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

The Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg hosts scholars researching fundamental and current issues in public international law, European Union law, and constitutional and administrative law, supported by one of Europe’s largest and most comprehensive libraries in these fields.

The newly established Max Planck Research Group “Constellations of Global (Dis)Ordering” (DISORDER), headed by Dr. Gordon Friedrichs, 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.

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

Tasks & Responsibilities

The successful candidate will:

• Develop and pursue an independent postdoctoral research project contributing to DISORDER’s conceptual and empirical agenda, engaging with questions of global order, international institutions, great- and middle-power politics, foreign policy, and/or the strategic use of economic and technological interdependence
• Conduct theoretically informed empirical research, primarily using qualitative methods
• Produce high-quality publications for peer-reviewed academic outlets
• Contribute to the group’s comparative and collaborative research activities
• Participate actively in research group meetings, workshops, conferences, and other academic activities
• Contribute to joint publications and collaborative research outputs
• Present research findings at national and international conferences
• Contribute to the organization of workshops, conferences, and other DISORDER and MPIL activities
• Support the intellectual development of the research group and academic exchange across the Institute

Qualifications

• Recently completed PhD in Political Science, with a clear specialization in International Relations and/or Foreign Policy Analysis (PhD must be completed by the position’s start date)
• Research profile relevant to the DISORDER agenda, particularly in 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: security, economy, or technology
• 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
• Ability to conduct independent research while contributing actively to a collaborative environment

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

We offer

• An attractive and international work environment with unparalleled research infrastructure and a good working atmosphere
• A varied, responsible, and team-oriented job
• Remuneration in accordance with the guidelines of the MPG funding agreements (100% of EG14, TVöD-Bund)
• Access to a world-leading library and a multitude of databases
• A workplace easily reachable by public transport, with free employee parking spaces
• A job ticket for public transport
• Work-life balance offers and four affiliated daycare centers

The Max Planck Society promotes gender equality, diversity, and the employment of people with severe disabilities. Applications from all backgrounds, particularly from women and persons with severe disabilities, are expressly encouraged.

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