The Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Göttingen and the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) invite applications for the following position effective at the earliest possible date:
Head of Research Department
“Transformation of Economic and Social Systems” of IDOS, Bonn
combined with a
Professorship in Development Economics and Sustainability Policy (f/m/d)
The appointment to the professorship at the University of Göttingen will take place according to the Thuringian Model (“Thüringer Modell”). The position as Head of the Research Department at IDOS is permanent (after a successful two-year trial period based on the Federal Civil State Remuneration Act); the gross annual salary is remunerated according to ATB1 (currently approx. 103,200 EUR, comparable to a W3 basic salary).
The successful candidate will co-lead jointly with Prof. Dr. Clara Brandi the IDOS research department “Transformation of Economic and Social Systems”, one of Europe’s largest research groups at the interface of economic development and sustainability. Successful applicants will carry out innovative research addressing societal challenges with a focus on low and middle-income countries. They should further have the ability to derive political solutions from theory-driven research and efficiently organise the transfer of knowledge into practice. Their research should cover one or more of the following topics: poverty, inequality, structural change, industrial policy, innovation, trade and investment policy, development financing, financial markets, labour markets, social policy, rural development, environment, and climate protection. The co-leadership of the department requires high motivation to lead and inspire a large team, regular on-site presence, and the ability to guide interdisciplinary research groups across geographical regions and socio-economic differences.
Expected profile and qualifications:
- “Habilitation” or equivalent scientific achievements, preferably in economics; other social scientists with equivalent academic achievements will be considered if they possess a profound understanding of economic processes and publish in international journals recognised in the field of (development) economics
- Research profile, international network, and visibility within at least one of the relevant research areas listed above
- Publications in very good journals in (development) economics
- Research experience in Asia, Africa, and/or Latin America
- Experience in and proven interest in policy advice and/or knowledge transfer
- Excellent methodological skills; proven experience with a variety of methods is an advantage
- Proven experience in the acquisition of competitive third party-funded projects
- Experience in employee management and an understanding of commercial business processes are a great advantage
- Very good language skills in English; acquisition of good German language skills is expected within the first two years
- Excellent leadership and communication skills
IDOS is one of the world’s leading research institutions and think tanks in the field of global sustainable development. It offers transnational training programmes at postgraduate level. The University of Göttingen is a leading research university in the field of development economics and offers an interdisciplinary Bachelor’s programme in Sustainable Development Studies and a Master’s programme in Development Economics with three international double-degree options. This joint call aims at strengthening the partnership between the two institutions.
The IDOS research department “Transformation of Economic and Social Systems” explores economic and social policies that enable development in line with the 2030 Agenda, as well as flanking reforms of the global economic regulatory framework, its instruments, and institutions. The focus is on low and middle-income countries. The current academic staff of the department (35 staff members, including PhD students) are organised in four research areas: (1) world economy and development finance; (2) structural change and inclusive development; (3) green economy; and (4) social policy, poverty, and inequality. The research areas have an economics focus with interdisciplinary connectivity. IDOS research contributes to solving real-world problems and advises policy makers. This requires pluralism of theories and methods as well as a deep understanding of the historical and country-specific context, including political economy factors. The research undertaken in the department is theory driven, application oriented, and based on empirical analysis using a variety of social science methods. The spectrum includes quantitative empirical analyses of comprehensive data sets (e.g., on trade policy or income inequality), modelling and political economy analyses of social and economic policies (e.g., for climate protection or poverty reduction), as well as behavioural experiments and qualitative case study-based analyses.
The future post holder will be appointed to the position of a university lecturer in development economics and sustainability policy at the University of Göttingen under membership law in accordance with the Thuringian Model with the right to use the title of professor. The appointment does not establish an employment or civil servant relationship with the University of Göttingen. He/she will be involved in teaching in the field of development economics and sustainability policy at the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Göttingen with two teaching hours per week and will contribute to the qualification of early career researchers in this field.
Appointment requirements are stipulated by Article 25 of the Lower Saxony Higher Education Act in the most current version of that law. As a rule, junior professors and other members of the University of Göttingen can only be considered for a professorial appointment if after the completion of the doctoral thesis they have transferred to another university or worked for a minimum of two years in research elsewhere. The University of Göttingen is a Public Law Foundation and thereby entitled to award professorships. Details will be provided upon request.
We actively promote gender equality and diversity of all people in our institute. We therefore welcome applications from people of colour, people of all nationalities, religions and world views, sexual orientations and gender identities, all age groups and people with disabilities. We also welcome applications from people with a family history of migration. Applications from researchers from abroad are explicitly welcome.
The University of Göttingen and IDOS strive to increase the proportion of women in areas where women are underrepresented and have committed themselves to being family-friendly institutions, in particular supporting their employees in balancing science/work and family life. We are particularly committed to the professional participation of disabled employees and therefore welcome applications from persons with disabilities. In the case of equivalent qualifications, applications from disabled persons will be given preference. In order for us to be able to protect the interests of the applicant, information about a disability or equal status to severely disabled people should be included in the application.
Applications should include a letter of motivation, CV, a one-page description of experience and motivation in policy advice and/or knowledge transfer as well as relevant references and certificates. Please send your application in one pdf to the Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics at bewerbungen@wiwi.uni-goettingen.de no later than September 17, 2025.
If you have further questions, please contact the Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics (dekanat@wiwi.uni-goettingen.de) or the Head of the Department “Transformation of Economic and Social Systems” at IDOS (clara.brandi@idos-research.de).
The submission of the application constitutes consent under the data protection law and allows us to process your application data. For more details on the legal basis and data use, please refer to the information sheet on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) www.uni-goettingen.de/GDPR.
Please note that only the German version of this job announcement is legally binding.