Nine PhD Scholarships (100%)

In the winter semester 2023/24 (beginning: 01 October 2023), the newly founded Joachim Herz Doctoral School will start its structured Ph.D. programme at Leuphana University Lüneburg. The programme is funded by the Joachim Herz Foundation.

The Joachim Herz Doctoral School (https://www.leuphana.de/jhkolleg) invites graduates of law (and related social science disciplines) to apply for scholarships for the structured Ph.D. programme on Law and Transformation. Up to nine Ph.D. scholarships will be available. It is equally possible to participate without a scholarship.

Research Focus

The Ph.D. programme deals with fundamental questions in jurisprudence that arise from societal transformations and – connected to this – from the transformations of law itself. Phenomena such as digitalisation, constant social change as a result of demographic changes, as well as various crises and conflicts, such as the Corona pandemic, the climate crisis, or the Ukraine War, pose immense challenges to the legal system. They not only require an adaptation of the law, but also lead to a change of its role. Against this backdrop, research on the topics of

• Digitalisation/Digitality and Law,
• Climate Change/Decarbonisation and Law,
• (Inter-)National Conflicts and Law, and
• Law as a Decisive Factor in Transformations

are particularly welcome. The focus of the research programme on these issues serves the goal of making a sustainable contribution to the future viability of democratic societies and determining the role of law in dealing with pressing contemporary issues and the permanent demands of transformation. Further information on the research programme of the Joachim Herz Doctoral School is available at https://www.leuphana.de/jhkolleg.

Structured Ph.D. Programme

The structured Ph.D. programme of the Joachim Herz Doctoral School is designed to last four years and leads to the award of the German doctorate in law (Dr. iur.) by the School of Public Affairs at Leuphana University Lüneburg after successful completion.

The Ph.D. programme is characterised by the close integration of scientific activities with accompanying methodological courses, qualification offers, and excellent supervision. To this end, the Ph.D. programme offers a series of events (seminars, workshops, research colloquia, etc.) and combines them with the offerings of the Leuphana Graduate School. The latter is a unique institution in Germany, based on the Anglo-Saxon model, which supports the career development of the doctoral students through, among other things, methods courses, academic and non-academic education formats, and research funding.

Funding

The Joachim Herz Doctoral College offers up to nine Ph.D. scholarships. The amount of the monthly funding is 1,650€ (+ 100€ allowance for material costs). In addition, travel subsidies and child allowances can be granted. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of the evaluation of the application documents received (with special consideration of the quality of the proposed Ph.D. project) in conjunction with the results of the selection interviews.

Admission Requirements

•  An above-average degree in law or a related social science discipline (Master’s degree, state examination, or comparable),
• A strong interest in (and ideally already initial professional connections to) questions of the social contextualisation of law in times of transformations and disruptions,
• A clear concept for a Ph.D. project in the research area of the Joachim Herz Doctoral School.

In addition, the general admission requirements for doctoral studies at the Faculty of Political Science apply. These can be found in the doctoral regulations of the faculty.

Application

If you have any questions regarding the application, please contact the scientific director of the Joachim Herz Doctoral School (Dr. Matthias Packeiser, e-mail: jhkolleg@leuphana.de).

Please send your application for admission to the structured Ph.D. programme and for scholarships by e-mail as a single PDF document by 11 June 2023 (11:59 p.m. CEST) at the latest enclosing the following documents:

• Fully completed application form
• Cover letter
• Curriculum vitae including a description of your previous studies and research activities (max. 2 pages),
• Study certificates incl. final grades and transcripts of record (in German or English; in case of other languages, an officially certified translation is required),
• Relevant references (e.g., from scientific activities),
• Description of the proposed Ph.D. project incl. preliminary title (max. 5 pages) in German or English,
• If already available: Letter of admission to doctoral studies at the School of Public Affairs.

with the subject “Application: Joachim Herz Promotionskolleg” to

Leuphana University Lüneburg
Joachim Herz Doctoral School
Universitätsalleee 1
21335 Lüneburg (Germany)
E-mail: jhkolleg@leuphana.de