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

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.

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)

##

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.

Job description:

The successful candidate will develop and pursue an independent postdoctoral research project that contributes to the conceptual and empirical agenda of DISORDER. The project should engage with questions of global order, international institutions, great- and middle-power politics, foreign policy, and/or the strategic use of economic and technological interdependence.

Possible orientations include an actor-centered perspective, examining how a particular great or middle power pursues its vision of global order across different domains and institutional settings, or a domain-centered perspective, comparing how different states shape processes of global (dis)ordering within the fields of security, economy, or technology. Other projects that make a clear contribution to the research agenda of DISORDER are equally welcome.

The Postdoctoral Research Fellow will:

• 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.

Your 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.

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.

We offer:

• An attractive and international work environment with an unparalleled research infrastructure and a good working atmosphere
• A varied, responsible and team-orientated job
• Remuneration in accordance with the guidelines of the MPG funding agreements (100 per cent of EG14, TVöD-Bund)
• 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 centers

Application:

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.

Interested candidates are invited to submit their complete application exclusively via the online application system available on our website by 6 December 2026.

Applications should include:

• a curriculum vitae, including a list of publications;
• a cover letter of no more than two pages outlining the applicant’s research profile, motivation, and fit with DISORDER;
• a research proposal of approximately five pages outlining the proposed postdoctoral project and its connection to the DISORDER research agenda;
• copies of relevant degree certificates and transcripts of records;
• one writing sample, preferably a published or forthcoming journal article;
• a one page summary of the doctoral dissertation;
• two letters of recommendation.

Interviews are expected to take place in mid-December 2026 at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg. The documents will be deleted after the application process. Application expenses cannot be covered.

For questions regarding the positions, please contact Dr. Gordon Friedrichs at [email protected].