3 Doctoral Positions in LiVV – Project Cluster “The Politics of Inequality” (part-time 75 %, E 13 TV-L)
Reference number 2025/171.
The start date is January 1st, 2026, or by agreement. The position is available for three years of work within the project and one year for the completion of the doctoral dissertation.
The Cluster of Excellence „The Politics of Inequality“ includes researchers from political science, sociology, economics, linguistics, psychology, law, and educational studies. They study how people perceive these inequalities, how they lead to collective mobilization, and how political actors respond to them.
We are very happy to announce three available doctoral positions in the project “Lifting the Veil of Violence: Inequality and Representation after War” (LiVV) within the Cluster of Excellence “The Politics of Inequality” at the University of Konstanz. The project studies the impact of war on three dimensions of inequality across time and space through a variety of mainly quantitative methods.

Your responsibilities

• Defend your dissertation prospectus after one year
• Research the impact of war on inequality and write a doctoral dissertation related to this topic
• Contribute as a co-author to scientific papers
• Write solo-authored papers for your doctoral dissertation
• Complete the required coursework within the Graduate School of the Social and Behavioural Sciences (GSBS) of the University of Konstanz.
• Integrate yourself within the vibrant scientific community of the Cluster and its participating departments

Your experience
Economic inequality:

MA in Politics, Economics, Sociology, or related area, willingness to work across disciplines

• Excellent knowledge of applied statistics (experimental and quasi-experimental designs) and computational text analysis (Phyton or R)
• English (C1 level or above), knowledge of Russian, Ukrainian, or Arabic is an advantage
• Contact: Prof. Gerald Schneider (Gerald.schneider(at)uni-konstanz.de)

Health inequality:

MA in Politics, Economics, Sociology, or related area, willingness to work across disciplines

• Excellent knowledge of applied statistics, focus on methods that allow for causal inference, experience in survey/questionnaire design, willingness to acquire new skills in qualitative data analysis (e.g. through KOMEX)
• English (C1 level or above), knowledge of Russian, Arabic or Amharic is an advantage
• Contact: Prof. Anke Hoeffler (Anke.Hoeffler(at)uni-konstanz.de)

Linguistic Inequality:

MA in Linguistics (specialization in typology, language policy, sociolinguistics, or multilingualism), willingness to work across disciplines

• Methods: Statistics is a must (additional experience in survey/questionnaire design, on- or offline experiments is an advantage)
• English (C1 level or above), additional knowledge of Amharic, Oromo, or Somali required
• Contact: Prof. Tanja Kupisch (tanja.kupisch(at)ling.lu.se)

We offer

• An outstanding research community of professors, junior professors, postdoctoral candidates, guest lecturers and doctoral candidates engaged in frontier research on inequality and related issues
• All departments involved in the Cluster belong to the premier departments of their kind in Germany and enjoy an outstanding reputation in teaching and research
• The supervision of each doctoral candidate by two professors and an external adviser, who match the candidate’s research interests and provide guidance and support regarding doctoral training, the doctoral thesis and career plans
• A wide network of international and national partners, providing opportunities for research stays, contact to external advisers and conference or workshop participation
• Targeted career preparation to facilitate entry into academic positions at leading universities and research institutions, or into top positions in the private sector or the public service
• The University’s first-rate infrastructure includes state-of-the-art computer facilities, and the provision of German and other foreign language courses
• Constance is one of Germany’s choice destinations. Its unique setting on the shores of Lake Constance and the River Rhine, as well as its proximity to the Alps, Switzerland, Austria, and France, make it the ideal location for study and leisure
• All Benefits https://www.uni-konstanz.de/en/division-of-human-resources/job-opportunities/working-with-the-university-of-konstanz/

The application letters need to specify for which position you are applying. Please provide the addresses of two colleagues for letters of reference, and include also the following documents in your application:

• letter of motivation
• curriculum vitae
• academic transcripts

We look forward to receiving your application documents via our Online Application Portal (https://stellen.uni-konstanz.de/en/jobposting/475610bd19b47baebf97ed498d13749bf10e79e90/apply) by September 24, 2025.
The University of Konstanz is committed to ensuring an environment that provides equal opportunities and promotes diversity, as well as a good balance between university and family life. As an equal opportunity employer, we strive to increase the number of women working in research and teaching. We also support working couples through our dual career programme. Persons with disabilities are explicitly encouraged to apply. They will be given preference if appropriately qualified (contact sbv@uni-konstanz.de, + 49 7531 88-4016).
Online application https://stellen.uni-konstanz.de/en/jobposting/475610bd19b47baebf97ed498d13749bf10e79e90/apply
Die Ausschreibung ist auch im Internet unter https://stellen.uni-konstanz.de/jobposting/475610bd19b47baebf97ed498d13749bf10e79e90 abrufbar

• Defend your dissertation prospectus after one year
• Research the impact of war on inequality and write a doctoral dissertation related to this topic
• Contribute as a co-author to scientific papers
• Write solo-authored papers for your doctoral dissertation
• Complete the required coursework within the Graduate School of the Social and Behavioural Sciences (GSBS) of the University of Konstanz.
• Integrate yourself within the vibrant scientific community of the Cluster and its participating department