Paid Research Fellowship at Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law, Freiburg, Germany (Department of Public Law; Research Stay of Two to Four Months)

The Department of Public Law at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law (MPI-CSL) in Freiburg, Germany, invites applications for its Research Fellowship Program. Fellowships are awarded for a research stay at the Institute for a period of two to a maximum of four months. Fellows are expected to develop their own research projects and to participate in the scientific exchange of the department.

The Institute is part of the Max Planck Society and is dedicated to fundamental research in public security matters, criminal law, criminology and fundamental legal research, across three departments (Public Law, Criminal Law and Criminology). The Department of Public Law, headed by Prof. Dr. Ralf Poscher, addresses the preventive aspects of security-related matters, including internationalization, digitization and fragmentation and the normative challenges of danger prevention in the context of fundamental rights protection, the rule of law and democratic principles.

The official page states: "The Research Fellowship program is open to outstanding academics - PhD students, postdocs, senior researchers, and professors - from foreign research institutions and to PhD candidates from German research institutions (except MPI-CSL)". Academics at Indian universities and research institutions therefore qualify as applicants from foreign research institutions.

• Projects should be particularly innovative and contribute significantly to scientific progress through new perspectives, investigations or findings in Public Law.
• Applicants should have research interests in public security law, fundamental aspects of public law, or legal philosophy and legal theory.

The two official sources state different amounts, so both are given here:

• Department of Public Law fellowship page: EUR 1,365 per month for doctoral candidates, EUR 2,500 for postdocs, and up to EUR 3,000 for professors and experienced researchers. In exceptional cases, a grant can also be awarded for expenses in connection with participation in an academic event or further research activities in Germany or other (European) countries.
• Institute Research Fellowship page (csl.mpg.de/en/fellowships): up to EUR 1,650 per month for doctoral students, up to EUR 2,700 per month for postdocs, and up to EUR 3,200 per month for professors and experienced researchers from foreign research institutions; in exceptional cases a larger grant may be awarded if special circumstances apply.

The Institute adds that a limited number of scholarships are available and that as a general rule it does not reimburse travel expenses.

• Access to a specialised library of approximately 500,000 volumes and 1,100 print journals.
• Access to a comprehensive range of German and foreign case law and literature databases.
• Workplaces and administrative and academic support.
• Opportunities to participate in workshops, seminars and conferences and to liaise with experts at the Institute and in the Max Planck Law network.

Submit the following in PDF format:

• Curriculum vitae
• List of academic publications
• One to three scholarly publications in German or English
• Description of the proposed research project (5 to 10 pages). Doctoral students are not necessarily expected to submit publications, but should submit a more detailed research proposal (approx. 10 pages).
• Diploma degree certificates
• Doctoral degree certificate

The application portal states that all scholarship recipients must have health insurance and must provide proof of sufficient coverage.

Apply through the CSL Application Portal (Research Fellowship). In the form, select Public Law as the research department and the type of scholarship (Doctoral, Postdoctoral or Senior Fellows), and give the requested begin of stay. Applications for fellowships for the following year must be submitted by 31 October of the previous year, so stays in 2027 must be applied for by 31 October 2026.

Questions may be directed to Dr. Johanna Rinceanu, Senior Researcher, as listed on the official fellowship page.