We provide a forum for reflecting on law. We explore its theory and history in a comparative and global perspective. We address societal challenges by contributing to a deeper understanding of law.

The (MPILHLT), Department “Historical Regimes of Normativity” (dir. Prof. Dr. Thomas Duve), and the Cluster of Excellence “Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies” (BCDSS) at the University of Bonn are looking to recruit, from March, 1st, 2027, or as soon as possible thereafter, one

Research Group Leader (m/f/d)

The successful candidate will design and lead an independent research group comprising the group leader position and two doctoral (PhD) positions, to be based at the MPILHLT and affiliated with the BCDSS.

The Research Group will be jointly embedded in the research agendas of both institutions: in the BCDSS’s Phase 2 (2026–2032) programme of Historically Informed Dependency Studies, and in the MPILHLT’s Department “”, research programme on historical regimes of normativity, i.e. the historical study of law as one – among several – competing and interacting bodies of normative knowledge, and of the processes through which such knowledge is produced, and contested, across regions and legal traditions.

Thematic Scope

Applicants are invited to propose a research project situated in one (or, where genuinely warranted, both) of the following BCDSS Research Areas (RAs):

• RA A – Transitions and Transformations: the study of how Strong Asymmetrical Dependencies (SADs) change, persist, or dissolve across the macro-, meso-, and micro-levels of societies, and how they relate to and co-determine one another over time.
• RA D – Cultural Heritage – Transitional Justice – Memory Cultures: the study of cultural heritage, memory, and (in)justice as contested fields shaped by national, regional, communal, and religious identities, including how contemporary notions of justice engage with histories of colonial dispossession, enslavement, and other forms of SAD.

Projects that combine perspectives from RA A and RA D, or that bring legal-historical and legal-theoretical questions from MPI Department II’s research programme into productive dialogue with either Research Area, are particularly welcome.

Preference will be given to projects focused on the early modern Iberian empires (Spanish and/or Portuguese, in the Americas, Africa, and/or Asia) – e.g. questions of coerced labor and their relation to ownership regimes; the production, translation, and contestation of regimes of normativity with regard to dependency, indigenous, colonial and spiritual knowledge across empire; or the afterlives of these regimes in later memory cultures, heritage debates, and claims to (transitional) justice.

Your Profile

• a doctoral degree in history, law, area studies, or a related discipline of the humanities or social sciences, completed with distinction
• an excellent, internationally visible record of publication in a field pertinent to the proposed project
• postdoctoral research experience and, ideally, prior experience in leading, co-leading or coordinating research projects
• willingness and ability to relocate to Frankfurt and to engage actively in the BCDSS and collaborative formats of both host institutions in Frankfurt and Bonn

What we offer

• a full-time appointment (39 hours per week); a part-time appoint is theoretically possible
• a fixed-term Research Group Leader position, starting on March, 1st, 2027, for a period of 54 months with a group consisting of two doctoral researchers (65% E13 TVöD), to be selected by the Research Group Leader and the Director of the Department, starting on October, 1st, 2027, for a period of 36 months, with the possibility of extension of each contract up to 12 additional months
• mobile working and flexible work hours in accordance with our works agreement
• 30 days of holiday per year; starting 2027: 31 days; paid leave on Christmas Eve (December 24) and New Year's Eve (December 31)
• annual salary before tax will be on a scale from €67,500 (E 14 band 1) to €96,000 (E14 band 6) for a full time position. The salary is based, depending on your qualification, on the German Civil Service Collective Agreement (TVöD); the social benefits for public workers are awarded, including a pension plan (‘VBL’). Previous work experience is taken into account in determining the pay level
• access to the wide range of training courses offered by the MPG's Planck Academy
• full integration into both the BCDSS and the MPILHLT Department
• a research budget for travel, archival research, workshops, and publication
• a collegial, interdisciplinary, and international working environment with a high degree of scholarly autonomy

Application Requirements

Applications must be submitted in English and must comprise the following three documents:

(1) Research project description: a description of the proposed research project (max. 5 pages), which must:

• set out the project’s research questions, sources, methodology, and its structure over the funding period (work packages / phases);
• define the scope of the two PhD projects: possible research questions, how they relate to and complement the group leader’s own work, and how the three projects together form a coherent research group;
• explain how the project is positioned within the BCDSS research agenda, specifying its relation to Research Area(s) A and/or D and, where relevant, to other RAs, Spaces of Synergy, or the Methods Lab;
• explain how the project is positioned within the research programme of MPILHLT Department “Historical Regimes of Normativity,” in particular its contribution to the historical study of historical regimes of normativity, normative knowledge, its translation, and contestation across legal, religious, or other normative orders.

(2) Research statement / motivation letter:

• a concise statement (max. 1 page) explaining the applicant’s motivation, scholarly trajectory, expectations and personal fit for leading this research group in this specific institutional setting;

(3) Curriculum vitae:

• including a list of publications, electronic copies of two relevant publications authored by the applicant and, where applicable, prior research funding, teaching, and supervision experience.

How to Apply

Please submit your application as a single PDF file (research project description, research statement, and CV) through our electronic by October, 20th, 2026.

Interviews are expected to take place in November, 2026.

Equal Opportunity

The Max Planck Society and the University of Bonn are committed to employing more individuals with disabilities and especially encourage them to apply. Both institutions seek to increase the number of women in areas where they are underrepresented and therefore explicitly encourage women to apply. The Max Planck Society and the University of Bonn are committed to a diverse and inclusive working environment and welcome applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of ethnic or social origin, religion, disability, age, or sexual orientation and identity.