The Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies e.V. (IASS) is financed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Federal State of Brandenburg. The IASS conducts research with the goal of understanding, advancing, and guiding processes of societal change towards sustainable development. In order to develop a common understanding of sustainability challenges and to generate potential solutions, the IASS collaborates with diverse actors from science, policymaking and public administration as well as business and civil society. Further information about the IASS can be accessed under www.iass-potsdam.de/en. At the next possible date, we are looking for a

Research Associate (m/f/d) (100%) for the group
“Global Energy Transition Policy and Politics”

Ref. No.: GET-PP-2022-01

About the research group: A global transition to sustainable energy is accompanied by important changes in the geopolitics and global governance of energy. Against this background, the research group investigates how the global energy transition is affecting the international political economy of energy and identifies implications for foreign policy and international cooperation. It focuses in particular on the development of industrial strategies to reach climate neutrality targets against the background of increasing geoeconomic rivalry. An important example for this is the development of an international hydrogen economy and related political and economic change. The team combines disciplinary expertise from the fields of political science, economics and the environmental and physical sciences with expert knowledge from practitioners and policy makers in the energy sector. By engaging practitioners from government, business and civil society in our transdisciplinary research processes, we co-create actionable policy proposals and solutions. Profile: The successful candidates will be interested in empirically-driven and interdisciplinary research in the realm of the global transition to climate-neutrality with a particular focus on questions of geopolitics, geoeconomics, innovation and industrial policy, international political economy, global policy and governance. The successful candidates will:

• Contribute to the group’s research agenda by designing and implementing empirical research projects
• Contribute to individual and joint publications in peer-reviewed journals and policy-oriented outlets (external and within the IASS publication series)
• Contribute to the acquisition of new third-party funded projects
• Collaborate with other researchers in the team, including those implementing third-party projects (see list of ongoing projects on the group’s profile)
• Engage with practitioners on a regular basis to ensure the societal relevance of research within the work group
• Plan and implement dialogue events with think tanks and stakeholders with the support of a team of student assistants and the events team at IASS Potsdam
• Present research results at academic and policy-oriented conferences
• Communicate the results to decision makers in the policy world, business and public bodies as well as in social media
• Contribute to network development with both practitioners and scholars

Formal qualifications:

• A university degree or PhD in political science / political economy, economics; innovation, development studies or related fields

Further requirements:

• Good knowledge in the area of the global energy transition / climate and energy policy
• Experience with policy processes and/or policy / political economy analysis
• An interest in empirical and problem-focused research
• Distinct skills and experience in qualitative and/or quantitative research methods
• A publication track record (in policy-oriented and/or scholarly outlets)
• An ability to work independently, creatively, and effectively
• A commitment to teamwork
• A very good command of English; German language skills are a plus
• Readiness to travel internationally

What we offer:

• Opportunity to work in an interdisciplinary and international team at one of Germany’s most renowned research institutes in the realm of climate and energy with several ongoing projects on the global energy transition and the global hydrogen economy
• Opportunity to help shape the team’s future research agenda
• A flexible and supportive work environment
• Excellent contacts to national, European, and international research institutions as well as policy makers and other practitioners

The position is full time and remunerated in accordance with the federal German salary scheme (E 13 TVöD [Bund]). Part time is possible. The position will be filled by spring/summer of 2022. The position is initially limited for a period of 2 years but may be extended. The place of work is Potsdam, Germany. The IASS seeks to achieve gender equality and diversity. We therefore encourage applications from candidates of diverse backgrounds and genders. In accordance with Section 8 of the Federal Act on Gender Equality (BGleiG), female applicants will be given preferential consideration when their level of qualification, competence and professional achievements equals that of male candidates. Applications of disabled persons with equal qualifications will be regarded favorably. How to apply: Applications, including a motivation letter (including a statement of research interests and how they relate to the research group), a CV, copies of relevant certificates and a writing sample (e.g. a peer-reviewed article), should be sent as one PDF file (max 5MB) and by e-mail only to Darina Karaivanova-Saase (Darina.Karaivanova-Saase@iass-potsdam.de). We expressly welcome applications submitted without a photograph or other references to your nationality, ethnicity, or marital status. Please refer to the reference number given above. Inquiries about the position should be directed to the same email address. The deadline for applications is April 18^th, 2022. By submitting your application, you consent to the processing of your personal data for the purpose of the application process. Your data will be deleted after a maximum of six months. If we are interested in storing your application data beyond this based on your application profile, we will inform you about this and obtain your consent. For more information, see https://www.iass-potsdam.de/sites/default/files/2019-10/GDPR_Job_Applications.pdf Travel costs cannot be reimbursed. Given the current pandemic situation, the first round of interviews is envisaged to take place via Zoom.