Doctoral Student (m/f/d) Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory

We are now looking to recruit for October 1^st, 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter,

a Doctoral Student (m/f/d)

for the Fellowship project ‘The History of European Union Labour Law’, under the supervision of Professors Thorsten Keiser and Stefan Vogenauer.

Your tasks

You will develop, co-ordinate and pursue a doctoral project turning on the topic mentioned above. You will publish your findings and actively participate in the research activities of the Institute under the guidance of Professors Keiser and Vogenauer.

Your profile

You hold a first-class or high upper second-class degree, preferably in law, alternatively in a different branch of the humanities or social sciences. You are fully proficient in the English language and willing to learn German if necessary. French language skills are desirable. Your CV should demonstrate your potential to pursue research at a very high international level. You are able to work independently and are committed to adopting interdisciplinary and comparative approaches.

Our offer

We offer an attractive and international work environment with an unparalleled research infrastructure and a good working atmosphere. The payment is currently 3,185.72 € per month (gross), which equals approximately 2,163 € after taxes, depending on family circumstances, plus a special annual payment. The job is a full-time position (currently 39 hours per week). While you will be based in Frankfurt/Main, there are generous opportunities for mobile working (at present, up to 40 percent per month). The position is a fixed-term appointment for three years, with the possibility of renewal for a further year in exceptional circumstances. 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 a workspace 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 career development opportunities is available, including funding for German or French 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 research programme is conducted jointly between the Department ‘European and Comparative Legal History’ and the Law Department of Justus Liebig University Gießen, where work spaces will be made available and where you will also be awarded the doctoral degree upon successful completion. The Institute belongs to the Max Planck Society, Germany’s most successful research organization. Since its establishment in 1948, no fewer than 31 Nobel laureates have emerged from the ranks of its researchers, thus outperforming many of 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 85 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 nine 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 seven different locations across Germany. 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.