Research Associates bei Technische Universität Darmstadt

In the DFG Research Training Group “Standards of Governance”, in which the Technical University of Darmstadt and the Goethe University Frankfurt are involved, 10 positions for doctoral students are to be filled as of 01.04.2025. Five positions are located at the Technical University of Darmstadt and five positions at the Goethe University Frankfurt. For these positions we are looking for

Research Associates (all genders) – 65 %

The salary grade is based on the job characteristics of the collective agreement applicable to the Technical University of Darmstadt (TV-TU Darmstadt) and the Goethe University Frankfurt (TV-G-U). The positions are initially limited to three years. An extension for another year is possible. The Research Training Group is located at the Technical University of Darmstadt and the Goethe University Frankfurt and financed by the German Research Foundation (DFG).

The Research Training Group (RTG) is focused on the concept of “good governance”, which encompasses norms such as transparency, participation, and accountability of governing institutions. The rule of law, gender equality, the systematic evaluation of policy success and anti-corruption today form part of the concept as well. The guiding idea of the RTG is to understand norms of good governance as standards, in analogy to technical norms, and to analyze them in a comparative international perspective. The RTG is dedicated to the question of how these standards are negotiated, how they spread, how they are implemented in practice and how resistance forms against them. The policy fields we work on are economy and finance, development and regional policies, environmental protection and sustainability, fundamental rights and rule of law. We are particularly interested in how a standardization of governance is affecting the possibility of collective self-determination and how it relates to the ideals of democracy and popular sovereignty. In this regard we pay special attention to questions of democratic governance beyond the nation-state, in particular in the context of the European Union.

The doctoral candidates will work on their own dissertation project in the thematic context of the RTG and participate in the research training activities of the group.

We expect a qualified, very good university degree (Master’s, Diploma, or comparable qualifications) in political science, sociology, philosophy, law or a closely related discipline; experience with topics and methods relevant to the RTG, very good analytical and communication skills as well as excellent command of English. As the RTG is working on the basis of a pragmatic bilingualism we expect from international applicants that they are prepared to learn German. Moreover, applicants should have a strong interest in academic exchanges with other disciplines. A longer research stay abroad is foreseen as part of the doctoral program and will be sponsored by the RTG.

The participating institutions intend to increase the number of female employees and encourages female candidates to apply. In case of equal qualifications applicants with a degree of disability of at least 50 or equal will be given preference.

Opportunity for further qualification (doctoral dissertation) is given. The fulfillment of the duties likewise enables the scientific qualifications of the candidate.

Please prepare the following application documents in English or German: a letter of motivation, full academic CV, scans of your academic certificates and a short sketch of your planned research project (two pages) with clear relevance to the topics of the RTG. Please submit these documents electronically to application@standards-of-governance.de.

If you have any questions, please direct them to the spokesperson of the RTG, Prof. Dr. Jens Steffek, who can be reached at application@standards-of-governance.de. More information about the work of the RTG can be found at https://standards-of-governance.de/

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