Stellenticket Freie Universität Berlin

We are hiring a student assistant to join a vibrant research group with an interest in leading edge research on globalization.

The group’s research agenda ranges from the identification of macro and microlevel diffusions of global cultural scripts, institutional frameworks and practices; their effect on individual and collective actors’ cognition, behavior and outcomes; and the paradoxical implications of the inconsistencies within and across globalized scripts and the contestation and change they generate. Of particular interest is the current contestations of the liberal world order and its underlying liberal cultural script, with ongoing projects in the fields of climate change, science and knowledge production, higher education, and global health. The student assistant is to assist the members of the research group in the design and production of innovative empirical solutions to this end, as well as in the publications produced in this context. The ideal candidate, thus, will need to have a theoretical interest in the topics and the methodological skills to contribute to a challenging research environment.

The position is embedded within the Global Sociology unit at the WZB Berlin Social Science Center, which is a publicly financed research institution that conducts theory-based and problem-oriented social science research (http://www.wzb.eu/en). WZB researchers come from across the globe and work across social science disciplines including sociology, political science, economics, law, and psychology. The Global Sociology research unit is also part of the Cluster of Excellence “Contestations of the Liberal Scripts” (SCRIPTS), which analyses the contemporary controversies about the liberal order from a historical, global, and comparative perspective (http://www.scripts-berlin.eu).

The student assistant is expected to work with Professor Soysal and her team on ongoing research projects, and in connection with the SCRIPTS program. Please see the unit’s website for more information (https://www.wzb.eu/en/research/international-politics-and-law/global-sociology).

Your tasks

• Supporting Professor Soysal and her team with tasks such as research and review of literature; collection, analysis, and visualization of data; editorial work on and discussion of manuscripts

• Knowledge of theories and debates in Global Sociology
• Knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research methods
• Experience with or interest in methods of data collection, processing, and management (e.g., using Excel, STATA, SPSS, R or Python)
• Experience with reference management programmes (e.g., Zotero, Citavi, EndNote)

• Remuneration in accordance with the TdL guidelines (currently €13.25 per hour)
• A well-equipped workplace in the centre of Berlin
• An international, cooperative, and diversified working environment
• Integration into the scientific community
• Flexible working hours and the possibility of mobile working (at least 20% of the weekly working hours agreed in the contract)
• A good work–life balance
• Cafeteria with modern recreation rooms

Equally well-qualified applicants with disabilities will be given preference. We value diversity and welcome all applications regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic or social origin, religion, disability, age, or sexual orientation. The WZB explicitly encourages women or persons with a migrant background to apply.

If you have any questions, please contact Lina Hayek at lina.hayek[at]wzb.eu.

We are looking forward to receiving your online application in English (consisting of a letter of motivation, a curriculum vitae, transcript of records, copies of relevant certificates, and certificate of enrolment) by no later than 10 September 2024.

The job interviews will likely take place on 2 October 2024.