Postdoctoral researcher in the ERC-funded project “The Politics of the Latent Educational Cleav[...]

Goethe University; Deutschland; Vor Ort; EUR 60.000 - 80.000; Vollzeit

Zusammenfassung

An esteemed research university in Germany is offering a Postdoctoral Researcher position at the Chair of Comparative Political Science. The successful candidate will engage in research analyzing the political representation of educational groups as part of an ERC-funded project. Responsibilities include conducting interviews, leading case studies, and publishing results. Applicants should have a PhD in social sciences, excellent comparative political knowledge, and proficiency in English. A strong academic environment and opportunities for teaching will be provided.

Leistungen

Didactical training for educators

Collaborative research environment

Qualifikationen

• Outstanding, completed or soon-to-be-completed doctorate in social sciences.
• Excellent knowledge and training in comparative political science.
• Research experience in public policy or political economy is essential.

Aufgaben

• Analyze how educational groups are politically represented.
• Conduct interviews with stakeholders for case studies.
• Publish research in peer-reviewed journals.

Kenntnisse

Comparative politics

Empirical social science research

Qualitative methods

Verbal and written English

Ausbildung

PhD in political science or social sciences

Jobbeschreibung

Offer Description

The Department of Social Sciences at Goethe University Frankfurt am Main has an opening for a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Chair of Comparative Political Science (Prof. Dr. Julian Garritzmann) to start on 01.04.2026 ( or at the earliest possible date).

Postdoctoral researcher
in the ERC-funded project “The Politics of the Latent Educational Cleavage (POLEDUC)”

The position is fixed-term for 4.5 years. The salary grade is based on the job characteristics of the collective agreement (TV‑G‑U) applicable to the Goethe‑University.

Responsibilities: We are looking to hire an outstanding postdoctoral political scientist (or other social scientist with the relevant expertise and skills) for the research project “The Politics of the Latent Educational Cleavage ” (POLEDUC), funded by an European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant. The project investigates whether and to what extent politics is increasingly structured by an educational cleavage, why this happens, and what consequences this has. Various work packages analyze this at the micro‑, the meso‑, and the macro‑level using quantitative, experimental, and qualitative analyses.

The tasks of the advertised position are analyses on the macro‑level: We want to find out whether, how, and why different educational groups are politically represented to different extents and in different ways. More specifically, we want to analyze how and why policy‑making is shaped by the educational cleavage. Why are governments and policy‑makers more responsive to some educational groups than to others? We analyze this using comparative case studies, comparing policy‑making in different countries, different points in time, and different policy areas. Your task will be to plan and conduct these case studies. You analyze the political dynamics of policy‑making in different countries, periods of time, and across policy areas to find out whether, how, and why the educational cleavage shapes policy‑making. You do so also by conducting interviews with stakeholders. You work in close cooperation with the project PI (Julian Garritzmann) and the entire ERC team. The resulting research should be published in internationally visible peer‑reviewed journals - a joint book project is also planned.

The main focus of the position (75%) is on research in the ERC project. Subject to funding approval, the position also comes with a teaching obligation (25%): you are expected to offer introductory political science or social science courses especially targeted to students in our teacher training programmes. You will be free to choose the topic of the seminars in the field of comparative politics. (Note: Due to the current budgetary situation, this part of the position is subject to final funding approval.) The position thus offers a strong research environment and at the same time the opportunity to gain or expand teaching experience. Goethe University also offers a range of didactical training to improve one’s skills as an educator.

You also receive the opportunity and strong support to conduct your own, independent research. You will be part of an inclusive, motivated, inspiring, and international team and will have the opportunity to participate in various formats and activities, e.g. our research colloquia and workshops, as well as a discussion and reading group where we as a team regularly discuss our own and other state‑of‑the‑art research. You are of course also cordially invited to all other formats of the institute and department, to various workshops and other opportunities.

Environment: The Department of Social Sciences at Goethe University is one of the largest in Europe, hosting more than 40 full professors and their respective teams. There is a dense interdisciplinary exchange between political science and sociology, e.g. at the Institute for Empirical‑Analytical Research (InFER). In addition, the GRADE (Post)Graduate Academy and other institutions provide excellent support for early‑career researchers. The academic environment is therefore ideal. In addition, not only the campus with its modern buildings, green spaces, and parks is impressive, but also Frankfurt as an international hub and vibrant metropolis “in the heart of Europe”.

Requirements for employment are an above‑average academic university degree (Master’s or comparable) and an outstanding, completed (or soon to be completed) doctorate in the field of social sciences, ideally in political science, political sociology, or political economy. A substantive focus on comparative politics, public policy research, representation or responsiveness research, or political economy is a requirement. Moreover, you have excellent knowledge and training in comparative political science and in empirical social science research, especially in qualitative methods. Applicants should also have excellent verbal and written language skills in English; knowledge of German is not required, but a plus.

Please send applications (in German or English) with the following documents:

1. Motivational cover letter also indicating your research interests in the context of the ERC project.
2. CV including (if applicable) a list of publications.
3. A writing sample (if possible a single‑authored or first‑authored paper).
4. Copies of your MA & PhD certificates.
5. Teaching materials (e.g. syllabi, evaluations), if applicable.

Please submit these documents electronically in a single PDF file by 18.01.2026, quoting the reference number 17/2025, to the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Goethe University. E‑mail address: [e-mail]. For any substantive questions regarding the project and position please directly address Prof. Dr. Julian Garritzmann ([e-mail]). An overview of the project and other research projects of the professorship can be found at: https://sites.google.com/site/juliangarritzmann/home

The university is committed to equal opportunities for women and men and therefore strongly encourages women to apply. People with disabilities will be given priority if they have the same qualifications.

Where to apply

E‑mail [e-mail]

Requirements

Research Field Political sciences » Science and society Education Level PhD or equivalent