PhD Position in Migration Studies, Demography, and Computational Social Science at Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Germany

The Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR), in collaboration with the University of Rostock, is offering a fully funded doctoral student position in the Lab of Migration and Mobility, Department of Digital and Computational Demography. The position is supervised by Aliakbar Akbaritabar (Assistant Professor, University of Rostock and MPIDR) and Emilio Zagheni (Director, MPIDR). The research focuses on migration of scholars and highly-skilled individuals, leveraging large-scale bibliometric data to model and forecast scientific mobility. The project will also include survey research on the aspirations and contexts behind researcher mobility and immobility, with special attention to gender, discipline, and geographical differences in global scientific mobility.

The successful candidate will contribute to research projects in migration studies, demography, science of science, and computational social science, culminating in a cumulative dissertation. The doctoral student will be based at MPIDR and enroll in the doctoral program at the Institute of Sociology and Demography, University of Rostock. The position offers a 3-year contract with a starting salary of €40,618 gross per year, and includes substantial support for travel, research training, and data acquisition. The student will also join the International Max Planck Research School for Population, Health and Data Science (IMPRS-PHDS), which provides interdisciplinary training and networking opportunities across European and US partner institutions.

Applicants must have a master's degree or equivalent by the start date (October 2026), strong quantitative and programming skills, and research interests in demography, migration studies, or computational social science. Application materials (in English) should include a CV with publications, a motivational statement, transcripts, two academic referees, and a writing sample. Applications are due by April 15, 2026, via the online survey. The MPIDR is committed to diversity, equal opportunity, and supporting work-life balance. For more information, visit the provided links.