The Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory in Frankfurt/Main is a world leading research institute with a staff of more than 150. Its three departments with more than 70 scholars, the unrivalled collections of its specialized library and its numerous national and international co-operations make it the central research hub for a global scientific community investigating the past, present and future of legal regimes.
The Department for European and Comparative Legal History is looking to recruit, from 1 October 2025, or as soon as possible thereafter,
two Postdoctoral Research Fellows (m/f/d)
for the research field Legal Transfer in the Common Law World, under the directorship of Professor Stefan Vogenauer.
Your tasks
You will develop, co-ordinate and pursue an independent project within the research field. Your research will turn on the development of rules, principles, doctrines and institutions of English law outside England, for example in selected jurisdictions of the British Empire.
You will publish your findings and actively contribute to the research activities of the Institute under the guidance of Professor Vogenauer.
Your profile
You hold a first class degree in law, the humanities or the social sciences and you produced an outstanding doctoral thesis or an equivalent portfolio of publications in one of these disciplines. You are fully proficient in the English language and willing to learn German if necessary.
Your CV should demonstrate your capacity to pursue research at the highest international level. You are able to adopt interdisciplinary approaches, work independently and efficiently, have excellent communication skills and the capacity to work in a team.
Our offer
We offer an attractive and international research environment with an unparalleled research infrastructure and a good working atmosphere. The salary is based on the German Civil Service Collective Agreement (TVöD); the social benefits for public workers are awarded, including a pension plan (‘VBL’). Depending on your qualification and relevant job experience, the annual salary before tax will be on a scale from EUR 58,300 (E 13 band 1) to EUR 83,600 (E13 band 6) for a full time position (39 hours per week). Applicants may also seek a part time position. While you will be based in Frankfurt/Main, there are generous opportunities for mobile working (at present, up to 40 per cent per week). The position is a fixed-term appointment for three years in the first instance, with the possibility of renewal for a further fixed-term period (up to three years). There is no obligation or expectation to teach, although we encourage you to take up limited teaching assignments if you wish to do so.
You will have unlimited access to our world leading library and a multitude of databases. You will be provided with office space and will receive extensive academic and administrative support. There are generous grants for research trips to archives and libraries, as well as for attending conferences. A variety of personal and development opportunities is available, including funding for German language classes.
We are located on Campus Westend, one of the most beautiful university campuses in Europe, right at the heart of the thriving and cosmopolitan city of Frankfurt, the centre of finance, banking and the legal professions of Europe’s biggest economy, with many law firms and job opportunities for lawyers.
The Institute belongs to the Max Planck Society, Germany’s most successful research organization. Since its establishment in 1948, no fewer than 31 Nobel laureates have emerged from the ranks of its researchers, thus outperforming many of the most prestigious research institutions worldwide. The mission of the Max Planck Society is to conduct fundamental (i.e., non-applied) research in the natural sciences, life sciences, social sciences and the humanities at the highest possible level. Its 84 Institutes are scattered across Germany and beyond, and they focus on research fields that are particularly innovative and resource-intensive.
The Institute is part of Max Planck Law, the network of ten Max Planck Institutes engaging in advanced legal research. The first of these was established in Berlin in 1924. Today, we cover a broad range of legal studies, from the anthropology of law to tax law, at eight different locations across Germany and Luxembourg.
The Max Planck Society is committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in its workforce and therefore encourages applications from such qualified individuals. Furthermore, the Max Planck Society seeks to increase the number of women in those areas where they are underrepresented and therefore explicitly encourages women to apply. The Max Planck Society strives for gender equality and diversity. We welcome applications from all backgrounds.
Application procedure
Your application should be written in either English or German and contain the following documents, joined together in a single pdf file:
- Cover letter with reference to your research proposal and an explanation as to how your profile matches the selection criteria;
- Names and addresses (postal and electronic) of three scholars who have agreed to provide a reference for you;
- Detailed CV;
- List of publications;
- Research proposal (up to ten pages);
- Transcripts of your achievements at school and university, copies of degree certificates;
- Two of your publications of some 20 pages length each (journal articles, book chapters etc).
Your application must be submitted online via the application form on our homepage by the closing date of 19 March 2025.
Please provide your referees with all the documents that you submit for your application and ask them to send their references direct to jobs@lhlt.mpg.de by the closing date of 19 March 2025. References may only be submitted by email. They do not have to be signed as long as they are emailed from the official mail address of the referee.
Strong applicants will be invited for an interview, probably during the week beginning on 28 April 2025.
Contact
Informal enquiries as to the substance of the research topics may be directed to Professor Stefan Vogenauer (vogenauer@lhlt.mpg.de). Questions as to the terms and conditions of employment may be directed to jobs@lhlt.mpg.de.
