Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories (LIfBi), Bamberg

The Leibniz-Institute for Educational Trajectories invites applications for the following full-time position (salary according to the collective agreement "TV-L" max. E13, 100% working time, starting 01.06.2026, ending 31.05.2030):

Postdoc position (f/m/d) in the department "Competencies, Personality, Learning Environments” (Focus: socio-emotional and cognitive competencies)

The Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories (LIfBi), with about 250 employees, is an independent research and infrastructure institution for empirical educational research and a member of the Leibniz Association. The core of the institute is the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), the largest long-term educational study in Germany.

Your work environment

The postdoc position is affiliated to the department "Competencies, Personality, Learning Environments" of LIfBi. The department is responsible for central infrastructural tasks of the NEPS. The research of the department focuses on education-related topics primarily from a psychological and pedagogical perspective. It is characterized by the individual perspective on educational processes, which focuses on the experience and behavior of the individual embedded in different learning and educational contexts (e.g., in the family, in different educational institutions, and in the context of lifelong learning).

Your tasks

• Research and publication activities with focus on topics of the department and in particular on determinants and development of socio-emotional and cognitive competencies, preferably with data from the National Educational Panel Study
• Exchange and cooperation with national and international researchers and within the team of LIfBi Department "Competencies, Personality, Learning environments”
• Contributing to analyses and the preparation of findings for the National Report on Education
• Supporting the supervision of qualification theses and commitment in applying for third-party funding

Your profile

• Above-average PhD in a relevant discipline (e.g., educational sciences, psychology, empirical educational research or sociology)
• Interest in quantitative empirical research in topics of the department and this particular research focus
• Publications in international journals with peer review
• Outstanding knowledge in statistical and quantitative analyses methods; preferable are also experiences with longitudinal studies and the analysis of longitudinal data
• Excellent oral and written German and English language skills
• Basic knowledge of the German education system
• Ability to cooperate in an interdisciplinary team and to autonomous working

We offer

• Working in the socially relevant field of educational research and in a region with a high quality of life
• Performance-related remuneration according to the collective agreement of the federal states (TV-L) as well as a company pension plan with VBLU
• Diverse opportunities and support for professional and personal development for academic or non-academic career development
• Excellent research environment and networking opportunities
• Flexible working hours and opportunities for mobile working
• Modern equipped offices, social rooms, company health promotion, parent-child room, etc. for a pleasant working environment (details on our social benefits at www.lifbi.de/Career-at-LIfBi)

LIfBi advocates gender equality and staff diversity. Our institute promotes the compatibility of family, care and career through flexible working and part-time models.

Your contact

Please send your meaningful application by the 15.03.2026 via our online form. Questions regarding the content of the position will be answered by Prof. Dr. Ilka Wolter (+49 951 700 60 010, ilka.wolter(at)lifbi.de).