Position Available

45,000 students and 8,000 employees in teaching, research and administration, all working together to shape perspectives for the future – that is the University of Münster (WWU). Embedded in the vibrant atmosphere of Münster with its high standard of living, the University’s diverse research profile and attractive study programmes draw students and researchers throughout Germany and from around the world.

The interdisciplinary Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics. Dynamics of Tradition and Innovation” at the University of Münster (WWU), Germany, is offering up to two positions as

Doctoral Research Associates
Wissenschaftliche*r Mitarbeiter*in
(salary level TV-L E 13, 65%)

commencing on 1 October 2022. We are offering two fixed-term, part-time positions. These fixed-term positions are offered at a 65% TV-L E 13 salary level. Currently, the regular working time for full (100%) employment is 39 hours and 50 minutes per week. The positions are available for three years (until 30 September 2025).

Successful candidates will join the Graduate School of the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics. Dynamics of Tradition and Innovation”. The Cluster is an interdisciplinary research association with a thematic focus on religion as a driving force behind political and social change. Disciplines involved include political science, sociology, psychology, history, Catholic and Protestant theology, law, Islamic studies and theology, Jewish studies, Egyptology, classical and early Christian archaeology, philosophy, philology, art history, and ethnology. For more information on the structures and research outline of the Cluster, please refer to www.religion-und-politik.de/en/proposal.

Your tasks:

  • This position is tied to working towards a doctorate in one of the Cluster’s disciplines. All doctoral projects will be supervised by professors affiliated with the Cluster.
  • Besides working on their own projects, PhD students will participate in the Cluster’s structured Doctoral Studies Programme and contribute to the Cluster’s research agenda. Further information about the Graduate School and its study program can be found at: www.uni-muenster.de/Religion-und-Politik/en/graduiertenschule/.

Our expectations:

  • A graduate degree in one of the Cluster’s disciplines is required.
  • We are seeking graduate students who demonstrate exceptional ability in the social sciences, with a focus on quantitative methods. Optimally, this includes experiences with different sorts of data collection (e.g., surveys, experiments, observations, natural language processing), data structures (e.g., individual, dyadic, group, longitudinal) and a broad set of data analytic techniques (e.g., multivariate regressions, structural equation modelling, multi-level modelling).
  • Furthermore, we are particularly interested in attracting students with a strong competence in interdisciplinary studies, an ability to communicate their research in a variety of forums, and a potential to establish themselves in international arenas.
  • Good command of written and spoken English is advantageous.
  • German language skills would be advantageous but are not a requirement. In order to facilitate communication and collaboration within the Graduate School, applicants who are not proficient in German will be encouraged and supported to attend German language courses.

The University of Münster is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to increasing the proportion of women academics. Consequently, we actively encourage applications by women. Female candidates with equivalent qualifications and academic achievements will be preferentially considered within the framework of the legal possibilities.

The University of Münster is committed to employing more staff with disabilities. Candidates with recognised severe disabilities who have equivalent qualifications are given preference in hiring decisions.

If you have any questions, please contact Dr Julia Simoleit (nachwuchsfoerderungEXC@uni-muenster.de).

Are you interested? Then we look forward to receiving your application by 20 April 2022.

Applicants are kindly requested to send in a PhD proposal of five pages describing their planned research and outlining how this project connects with the Cluster’s fields of research.

Please send this proposal together with a cover letter, CV, copies of certificates, any existing publications or working papers (if available) and two academic references, in a single PDF file, with the file name "SURNAME_EXC-PhD" to the Speaker of the Cluster of Excellence, Prof Dr Nils Jansen:

Prof Dr Nils Jansen
University of Münster
Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics. Dynamics of Tradition and Innovation“
Johannisstraße 1-4
48143 Münster
Germany
Email: nachwuchsfoerderungEXC@uni-muenster.de