Senior Research Fellow (Postdoc) (x/f/m)

MPI für Völkerrecht; Heidelberg; On-site; EUR 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

International work environment

World-leading library

Public transport ticket

Free parking spaces

Work-life balance with daycare centres

Job summary

The Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg invites applications for a Senior Research Fellow (Postdoc) in the new DISORDER group.

You will lead an original postdoctoral project aligned with the group’s agenda and contribute to international research collaboration.

Qualifications

• PhD in Political Science with IR/Foreign Policy specialization by start date.
• Strong research profile in DISORDER topics: global order and international institutions.
• Expertise in security, economy, or technology in international relations.
• Proven theoretical and empirical research record with potential for top journals.
• Strong qualitative research expertise and relevant methods.
• Excellent written and spoken English.
• Ability to conduct independent research in a collaborative environment.

Responsibilities

• Develop and conduct an original postdoctoral project closely tied to the DISORDER agenda.
• Carry out theoretically informed empirical research, primarily qualitative.
• Publish high-quality papers in peer-reviewed outlets.
• Contribute to collaborative research activities of the group.
• Participate in group meetings, workshops and conferences.
• Co-author publications and other collaborative outputs.
• Present findings at national and international venues.
• Assist in organizing DISORDER and MPIL events.
• Support intellectual development and academic exchange across the Institute.

Skills

Qualitative research

Independent research

Academic collaboration

Excellent English

Education

PhD in Political Science (IR/Foreign Policy specialization)

Job description

At the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, scholars pursue research relating to fundamental issues and current developments in the areas of public international law, European Union law, and the constitutional and administrative law of individual states, together with numerous visiting scholars from all over the world. In its fields, our library is the largest in Europe and one of the most comprehensive in the world.

Position overview

The newly established Max Planck Research Group "Constellations of Global (Dis)Ordering" (DISORDER), headed by Dr. Gordon Friedrichs at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg, invites applications for a Senior Research Fellow (Postdoc) (x/f/m) with a preferred starting date of 1 February 2027 (the position is funded for three years).

Research focus

The Max Planck Research Group "Constellations of Global (Dis)Ordering" (DISORDER) investigates how global order is transformed as states – particularly great and middle powers – pursue competing visions of the principles, rules and institutions that structure international relations amid intensifying geopolitical rivalry. The group conceptualizes these processes as constellations of global (dis)ordering through which states seek to advance their visions of order by creating, reshaping, connecting, bypassing, or disengaging from international institutions, building new formal or ad hoc institutional arrangements, and strategically leveraging economic and technological interdependence. DISORDER examines how such constellations emerge across the fields of security, economy, and technology, and what forms of global order they produce, transform, or erode.

Responsibilities

• Develop and conduct an original postdoctoral research project closely connected to the DISORDER research agenda.
• Conduct theoretically informed empirical research, primarily using qualitative methods.
• Produce high-quality publications for peer-reviewed academic outlets.
• Contribute to the comparative and collaborative research activities of the group.
• Participate actively in research group meetings, workshops, conferences, and other academic activities.
• Contribute to joint publications and other collaborative research outputs.
• Present research findings at national and international conferences.
• Contribute to the organization of workshops, conferences, and other activities of DISORDER and the MPIL.
• Contribute to the intellectual development of the research group and to academic exchange across the Institute.

Candidate profile

• A recently completed PhD in Political Science, with a clear specialization in International Relations and/or Foreign Policy Analysis; the PhD must be completed by the time the position is taken up.
• A research profile relevant to the DISORDER agenda, particularly in the study of global order, international institutions, great- and middle-power politics, and/or foreign policy.
• Substantive expertise in at least one of the group’s empirical domains of security, economy, or technology.
• A strong record of theoretically informed empirical research and clear potential for publication in leading international journals.
• Strong expertise in qualitative research and familiarity with relevant methods.
• Excellent written and spoken English.
• The ability to conduct independent research while contributing actively to a collaborative research environment.

Language skills and expertise

Additional language skills and country-or region-specific expertise relevant to the proposed research project are considered assets. Experience working at the intersection of International Relations and international law is welcome but not required.

Remuneration

Remuneration in accordance with the guidelines of the MPG funding agreements (100 percent of EG14, TVöD-Bund).

Benefits

• An attractive and international work environment with an unparalleled research infrastructure and a good working atmosphere.
• A varied, responsible and team-oriented job.
• Access to our world-leading library and a multitude of databases.
• A workplace that is easy to reach by public transport and free employee parking spaces.
• A job ticket for public transport.
• Offers for work-life balance and four affiliated daycare centres.

Equal opportunities

The Max Planck Society has set itself the goal of employing more people with severe disability. Applications from persons with severe disability are expressly encouraged.

The Max Planck Society strives for gender equality and diversity.

We welcome applications from all backgrounds.

Furthermore, the Max Planck Society aims to increase the proportion of women in areas where they are underrepresented. Women are therefore strongly encouraged to apply.

Contact

For questions regarding the positions, please contact Dr. Gordon Friedrichs at [e-mail].