3 Doctoral Students

Universitätsbibliothek der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin; Halle (Saale); Vor Ort; EUR 30.000 - 40.000; Vollzeit

Zusammenfassung

A leading research institute is seeking PhD candidates in Halle (Saale) for ethnographic studies of peer support work. Suitable candidates will have a Master’s degree in social anthropology or related fields, excellent communication skills, and proficiency in both German and English. The position is full-time for three years, with additional funding for fieldwork and potential extensions. Women and individuals with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply.

Leistungen

Job ticket

Company health management

Childcare services

Qualifikationen

• Candidates must hold a Master’s degree in social anthropology or related fields.
• Experience with qualitative ethnographic methods is required.
• Proficiency in written and spoken German and English is necessary.

Aufgaben

• Develop, write, and submit a PhD dissertation on a relevant subject.

Kenntnisse

Qualitative ethnographic methods

Communication skills

Proficiency in German

Proficiency in English

Ausbildung

Master’s degree in social anthropology or related discipline

Jobbeschreibung

• Wann 03.11.2025 to 01.12.2025 (Europe/Berlin / UTC100)

The Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Halle (Saale) is one of the leading centres for research in social anthropology. Common to all research projects at the Max Planck Institute is the comparative analysis of social change; it is primarily in this domain that its researchers contribute to anthropological theory, though many programmes also have applied significance and political topicality.

for “an ethnographic study of peer support work across the German speaking countries” (starting as early as possible after 1 April 2026)

Background

How does the valuation of lived experience as a form of expertise in psychiatric care challenge hegemonic discourses around subjectivity, knowledge production, and forms of work? How does the formation of a new kind of care worker shape concerns regarding the burden of global mental health and the labor conditions of the advanced liberal state?

To address these questions, the research group, Situated Care: Subjectivity, Knowledge, and Labor, led by Dr. Lauren Cubellis, seeks to reposition anthropological understandings of the relationship between the psyche and society, the contingency of knowledge production, and work and the self in innovative spaces of mental health care. The research group focuses on the training and employment of peer support workers (PSWs) across the German-speaking countries. PSWs are individuals with lived experiences as mental health service users who have been trained to offer support to others experiencing psychiatric crises. The training and employment of PSWs offer a critical site at which to examine the effects of collective mobilisation around previously marginalised identity categories, the changing terms of psychiatric care in the face of an increasing mental health burden and the financial limits of the welfare state, and the reconfiguration of psychiatric crisis from a pathologised illness and disability category to one at the fore of utopian and recovery-oriented mental health movements. The research group will advance disciplinary discussions of subjectivities in formation, the terms of situated and local knowledge production, and the intersection of disability and labor as evolving forms of social participation, care, and control.

Tasks and Profile

The essential duty of the PhD student will be to develop, write, and submit a PhD dissertation on a subject of relevance to this project.

• Candidates must hold a Master’s degree in social anthropology, science and technology studies (STS), sociology, social psychology, or a closely related discipline.
• Candidates with a background outside of anthropology should demonstrate an intention to integrate anthropological methods and concepts into their projects and a willingness to take supplementary courses.
• Candidates commit to conducting in-depth ethnographic fieldwork for up to 12 months in one of three sites: Vienna, Austria; Bern Switzerland; or Munich, Germany.
• As such, applicants must demonstrate the linguistic ability to carry out in-depth qualitative research in these locations.
• The working language of the Max Planck Institute and IMPRS graduate program is English, and dissertations and outputs will be written in English.

The candidate should meet the following prerequisites

excellent master’s degree or equivalent at a German university or international university of similar standing, either in social anthropology, science and technology studies (STS), sociology, social psychology, or a closely related discipline (required)

experience with qualitative ethnographic methods (required)

proficiency in written and spoken German and English (required)

excellent social and communication skills (required)

topical expertise in the areas of mental health, psychiatric institutions, knowledge production, social movements and care (desired)

experience working in interdisciplinary contexts (desired)

Personal and/or professional experience with psychiatric crisis and care (desired)

Our Offer

The PhD position is awarded for three years, with the possibility of an extension of 12 months (pending a positive evaluation). Employment will be on a full‑time, contractual basis, with sufficient additional funding for fieldwork. The workplace is Halle (Saale), a dynamic, historical town in central Germany (Sachsen‑Anhalt) that is home to the renowned Martin Luther University and numerous scientific institutions. The MPI offers a job ticket, company health management, and childcare services in cooperation with local day‑care centres.

The Max Planck Society is committed to raising the proportion of women in science; we thus explicitly encourage applications from female researchers. Individuals with disabilities will be given priority, assuming equal qualifications.

Contact

Please submit your application electronically by 1 December 2025 following the link for vacancies. Interviews will take place in early 2026. Your application should include:

Signed cover letter explaining your interest in, and suitability for, the positions

Curriculum vitae including a list of publications

Three-page proposal for a dissertation project, including details about the state of preparation, methodology, and a possible timeline

Writing sample (e.g., a publication or chapter from master’s thesis)

Copies of all relevant degree certificates and academic transcripts from both the bachelor’s and master’s level

Contact information for two references whom we may contact

If you have any questions about the application, please contact:

Further information on the research agenda of the Max Planck Institute is available on our website: http://www.eth.mpg.de