Post-Doctoral Researcher in Migration and Health Inequalities

The Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) is seeking to appoint a full-time post-doctoral researcher to join the ERC-funded Research Group on Migration and Health Inequalities. The group, led by Silvia Loi, brings together experts from Demography, Quantitative Sociology, and Social Epidemiology to address the pressing scientific and societal question: Why do immigrants age in poorer health compared to non-immigrants?

They are seeking a creative, self-driven, collaborative scholar with a strong quantitative background who can contribute to advancing one or more of these three research areas:

1. quantify the gaps in healthy ageing trajectories between immigrants and non-immigrants by age, gender, socioeconomic status, and their interactions;
2. identify the critical events and circumstances in immigrants’ lives that put them on a different healthy ageing trajectory from non-immigrants;
3. study the impact of family composition and family ties in mitigating health inequalities by migration background.

MPIDR provides a stimulating research-oriented community, excellent infrastructure, and an institutional culture that enables everyone to develop their individual skills and competencies. The MPIDR is one of the leading demographic research centers in the world, studying issues of theoretical and policy relevance. These include, but are not limited to mortality, fertility, migration, ageing, health, and the redistribution of work and transfers over the life course. The MPIDR is part of the Max Planck Society, a network of 86 institutes that form Germany’s premier basic-research organization. Max Planck Institutes have an established record of world-class, foundational research in the sciences, technology, social sciences, and the humanities.

The successful candidate must have a PhD (or receive it soon) in Demography, Sociology, Social Epidemiology or related fields, a strong quantitative background and is expected to have a profile along at least one of the following lines:

1. Migrant health
2. Social determinants of health
3. Social inequalities
4. Measuring and modelling life-course processes

Please apply online via this survey and include in a single PDF file:

1. Motivation letter, 1-2 pages that describe how your expertise fits into the research agenda of the Research Group and the related project. Please include your research accomplishments, and highlight your technical skills, and areas of expertise. 
2. Curriculum Vitae including a list of publications
3. A writing example (e.g., one of your publications or working paper)
4. Contact information for up to 2 academic referees
5.  

In order to receive full consideration, applications should be submitted by October 31, 2024. Interviews will be held between the third and fourth week of November 2024. We expect candidates to start in early 2025, though a later date might be possible. The successful applicant will be offered a 2-years contract with remuneration commensurate to experience (starting from approx. 57,000 EUR gross per year for researchers who have just completed their PhD, up to approx. 70,000 EUR gross per year for more senior scientists), based on the salary structure of the German public sector (Öffentlicher Dienst, TVöD Bund).

It is expected that the successful applicant will mainly work in presence at the MPIDR, in Rostock. Support for relocation costs is available.