The Cluster of Excellence “Contestations of the Liberal Script” (SCRIPTS) at Freie Universität Berlin invites applications for a Research Assistant (Postdoc) (f/m/d) position (full-time, limited to three years; Entgeltgruppe 13 TV-L FU).

The position is part of SCRIPTS Project ID 4, which examines how contestations of the liberal script play out within UNESCO and the OECD, focusing on science ethics (bioethics and AI ethics). The project asks under what conditions contestation — internal or external, shaped by power differentials and polarization — leads to progressive re-articulation of liberal norms, regressive re-scripting, resistance, or outright de-scripting of institutional design, legitimacy, and policy outputs in these two organizations.

Tasks

• Active participation in the research project on UNESCO and the OECD
• Leading data collection and contributing to data analysis (quantitative and qualitative)
• Conducting comparative case studies
• Mentoring student assistants involved in the project
• Contributing to joint project publications and pursuing independent publications

Requirements

• Completed PhD in Political Science, Sociology, International Relations, or a related field
• Experience working in international and interdisciplinary research teams

Desirable

• Strong command of quantitative and qualitative methods, ideally including computational large-text-data analysis and qualitative comparative case studies
• Strong command of English (C1)
• Desirable: track record of highly-ranked peer-reviewed publications in political science, IR, or sociology
• Desirable: substantial knowledge of international organizations, ideally UNESCO and/or OECD specifically
• Willingness to supervise student research assistants and collaborate closely within the project team

For further information and application details, please consult the official job announcement.