long-term stay abroad is defined as a stay lasting at least three months for the purpose of scientific and research activities. These requirements are in accordance with Directive No. 12 of the Academic Council of the Czech Academy of Sciences on Supporting Excellence –Careers at Institutions of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Chapter V, Section 15, paragraphs 1–2.
When invoking the aforementioned exceptions, justification must be provided (confirmation of maternity or parental leave lasting longer than eighteen months, confirmation of a study stay abroad). - demonstrate independent scholarly publishing activity
- demonstrate other relevant scholarly activity, particularly participation in conferences and active involvement in the scientific community
What we offer:
- Start date: January 2027
- Work location: Prague
- Fixed-term employment contract for 2 years (through December 31, 2028)
- Full-time position (40 hours per week) with a flexible work schedule suited to the nature of research work
- Opportunity to develop your own research project within a renowned research institution
- Professional guidance and support from experienced colleagues
- Access to extensive professional resources and international research networks
- 5 weeks of vacation per calendar year, 8 days of sick leave per calendar year, meal allowance (“stravenky”), and language courses
Applications may be submitted in Czech or English and must include:
- a brief letter of motivation (max. 1 page)
- a copy of a document stating the date the Ph.D. or its equivalent was awarded
- a structured academic CV of the candidate, including a bibliography of published works and other relevant academic activities
- a proposal for a research project that the candidate will undertake during their postdoctoral fellowship at the Institute of Philosophy, which must include:
• an introduction to the content and context of the project and a justification of the significance of the research topic (max. 3 pages, including possible references to scholarly literature)
• specific tasks the candidate will work on over the course of two years, the project timeline, and specific planned project outputs, including publications, conference presentations, etc. (max. 2 pages) - A statement from the head of the Institute of Philosophy research department to which the candidate would be assigned, confirming that the proposed project is in line with the department’s research mission, and explaining how it contributes to the department’s scientific development
- A letter of recommendation from a recognized scholar in the relevant field may be attached to the proposal
- Application deadline: November 22, 2026
- Please send applications via email to
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Contact person: Ing. Lucie Kovaříková, tel. 724 863 558
Selection Criteria and Selection Process:
- Submitted applications will be evaluated in a two-round process by a selection committee composed of the Institute of Philosophy leadership and external experts
- In the first round, the evaluation will focus primarily on the quality and originality of the proposed project, its contribution to research at the Institute of Philosophy, and the candidate’s academic background; the specific needs of the Institute’s individual research departments and their development will also be taken into account.
- Selected candidates will be invited in late November or early December 2026 to an online interview (approximately 20 minutes) to present their research experience to date and their proposed project in more detail
Scientific output is expanding at an unprecedented pace, yet some studies suggest that genuinely disruptive ideas may be becoming less common. What does this apparent paradox mean for societies that look to science for new medicines, technologies, and solutions to climate change and other major challenges? And are today’s systems of research funding and evaluation equipped to support bold, unconventional, and potentially transformative ideas? These questions will be at the centre of the international symposium Novelty and Inequalities in Science, taking place in Prague on 8–9 October. The event is organised by the Centre for Science, Technology, and Society at the Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences.
German researcher Lukas Kob has been a research fellow at the Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences since last year, supported by a prestigious fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. In a commentary for the VědaVýzkum.cz portal, he explains why leading experts in the field from New York and Germany recommended the Czech capital to him for his postdoctoral research, and why he himself sees Prague as an important center for the philosophy of consciousness and artificial intelligence.
The extensive written estate of the prominent Czech philosopher and mathematician Bernard Bolzano, much of which has yet to be thoroughly explored, followed a remarkably complex path after his death in 1848. While one part eventually found its way into the collections of the National Museum and the Literary Archive of the Museum of Czech Literature in Prague, a collection consisting mainly of mathematical manuscripts was donated to the Imperial Court Library in Vienna, now the Austrian National Library. The two collections will now gradually be brought together and made accessible through the Bolzano Digital Archive. A breakthrough in the more than century-long history of unsuccessful attempts to bring the Vienna manuscripts back to the Czech lands was achieved by Bolzano scholar Elías Fuentes Guillén and his research team at the Czech Academy of Sciences.
The Wrocław copy of the important medieval encyclopaedia of natural history and medicine Hortus sanitatis (The Garden of Health) offers, among other things, valuable evidence for the richness of Czech intellectual life in the Renaissance. This copy and its significance will soon be presented by classical philologist Dr Antoine Haaker during his research stay at the Centre for Classical Studies of the Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences. Dr Haaker is a classical philologist from France, working at the Wrocław University Library, where he is known for his crucial role in identifying and recovering several stolen medieval and Renaissance manuscripts and valuable early printed books of major importance.
Social media and generative AI are transforming the online information environment, making it harder to distinguish credible sources, trustworthy claims and human-generated content from synthetic material. This weakens citizens’ ability to form and revise their views independently—an essential condition for democratic deliberation and self-determination. As current EU regulation does not sufficiently address these changes, a group of experts affiliated with the Centre for Environmental and Technology Ethics – Prague (CETE-P) at the Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences presents three key recommendations in a new Policy Paper.
The latest Annual Report of the Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences goes beyond the legally required information, offering a vivid overview of the Institute’s research activities and its role in public debate. Browse online...
The Scottish philosopher David Hume has fascinated scholars and the wider public for three centuries. He continues to attract attention not only because of his views, some of which are controversial today, but also because, in the 18th century, he introduced a new and more radical conception of philosophy that profoundly shaped the development of European thought. An international conference subtitled The New Life of David Hume, dedicated to David Hume, whose death will be commemorated this year on its 250th anniversary, begins today in Prague. It will run until 3 July and will feature topics from history, the history of ideas, and the reconstruction of philosophers’ biographies.
The Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences, together with other academic institutions in the Czech Republic, has issued a statement in support of the Russian scholar of ancient philosophy Svetlana Mesyats, who works at the Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Her case raises serious concerns about academic freedom and the personal safety of scholars in Russia.
