3 Doctoral Positions/PhD (65%, TV-L E-13, for 4 years)

The University of Bonn is an international research university offering a broad range of subjects. With a 200-year history, some 31,500 students, more than 6,000 employees and an outstanding reputation in Germany and abroad, the University of Bonn is one of the leading universities in Germany and has been awarded the status of a University of Excellence.

3 Doctoral Positions/PhD (65%, TV-L E-13, for 4 years)

The Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies (BCDSS) invites applications for the above four-year positions in accordance with § 2 (1) WissZeitVG from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2030.

Overview of the BCDSS and its Research Aims:

The BCDSS, a German Research Council-funded “Cluster of Excellence”, offers excellent opportunities for interdisciplinary and comparative research of different forms of Strong Asymmetrical Dependencies (SADs) across time periods and world regions. During its first phase (2019–2025), the BCDSS successfully developed the concept of SAD as a comprehensive analytical framework to understand how power imbalances have been shaped in the past, and continue to influence, societies around the world today. In its second funding phase (2026–2032), the BCDSS will investigate the underlying causes and mechanisms that contribute to the persistence of SADs across historical and contemporary contexts. We aim to anchor Historically Informed Dependency Studies (HIDS) as a key interdisciplinary field in the humanities, encouraging scholars across the humanities and social sciences to systematically integrate the analysis of SADs into the study of social, economic, and cultural phenomena.

Our research focuses on five Research Areas:

• Transitions and Transformations of SADs,
• Economies of SADs,
• Power – Violence – Trauma,
• Cultural Heritage – Transitional Justice – Memory Cultures,
• Alternative Archives and Life Writing.

The successful candidates will formulate and conduct independent projects in the field of Historically Informed Dependency Studies (HIDS) that relate to one of the BCDSS’ Research Areas mentioned above. The proposed projects may address any issue relevant to the study of Strong Asymmetrical Dependencies, from any discipline respective to the chosen Research Area. Topics can therefore be of a wide variety – from micro studies to wide scale approaches, in any historical period or geographical region.

Furthermore, the successful candidates will be part of the interdisciplinary and international research community and will also participate in the BCDSS’s Doctoral Program that offers thorough preparation and support during their doctoral dissertation work, including academic course work, additional skills training, and close supervision and monitoring.

Your Responsibilities:

• Develop and conduct a research project in the field of Historically Informed Dependency Studies,
• Publish your research results,
• Actively take part in the BCDSS’ collaborative inter- and transdisciplinary research,
• Participation in the BCDSS’ Doctoral Program.

Your qualifications:

• A completed university degree (Master, Magister, Staatsexamen or equivalent), obtained max. three years ago,
• We welcome applications from all over the world. English is the working language within the BCDSS. Proficiency in English can be verified by one of the following:
  • ETS TOEFL certificate (minimum score of 600 for the paper-based test, 250 for the computer-based test, and 100 for the internet-based test),
  • Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English, CPE (any grade),
  • Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English, CAE (grade A or B),
  • IELTS test (level 7.0),
  • C1 level according to CEFR,
  • Native speakers or graduates from an English-speaking university are exempt from this verification.

We offer:

• A salary based on the German TV-L 13 scale (65%),
• Opportunities for individual and independent research and for further academic qualification (doctorate),
• An international and highly interdisciplinary research environment,
• Availability of funds for field/archival research, conference participation, conference ,Organisation,
• Academic course work, additional skills training, and close supervision and monitoring
• Family-friendly working conditions,
• Participation in the university-wide pension system (VBL),
• Access to the extensive university sports program,
• A dedicated and motivated team.

Your application needs to include:

• Cover letter stating your motivation to work at the BCDSS (max. 1500 characters including spaces),
• Curriculum Vitae,
• A copy of your Bachelor’s and Master’s certificates,
• An outline of the proposed research project (max. 6000 characters including spaces, including footnotes, excluding bibliography). Please include information on: Key research questions and hypotheses; sources and methodology; originality of the proposed project vis-à-vis existing scholarship and key publications in the field; alignment of the project with one or more of the research areas mentioned above; relevance of the project to the chosen Research Area; name of potential supervisor at the BCDSS,
• A brief timeline of the project for four years,
• The name and contact of two referees (position, professional address, and e-mail).

The University of Bonn is committed to diversity and equal opportunity. It is certified as a familyfriendly university. It aims to increase the proportion of women in areas where women are underrepresented and to promote their careers in particular. It therefore urges women with relevant qualifications to apply. Applications will be handled in accordance with the Landesgleichstellungsgesetz (State Equality Act). Applications from suitable individuals with a certified severe disability and those of equal status are particularly welcome.

Please send your complete application documents in English and combined into one single PDF file by June 5, 2026 to application@dependency.uni-bonn.de, quoting the 2026/229.

For any questions, please contact Sarah Dusend via dependency@uni-bonn.de.