{"id":110282,"date":"2025-10-13T19:14:36","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T17:14:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hiig.de\/?p=110282"},"modified":"2025-12-03T10:47:56","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T09:47:56","slug":"job-posting-research-lead-democracy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hiig.de\/en\/job-posting-research-lead-democracy\/","title":{"rendered":"Research Lead (m\/f\/d): Democratic Change and Knowledge"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Important note: We are no longer accepting applications for this position.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG) invites applications for a Postdoctoral Researcher to lead and shape its new research focus area, \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/h\/democratic-change-and-knowledge\/\">Democratic Change and Knowledge<\/a>\u201d. This is an exceptional opportunity to explore the urgent challenges facing democracy in the digital age, while taking a leadership role in defining and building a new interdisciplinary research area that combines academic excellence and societal impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Berlin \u00b7 Full-time (min. 75%) \u00b7 Fixed-term until September 2029 (extension possible)&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Your Role:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You will shape, lead and supervise pioneering research on democracy and knowledge. This might entail questions about the role of disinformation, on (dis-)trust in science or the role of automation in democratic processes. The position offers a unique combination of academic freedom, interdisciplinary collaboration and practical impact, allowing you to contribute to both scholarly debates and societal transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Responsibilities<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Strategically develop and lead a new research focus, including building a research team, supervising interdisciplinary projects, and acquiring external funding, while establishing the focus in line with the HIIG research agenda and in close coordination with the institute\u2019s directors.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Conduct independent, high-impact research and publish in leading peer-reviewed journals and on open-access repositories, as well as present research findings at academic conferences.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Take on leadership roles in the governance of the institute, actively contributing to strategic decision-making in close coordination with the research directors and other research leads.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Build and maintain networks and collaborations with national and international partners across academia, government, business, and civil society.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Design and implement innovative formats for dialogue and knowledge exchange (e.g., research sprints, multi-stakeholder dialogues, policy sounding boards).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Engage in science communication, presenting research findings to policymakers, civil society, media and the broader public.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Qualifications<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Completed PhD in political science, communication studies, sociology, law or a related discipline.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Demonstrated research experience in democracy, digitalisation, AI, sociology of knowledge or disinformation, or related topics; ideally with established connections to relevant network partners and a marked interest in coordinating and maintaining international networks and a strong publication record in recognised academic journals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Proven project management and leadership skills, combined with strong initiative, excellent teamwork and organisational skills, and the ambition to take responsibility for the strategic development of the research focus area.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Experience in interdisciplinary collaboration and, ideally, in facilitating dialogue-oriented research formats.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pronounced interest in science communication and the idea of creating societal impact.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Excellent command of English; willingness to acquire or further develop German language skills.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Experience, networks or research perspectives from the Global South are highly valued.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What we offer<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Primary workplace: Berlin, HIIG (partly remote work options available)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fixed-term contract until September 2029, with the possibility of extension&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Salary based on German public sector pay scale (depending on qualifications and experience)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Flexible working models and comprehensive opportunities for professional development and international networking<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>An agile, interdisciplinary team with flat hierarchies and creative freedom.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A strong focus on societal impact, supported by comprehensive national and international networks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Extensive administrative support in developing grant proposals, building and managing your research team, facilitating knowledge transfer and organising academic events.<br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How to apply<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Important note: We are no longer accepting applications for this position.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"shariff shariff-align-flex-start shariff-widget-align-flex-start\"><ul class=\"shariff-buttons theme-round orientation-horizontal buttonsize-medium\"><li class=\"shariff-button linkedin shariff-nocustomcolor\" style=\"background-color:#1488bf\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/sharing\/share-offsite\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hiig.de%2Fen%2Fjob-posting-research-lead-democracy%2F\" title=\"Share on LinkedIn\" aria-label=\"Share on LinkedIn\" role=\"button\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" class=\"shariff-link\" style=\"; 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