Doctoral Students

The advancement and qualification of young scholars in legal history and legal theory or related disciplines is one of the Institute's central tasks. Already during the doctoral phase, all of the doctoral students are integrated into the research context here at the Institute and benefit from a broad range of qualification and support services. Their research is carried out within the context of either one of the departments' various research projects or one of research groups. This high level of integration ensures that the doctoral projects make a direct and important contribution to the profile of the individual research fields at the Institute.

In conjunction with one's supervisor, an individual programme corresponding to the specifics scientific needs and interests of the doctoral student will be developed from the wide range of lectures, seminars and workshops put on by the Institute. Moreover, PhD students have the opportunity to present the progress of their research projects and discuss methods of legal history on a regular basis with their colleagues at the research colloquia, which are organised by the departments. Our qualification programme also includes the possibility of participating in the organisation of conferences and workshops and to contribute to the Institute's own publication series.

Support Contract and Supervision Agreement

The doctoral students are employed at the Institute on the basis of a so-called support contract, which combines the guarantee of academic freedom with the security of an employment contract. The funding contracts generally have a term of three years, with the possibility of two 6-month extensions in exceptional cases. The relative financial independence enables the PhD students to concentrate on their doctoral projects. Moreover, all doctoral students receive substantial support for research stays at archives, libraries and for participation in external conferences and professional symposia.

Supervision of the doctoral students primarily takes place in one-on-one meetings carried out on a regular basis with their supervisors at the Institute, in most cases the directors or the heads of the research groups. The research coordinator is also available to advise in matters related to work, self-organisation and individual career planning. In summer 2018, the Institute's supervision programme was expanded to include the establishment of an individual mentoring team and a supervision agreement between the doctoral students and supervisors. Further augmenting the abovementioned offerings is the option of participating in the Max Planck Society's continuing education and training programmes as well as the training programme offered by the Goethe Research Academy for Early Career Researchers (GRADE), which is open to all doctoral students at the Goethe University.

Application procedure

Open positions for doctoral students are published on our website and in the relevant online and print media.

Unsolicited applications are welcome.

You can also receive regular information on vacancies by subscribing to our monthly newsletter.

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