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? 
The research group agenda builds up on 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. 

We are seeking a creative, self-driven, collaborative scholar with a strong quantitative background that can contribute to advancing one or more the three research areas of the group. The selected candidate will be a member of the Research Group on Migration and Health Inequalities, and will have the opportunity to collaborate with other units, such as the Max Planck – University of Helsinki Center for Social Inequalities in Population Health (MaxHel). 

We provide a stimulating research-oriented community, excellent infrastructure at the MPIDR, 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, aging, 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

Demonstrable skills in R or Stata are highly desirable. Previous experience working with register data will be considered an advantage.

Please apply online via this survey https://survey.demogr.mpg.de/index.php/397857?lang=en and include in a single PDF file:

1.    Curriculum Vitae including a list of publications;
2.    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;
3.    A writing example (e.g., one of your publications or working paper);
4.    Contact information for up to 2 academic referees.

In order to receive full consideration, applications should be submitted by 28 February 2025. Online interviews will be held in the first half of March 2025. We expect candidates to start in the first half of 2025, though a later date might be possible under special circumstances. 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). The advertised position is located at the MPIDR. It is expected that the successful applicant will be in residence at the MPIDR, in Rostock, Germany, and support for relocation costs is available.

The Max Planck Society offers a broad range of measures to support the reconciliation of work and family. These are complemented by the MPIDR’s own initiatives. For more information, see: https://www.demogr.mpg.de/go/work-family. In addition, there are a range of central initiatives and measures primarily geared towards helping young female researchers and mothers to advance their career. See the link below for some examples: 
https://www.demogr.mpg.de/go/career-development. 

Our Institute values diversity and is keen to employ individuals from minorities and under-represented groups. The Max Planck Society is committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in its workforce and therefore encourages applications from such qualified individuals. Furthermore, the Max Planck Society seeks to increase the number of women in those areas where they are underrepresented and therefore explicitly encourages women to apply.

For inquiries about both positions, please contact Silvia Loi at loi@demogr.mpg.de.