About us:

The Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Political Science (GSI), invites applications for a PhD Researcher position starting on November 1st, 2024, or shortly thereafter. This position is initially limited to three years with the possibility of extension based on performance. Compensation is based on the E13 TV-L pay scale (65%), with potential increases for additional responsibilities such as teaching.

About the project:
The position will be part of the research project “Systemic Effects of Crises on Policy-Making in Modern Democracies” (CRISPOL), which is funded by the European Research Council. The primary aim of CRISPOL is to investigate how crises create systemic trade-offs that affect policy adaptation across various sectors. CRISPOL seeks to understand the complex dynamics of policy-making in times of crisis.

 The main questions to answer in the project will be:

•  How do crisis events affect the government’s policy-making activities in different policy areas? Are there shifts in policy-making activities from one policy area to the other?
• Which political systems exhibit stronger capabilities to manage crises without neglecting policy issues in other areas, and what factors contribute to this resilience?

The project is co-organized between the LMU and the University of Oslo (UiO). The LMU Munich team is led by Christoph Knill, who is also the Principal Investigator of the overall project. The University of Oslo team will be headed by Yves Steinebach and will form part of the department’s research group on Policy, Bureaucracy, and Organisation (PBO).

We are looking for you:

PhD Researcher for the ERC Project “Systemic Effects of Crises on Policy-Making in Modern Democracies” (m/f/x)

in Munich

Your tasks and responsibilities:

As a PhD Researcher, you will be involved in a subproject focused on mapping crisis events across time and countries. You will collaborate on developing a comprehensive measurement approach to capture crisis severity and inception from multiple data sources. You will have the opportunity to develop your PhD project aligned with the overall project goals.

Your task:

• Collaborate in developing a novel measuring approach to map crisis events across time and regions
• Collaborate with other team members on research outputs with the potential for publication in leading international journals
• Opportunity to complete a PhD aligned with the project goals.

Your qualifications:

• A Master’s degree (completed or near completion) in Political Science or a related field with excellent grades.
• Strong interest in quantitative methods, preferably in computational social science (e.g., text-as-data approaches).
• Experience in coding with Python and/or R.

Benefits:

• Salary according to TV-L pay grade E13
• A vibrant research environment.
• Opportunities for international cooperation.
• Support for publishing in leading international journals.
• Support for participation in international conferences.
• Opportunities to further develop your research skills (e.g., participation in summer schools).

People with disabilities who are equally as qualified as other applicants will receive preferential treatment.

Contact:

Necessary documents:

• A cover letter (max. two pages) including a statement of motivation.
• A writing sample (e.g., term paper or master’s thesis).
• A CV detailing your prior experiences.
• Relevant degrees and — if not yet completed — current transcript of records.

Application Process:

The application deadline is September 10th, 2024. Screening and evaluation of candidates will begin immediately. We expect the evaluation process, from application deadline to offer, to take four weeks, depending on the number of applications. The expected start date is November 1st, 2024, or shortly thereafter. We are committed to increasing diversity in our staff and especially encourage women to apply. To apply, please provide all necessary documents via e-mail to sekretariat.knill@gsi.uni-muenchen.de.

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