Postdoctoral Researcher f/m/d on EU funded project

Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies (IOS Regensburg)

The Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies (IOS) is an interdisciplinary research centre in Regensburg, Germany, exploring historical, economic, and political developments in Eastern and South-eastern Europe. IOS is publicly funded by the Federal Government of Germany and the Free State of Bavaria. Since 2017, IOS has been member of the Leibniz Association, one of the leading associations of research institutions in Germany. IOS closely cooperates with the University of Regensburg. For more information on IOS go to www.leibniz-ios.de/en

To strengthen our team of researchers, we invite applications for a position as

Postdoctoral Researcher f/m/d (up to TVL-E13, 100 %) on the EU funded project “Modelling, Scenarios, Analysis and Collaboration for Green Transitions”

The planned starting date is September 1st, 2026. Remuneration is based on the German TV-L public pay scale, salary group up to E13. The appointment is for three years. The position does not carry a teaching load.

We offer 

• Opportunity to develop a research agenda within a Horizon Europe project.
• Collaboration within international research networks and partners.
• We offer flexible working conditions, a research-focused international and interdisciplinary environment.
• Participation in conferences and workshops.
• Opportunities for further training.
• A work place in a town with high living quality and an UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.

Your profile

• Ph.D. in economics, economic history, data science or a closely related field (completed or very close to completion).
• Research interests in economic history, industrial transitions or environmental economics.
• Empirical research experience and experience in working with historical data.
• Good command of Stata or R, command of Python is an asset.
• Publications in internationally peer-reviewed journals are an asset, as is experience of work in multidisciplinary contexts.
• Openness to interdisciplinary cooperation, flexibility, strong communication skills, reliability, and the ability to work in an international team.
• Excellent command of English (written and spoken). Knowledge of German is a plus.

Your responsibilities

• Conduct research within the EU-HORIZON project “MOSAIC: Modelling, Scenarios, Analysis and Collaboration for Green Transitions” in line with the project objectives.
• Coordination of a MOSAIC Work Package
• Substantial contributions to the IOS deliverables for the project.
• Develop a dataset of past industrial transitions and firm adaptation with visualization interface.
• Preparation of working papers with the aim to publish in international peer-reviewed journals.
• Collaboration with other project partners.
• Presenting research results at conferences and workshops.
• Participation in dissemination and outreach efforts.

Project description:

MOSAIC project, coordinated by the University of Economics in Katowice, develops a comparative, historically grounded and spatially explicit understanding of industrial transitions to support a fair green transition. The project tracks how decline and renewal shape regional trajectories, labour mobility, firm adaptation and institutional resilience. It will examine how places escape path dependence through transformative innovation, which policy mixes accelerate change, and how governance arrangements enable or hinder adaptation. 

The IOS is leading Work Package 1 on the “Legacy of decline and revival: environmental concerns and historical industrial transitions in Europe” with the following objectives and tasks:

• Explain the conditions under which major changes and concerns (e.g. environmental) triggered historical industrial transitions.
• Analyse the historical dynamics of firm adaptation.
• Demonstrate the interplay between institutions and firm adaptation to extract policy-relevant lessons from past industrial transitions.
• Identify path dependencies in regional patterns of environmentally driven industrial transitions and firm adaptations across different parts of Europe (East–West, North–South).
• Producing quantitative and qualitative assessments resulting among others in a dataset and two working papers.

How to apply

Please submit your application online via the IOS application portal at https://leibniz-ios.de/en/vacancies-and-internshipsand upload your application documents. Documents must be in pdf format. Applications via email or regular mail will not be accepted.

Application documents:

• Cover letter, outlining your motivation (max 2 pages)
• Curriculum Vitae including list of publications and talks
• Copies of university certificates (with transcript of records)
• Sample research/Job market paper
• Two reference letters should be sent directly to bewerbung@ios-regensburg.de

Deadline for applications: 20 June 2026.

Interested candidates may contact Prof. Ulf Brunnbauer (brunnbauer@ios-regensburg.de) for more information.

IOS Regensburg is an equal opportunity employer. It strives for a balanced gender ratio in all employee groups. The institute is also committed to improving the compatibility of family and work. We also encourage people with non-German citizenship and a migration background to apply.

All submitted data on your person will be deleted at the latest six months after finishing the selection process.

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