Research Fellow positions (Doctoral Researchers) in Global (Dis)Ordering Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law in Germany

The Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg, Germany, invites applications for two Research Fellow positions (Doctoral Researchers) in the newly established Max Planck Research Group “Constellations of Global (Dis)Ordering” (DISORDER), headed by Dr. Gordon Friedrichs.

The group examines how global order is changing as states—especially great and middle powers—advance competing visions of international order across the fields of security, economy, and technology. The research focuses on how states create, reshape, connect, bypass, or disengage from international institutions and how these strategies transform global order. The project is situated within one of Europe’s leading centers for research in public international law and related fields, with exceptional library and database resources.

Successful candidates will develop and conduct an independent PhD project within the DISORDER research agenda. Doctoral projects may take an actor-centred approach, following one state’s foreign policy and institutional strategy across issue areas, or a domain-centred approach, comparing how different states reshape institutions in a particular field. Possible empirical cases include the United States, China, Russia, India, Brazil, Japan, and the European Union.

Research methods will be primarily qualitative, including process tracing, qualitative content and discourse analysis, and semi-structured interviews. The doctoral researchers will contribute to collaborative research activities, attend meetings, workshops, conferences, and other academic events, present findings internationally, and help organize research group activities and MPIL events.

Eligibility highlights: an excellent Master’s degree or equivalent in Political Science, ideally with a specialization in International Relations or Foreign Policy Analysis; strong interest in global order, international institutions, and great- and middle-power politics; substantive interest in security, economy, or technology; excellent written and spoken English; and familiarity with qualitative research methods. Additional language skills and country- or region-specific expertise are considered an advantage.

Funding: the positions are funded for three years and remunerated according to MPG funding agreements at 65% of EG13, TVöD-Bund.

Application deadline: 22 November 2026. Applicants must apply exclusively via the online system and submit a CV, cover letter, transcripts and degree certificates, a one-page summary of the Master’s thesis, a five-page PhD project proposal aligned with DISORDER, and two letters of recommendation.

Interviews are planned for late November/early December in person at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg.