Postdoctoral Research Fellow

The Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung gGmbH (WZB Berlin Social Science Centre), research department Institutions and Political Inequality (IPI) (Director: Professor Macartan Humphreys) seeks to hire

A Postdoctoral Research Fellow (f/m/x)

for an appointment starting September 2021 (negotiable) for a duration of up to three years. Shorter durations are possible for candidates with faculty positions in hand. The appointment is made at 100% of the regular working hours (currently 39 hours/week).

WZB is a non-profit organization and a member of the Leibniz Association. WZB engages in research of fundamental societal questions from the perspectives of different disciplines. It is one of the most renowned institutions in the field of social sciences. The scientists who work together at the institute come from such fields as sociology, political science, economics, law, and psychology. The findings of WZB research are directed at the science community, the interested public, and also experts dealing with political and economic issues, with media, and society.
The institutions and political inequality research department focuses on the political economy of social and political inequality.
 
Your tasks and duties

• The research fellow will work independently, designing and implementing research projects and producing high-quality publications in at least one of the unit’s thematic research areas (political inequality, between-group inequalities, cumulative learning).
• This position is part of a wider WZB effort to strengthen research in the area of digitalization, both as a substantive research topic and as a methodological tool. Candidates for this position should demonstrate a research agenda related to how processes of digitalization impact and interact with substantive research areas of the department. Examples include, but are not limited to: using digital data, such as mobility and communications data, to understand patterns of inequality and social/political fragmentation; assessing the role of Information and Communications Tools (ICTs) in altering political inequality and accountability; understanding the political implications of state surveillance technologies and how they affect inequality and the nature of protest and contestation; understanding polarization, intergroup relations, and political and social mobilization in online communities; and using ICTs to deliver experimental interventions and collect information from populations. We particularly welcome agendas that focus on such questions in developing contexts.
• In addition, the fellow will be expected to collaborate with and mentor other scholars in the unit and play a leading role in developing the unit’s workshops and research projects.

Your qualification and profile

• Applicants must have completed a Ph.D. in political science, economics, statistics, or a related social science discipline by the time the position will start, and have a vibrant and creative research agenda. In exceptional circumstances, we will consider applications from candidates who will be a few months away from defending their Ph.D. by the time the position starts.
• Excellent English writing and communication skills are required (English is the working knowledge of the unit).
• Applicants should have skills in quantitative methods or formal theory, preferably with training in causal inference and knowledge of Bayesian methods.

Our offer

• Remuneration in accordance with EG 14 TVöD Bund (in accordance with German public service collective agreement);
• Additional benefits for public service employees (VBL U);
• International, cooperative, and diversified working environment;
• In-depth integration into the scientific community in the form of colloquiums and conferences;
• Flexible working hours;
• We promote a good work-life balance, and our engagement has been certified by audit work and family and the European Commission’s Human Resources Strategy for Researchers (HRS4R);
• Comprehensive program for continuous professional development and further qualification.

Equally qualified applicants with disabilities will be given preference. We value diversity and welcome all applications – irrespective of gender, nationality, ethnic or social origin, religion, disability, age, or sexual orientation. WZB expressly encourages women or persons with migration backgrounds to apply.

If you have any questions regarding the job opening, please contact application-ipi@wzb.eu.

Job interviews will likely take place in the week starting 12 April.

For more information about the research group IPI, follow this link: https://www.wzb.eu/en/research/political-economy-of-development/institutions-and-political-inequality.

For more information about WZB, see http://www.wzb.eu/en.

Process
Have we sparked your interest? In that case, we are looking forward to receiving your application.

Candidates are requested to submit the following documents (all in English)

• CV
• Cover letter
• Writing sample

The cover letter should outline a research agenda for the period of application which relates to the digitalization theme described above.

Please start your application by following the steps outlined at: https://wzb.hr4you.org/job/apply/46/a-postdoctoral-research-fellow-f-m-x?page_lang=en. We will evaluate all complete applications received by (and including) 1 March 2021.

In addition, applicants should separately submit one letter of recommendation (additional letters are welcome and will be sought for shortlisted candidates). Please, ask your letter writer to send the letter of recommendation to the email-address application-ipi@wzb.eu quoting “[your last name] IPI postdoc reference letter” in the subject line by 1 March 2021.