Doctoral Researcher (m/f/d) in the field of Sustainability Policy and Governance of Global Value Chains

Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Osnabrück University is a young, vibrant university committed to excellent research, innovative education and responsible governance. We are offering a supportive environment for outstanding research in a wide range of scientific fields. As a mid-sized university, we recognize in particular the potentials for excellence that lie in interdisciplinary collaboration, methodological diversity, internationally diverse teams and transdisciplinary cooperation with practice partners in society.

The University is looking for a responsible, motivated and committed person for the Institute of Social Sciences in the Faculty 01 Cultural and Social Sciences, starting  December 1, 2024 or later.

Doctoral Researcher (m/f/d) in the field of Sustainability Policy and Governance of Global Value Chains
- Administrative and legal implementation of Global Supply Chain regulations at German and European level and their effectiveness -
(Pay grade 13 TV-L, 75%, for an initial duration of 36 month)

This position is part of a collaborative project within the joint funding program 'zukunft.niedersachsen' of the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture (MWK) and the VolkswagenFoundation.

The project is co-ordinated by Leuphana University Lüneburg and Osnabrück University, involving as well the University of Oldenburg and the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA), Hamburg. The project consortium involves 11 PIs and another 11 post-doc and doctoral researchers across the four research institutions.

This position is based in Osnabrück, which is the third-largest city in Lower Saxony and known for the historical signing of the Westphalian Peace Treaty. At the same time, Osnabrück ranks third as an attractive, dynamic and future-oriented place in a recent study comparing German cities. Situated in the research group of Prof. Andrea Lenschow (Osnabrück), the PhD will be co-supervised by Prof. Jelena Bäumler or Prof. Jens Newig (both Leuphana).

The collaborative project consortium aims to understand the effects of new supply chain laws and governance initiatives on global value chains (GVCs) and their sustainability, notably as regards the environment and human rights. It seeks to explore the potential and limits of mandatory regulations alongside private initiatives, focusing on key stakeholders like states, companies, auditing organizations, and civil society. The project integrates interdisciplinary perspectives from political science, law, economics, business administration, geography, and development cooperation. It will compare GVCs across sectors, incorporating insights from both the Global North and South. We aim to determine how effectively these regulations can drive sustainability, balancing environmental protection, human rights, and economic considerations.

Your Duties:

• Empirical and conceptual research on the sustainability governance of global value chains from a political science perspective, in particular on the implementation process of national and European GVC policies
• Preparation of academic publication, also in collaboration with other project members
• Research oriented presentations at academic conferences
• Participation in networking activities of the broader collaborative project and occasional support of project activities
• The successful candidate will be expected to pursue a PhD at Osnabrück University

Requirements:

• The successful candidate should have an excellent Master degree in the social sciences (e.g. political and administrative science, or a related interdisciplinary field such as environmental governance)
• Strong research interest in governance processes in the field of environment and human rights
• Motivation to work in an inter- and transdisciplinary team working on socially relevant research questions

Additional Qualifications:

• A committed personality, able to work independently, and an excellent communicator
• Experience with environmental and/or sustainability governance and/or policy in global, national and/or multi-level governance systems
• Experience in implementation and compliance research of public policies
• Experience with analysis of global value chains, supply chains and/or production networks in a context of sustainability governance
• Very good German and English language communication skills (written and oral)
• Further language proficiencies would be an additional asset
• Experience with academic publications would be an additional asset

We offer: 

• Participation in an exciting and highly topical research project
• A vibrant interdisciplinary research environment with excellent contacts both within the collaborative project and to international research groups
• A structured doctoral program at the University of Osnabrück
• Tailored training opportunities within the consortium
• Resources for field research and conference trips
• Collegial collaboration in an interdisciplinary, international, and diversity-oriented team that values equity
• Opportunities for partial remote work and flexible working hours

Osnabrück University is a family-friendly university and is committed to helping working/studying parents balance their family and working lives.

Osnabrück University seeks to guarantee equality of opportunity for women and men and strives to correct any gender imbalance in its schools and departments.

If two candidates are equally qualified, preference will be given to the candidate with disability status.

Applicants should submit a cover letter (including evidence on the above-mentioned desired personal attributes with around 100 words each), their CV; up to three writing samples; relevant certificates and transcripts (BA / BSc, MA / MSc, Abitur / high school); and the names of up to three academic referees by September 30, 2024 in electronic form as a single PDF file via email (topic: PhD Governance GVC) to: kristin.langemeyer@uni-osnabrueck.de; cc andrea.lenschow@uni-osnabrueck.de.

We look forward to receiving your application.

For questions about the position please contact Prof. A. Lenschow (andrea.lenschow@uni-osnabrueck.de) or Prof. J. Newig (jens.newig@leuphana.de).