Position for a Postdoc (m/f/d) at the Chair of International Political Studies

Position for a Postdoc (m/f/d) at the Chair of International Political Studies

Univerisity of Witten/Herdecke

Witten/Herdecke University (UW/H) is Germany’s first privately funded university. It was founded in 1982 and has since established itself as a leading educational institution in Germany. Today, the university employs more than 900 staff members, and a total of 3,700 students are enrolled in the Faculties of Health Sciences and of Economics and Social Sciences in Witten.

Job description

The team at the Chair of International Political Studies examines the causes and consequences of political violence. Its research focuses on questions regarding the relationship between conflict prevention strategies—such as power-sharing—and the risk of civil war in ethnically divided societies, as well as the impact of local political violence on voter preferences in OECD countries.

To strengthen our team, we are seeking a PostDoc (m/f/d) to join the Chair of International Political Studies, starting April 1, 2027. The position (40h/ - 100%) is limited to 2 years.

We are looking for an researcher who wants to develop their research agenda, which is not limited to the priorities of the research group. The position comes with a large amount of freedom to work on your own research priorities. We expect openness towards developing joint research projects that translate into funding applications. We offer participation in an active research network, the Conflict Research Exchange Workshop (CREW), international conference funding, and the possibility of remote work.

Your tasks

You develop your own research profile in the field of international relations, historical political economy, or comparative politics, you support third party funding applications, and you teach one seminar per year (2 hours/week in one semester).

Your profile

• You have an an excellent doctoral degree in political science, economics, or related disciplines, or are about to complete your dissertation
• You have an excellent command of English, strong knowledge of statistics, quantitative empirical social research, and causal research designs, as well as proficiency in R or Python
• You showcase the ability to work both as part of a team and independently.
• Relevant publications or experience in working in scientific projects are desirable.

Wir bieten

• Zusätzliche freie Brückentage
• Vereinbarkeit von Beruf und Familie
• Direkter Zugang zu medizinischer Versorgung
• Verschiedene Bezuschussungen
• Weiterbildung
• Umweltfreundliche Mobilitätsmöglichkeiten

Contact

If this opportunity aligns with your goals, please apply unit 24th November 2026, exclusively online, including the standard application documents (Resume without a photo, relevant transcripts, two academic papers or chapters from your doctoral dissertation, and contact information for two references) and your proposed start date.

We look forward to receiving your application.

Prof. Nils-Christian Bormann | Professor of International Political Studies | [email protected]

Concept of diversity

We explicitly live and promote the idea of diversity (www.uni-wh.de/diversity). We value the skills and special characteristics that our members contribute and therefore welcome all applications - regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion/belief, disability, age, sexual orientation and identity. We actively strive to increase the proportion of women among our academic staff