Junior Researcher (doctoral student) in Economics and Global Health

This vacant position will be integrated into the global health research team led by Dr. Michael Stolpe and the doctoral program of the interdisciplinary Research Alliance Leibniz INFECTIONS. The group cooperates closely with leading medical researchers, biologists and social scientists from a range of Leibniz research institutes in a new multi-year research project on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), including statistical and econometric investigations of country-level antibiotic access barriers and the analysis of incentives for the development and adoption of new antibiotics. The candidate is expected to produce a cumulative doctoral dissertation within that project.

The global health research team is currently expanding its research on infectious diseases, health inequalities, digital health services and population health metrics and develops novel methods for economic evaluations of health technologies and services, with a particular focus on the sustainable use of antibiotics in tuberculosis treatments around the world. The research will make use of large datasets to test and calibrate empirical models with the aim to generate evidence-based policy advice for national and international decision makers in health policy and healthcare management. The team also plays a leading role in the interdisciplinary Leibniz Lab “Pandemic Preparedness: One Health, One Future” and the new junior researcher is expected to contribute part-time to one of its work packages. Thus, excellent quantitative analytical and statistical as well as communication skills are required.

Working enviroment

Apart from working closely with colleagues at the Kiel Institute and within the Leibniz Research Alliance INFECTIONS, the successful candidate will also liaise with external partners, including the DFG-funded Cluster of Excellence “Precision Medicine in Chronic Inflammation”, and help shape the further development of the group. Active participation in research workshops and plenary meetings of the Research Alliance Leibniz INFECTIONS requires travel to partner institutions throughout Germany several times per year.

Requirements

We are looking for a candidate who meets the following conditions:

• She/He holds a Master degree or an equivalent university degree in economics, health economics, health science, biostatistics, bioinformatics, epidemiology, public health or a closely related field, has an excellent academic record with a focus on quantitative methods and the ambition to earn a doctoral degree in global health economics and publish in high-impact peer-reviewed journals in economics and/or global health.
• The position’s primary focus will be on empirical research, with a thematic focus on infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, medical decision making and population health metrics. Interest and experience in empirical applications of economic theory, the analysis of large health data sets and health economic modelling are desirable.
• The candidate should have experience and/or familiarity with quantitative methods used in micro-econometrics and/or biostatistics. In addition, the candidate should be interested in developing proposals for health policy reform.
• The working language is English; excellent English skills are therefore required. Some knowledge of German would be useful but is not essential.
• The successful candidate should be acquainted with relevant software, such as STATA, R, TreeAge and Matlab. 

We are offering

The position will be based in Kiel and is initially funded for three years, starting in January 2026, in accordance with the law on limited employment contracts in research (WissZeitVG). The salary will be based on the German public sector pay scale at grade EG 13 TV-L. The position is 95% of full-time, yet a further reduction of working time can in principle be negotiated. 

The Kiel Institute for the World Economy values diversity. We welcome applications regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion/belief, disability, age or sexual orientation. We strive for equal participation of women in all employee groups. Professional gender equality is guaranteed. The Kiel Institute is an equal opportunity employer with a certified family-friendly policy. We are committed to employing persons with recognized disabilities and will therefore give them preference over persons without disabilities if they are equally qualified. We welcome all applications, regardless of nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion/belief, age and sexual orientation.

How to apply

Please submit your application online by December 7, 2025 (ID-No. “10_25_PhD_Health_01”) including a letter of interest, CV, an academic writing sample, transcripts of academic records and two letters of recommendation, using your family name as the file name. Application photos should not be included.

For information, please contact Dr. Michael Stolpe:

michael.stolpe@kielinstitut.de      Phone: +49-431-8814-246.

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