Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory, Department for European and Comparative Legal History

Postdoctoral Research Fellow (m/f/div)

The Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory in Frankfurt / Main is a world leading research institute with a staff of more than 150. Its three departments with more than 70 scholars, the unrivalled collections of its specialized library, and its numerous national and international cooperations make it the central research hub for a global scientific community investigating the past, present, and future of legal regimes.

The Department for European and Comparative Legal History is looking to recruit, from July 1^st, 2023, or as soon as possible thereafter, a

Postdoctoral Research Fellow (m/f/div)

for the research field Legal Transfer in the Common Law World, under the directorship of Professor Stefan Vogenauer.

Your tasks

You will develop, coordinate, and pursue an independent project within the research field. Your research will turn on the development of rules, principles, doctrines, and institutions of English law outside England, for example in selected jurisdictions of the British Empire.

You will publish your findings and actively contribute to the research activities of the institute under the guidance of Professor Vogenauer.

Your profil

You hold a first class degree in law, the humanities, or the social sciences and you produced an outstanding doctoral thesis or an equivalent portfolio of publications in one of these disciplines. You are fully proficient in the English language and willing to learn German if necessary.

Your CV should demonstrate your capacity to pursue research at the highest international level. You are able to adopt interdisciplinary approaches, work independently and efficiently, have excellent communication skills, and the capacity to work in a team.

Our offer

We offer an attractive and international research environment with an unparalleled research infra­structure and a good working atmosphere. The salary is based on the Collective Agreement for the Public Service (TVöD); the social benefits for public workers are awarded, including a pension plan (VBL). Depending on your qualification and relevant job experience, the annual salary before tax will be on a scale from 52,700 euros (E 13, band 1) to 76,700 euros (E 13, band 6) for a full-time position (39 hours per week). Applicants may also seek a part-time position. While you will be based in Frankfurt / Main, there are generous opportunities for mobile working (at present, up to 40 per cent per week). The position is a fixed-term appointment for three years in the first instance, with the possi­bility of renewal for a further fixed-term period (up to three years). There is no obligation or expec­tation to teach, although we encourage you to take up limited teaching assignments if you wish to do so.

You will have unlimited access to our world leading library and a multitude of databases. You will be provided with office space and will receive extensive academic and administrative support. There are generous grants for research trips to archives and libraries as well as for attending conferences. A variety of personal and development opportunities is available, including funding for German language classes.

We are located on Campus Westend, one of the most beautiful university campuses in Europe, right at the heart of the thriving and cosmopolitan city of Frankfurt, the center of finance, banking, and the legal professions of Europe’s biggest economy, with many law firms and job opportunities for lawyers.

The institute belongs to the Max Planck Society, Germany’s most successful research organization. Since its establishment in 1948, no fewer than 22 Nobel laureates have emerged from the ranks of its researchers, thus outperforming many the most prestigious research institutions worldwide. The mission of the Max Planck Society is to conduct fundamental (i.e., non-applied) research in the natural sciences, life sciences, social sciences, and the humanities at the highest possible level. its 86 Institutes are scattered across Germany and beyond, and they focus on research fields that are particularly innovative and resource intensive.

The institute is part of Max Planck Law, the network of ten Max Planck Institutes engaging in advan­ced legal research. The first of these was established in Berlin in 1924. Today, we cover a broad range of legal studies, from the anthropology of law to tax law, at eight different locations across Germany and Luxembourg.

The Max Planck Society is committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in its workforce and therefore encourages applications from such qualified individuals. Furthermore, the Max Planck Society seeks to increase the number of women in those areas where they are under­represented and therefore explicitly encourages women to apply. The Max Planck Society strives for gender equality and diversity. We welcome applications from all backgrounds.

Application procedore

Your application should be written in either English or German and contain the following documents, joined together in a single PDF file:

• Cover letter with reference to your research proposal and an explanation as to how your profile matches the selection criteria
• Names and addresses (postal and electronic) of three scholars who have agreed to provide a reference for you
• Detailed CV
• List of publications
• Research proposal (up to ten pages)
• Transcripts of your achievements at school and university, copies of degree certificates
• Two of your publications of some 20 pages length each (journal articles, book chapters, etc.)

Your application must be submitted online via the link on our homepage (https://www.lhlt.mpg.de/job-offers) by the closing date of March 15^th 2023.

Please provide your referees with all the documents that you submit for your application and ask them to send their references to jobs@lhlt.mpg.de by the closing date of March 15^th, 2023. References may only be submitted by e-mail. They do not have to be signed as long as they are e-mailed from the official mail address of the referee.

Strong applicants will be invited for an interview, probably during one of the weeks beginning on May 15^th, 2023, and May 22^nd, 2023.

Contact
Informal enquiries as to the substance of the research field may be directed to Professor Stefan Vogenauer (vogenauer@lhlt.mpg.de). Questions as to the terms and conditions of employment may be directed to Ms Rita Gommermann (jobs@lhlt.mpg.de).