Research Careers at the MPIfG
The MPIfG provides excellent working conditions for all its researchers and promotes their professional
development. The Institute's research agenda offers scope for a range of topics and methodological approaches and gives scholars at all stages of their career the opportunity to pursue their own research within that scope.
After an MA
You can apply for a doctoral position in the International Max Planck Research School on the Social and Political Constitution of the Economy. The IMPRS-SPCE is a joint international doctoral program from the MPIfG, the Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences at the University of Cologne, and the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Duisburg-Essen. The program offers excellent research conditions to especially talented graduate students from Germany and abroad in the fields of political economy, economic sociology, and organization studies. In a structured program with a broad curriculum, intensive guidance and support, and international contacts, IMPRS-SPCE students can receive full funding for up to 42 months to work on their dissertation project.
Most IMPRS-SPCE alumni today research and teach at universities and institutions in Germany and abroad. Others work in business and industry, for political and trade associations, and for international organizations.
After a PhD
You can apply for our postdoctoral program up to three years after completing a PhD at a university in Germany or abroad. We offer you the opportunity to publish your research results and develop new research projects. As a postdoctoral researcher, you work on your chosen project within the Institute's Research Program and actively participate in Institute life while benefiting from the MPIfG's training and development programs as well as support for field work and conference organization.
During and after Habilitation
Having already gained some postdoctoral experience after successfully completing your PhD, you can apply for a six-year position as a senior researcher (wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin/wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter). Throughout this time, we support you in your career development with an eye to your individual qualifications and project requirements.
We occasionally advertise individual senior researcher positions at the MPIfG.
Experienced researchers who have already completed or are close to completing their habilitation may apply for a position as a research group leader. Research groups are initially limited to five years, but they can be extended or made permanent (with tenure).
Visiting Researchers and Guests
Whether you are a doctoral student, early-career or established researcher, a stay at the MPIfG as a visiting scholar promises to enrich your experience and help build your academic career. Working alongside researchers from around the world at an Institute that values international cooperation as the best and most productive basis for excellent research, our visiting scholars can concentrate fully on their research in an environment that generates new research ideas and creates opportunities for building interdisciplinary and international networks.
Every year, the MPIfG invites a leading scholar in political economy or economic sociology to spend three to six months in residence at the Institute. Scholars in Residence are selected by the directors on the basis of an established record of excellence as well as a current research project in an area related to the core interests of researchers at the Institute. Both nominations and direct applications are possible.