GESIS – Leibniz-Institute for the Social Sciences is an internationally active research institute, funded by federal and state governments and member of the Leibniz Association.

Starting on February 1, 2026 our Department Computational Social Science (CSS) , Team Digital Society Observatory located in Cologne , is looking for a

PostDoc / Senior Researcher in Computational Social Science

(Salary group 13 TV-L, working time 100 %, initially limited for 4 years with possible tenure)

The department Computational Social Science (CSS) collects digital behavioral data and provides computer-based methods for collecting and analyzing such data for social science research. It also supports scientists with the integration of digital behavioral data into their research designs. The department's research focuses on the quality of digital behavioral data, the development and validation of computational social science methods, and the transformation of digital societies. The services and research of the Team Digital Society Observatory focus on the observation of society through the lens of digital behavioral data, with a particular emphasis on data collected from online platforms. The team conducts substantive and methodological research on digital society and the tools that can be used to study it.

Your tasks will be:

• Research in the areas of digital behavioral data and computational social science
• Organization and further development of service tasks in the team such as online-platform data collection
• Evaluating the quality of digital behavioral data and advising on the usage of digital behavioral data
• Presentation of research results and GESIS services in relevant scientific communities
• Conceptualization and writing of third-party funding proposals

Your profile:

• University degree (Diploma, Master or similar) and above-average completed doctoral degree in a field relevant to computational social science (e.g., in computer science, data science, communication science, political science, sociology)
• Peer-reviewed, internationally visible publications in the field of computational social science
• Expertise in the collection, use and quality assessment of digital behavioral data
• Very good command of R and/or Python and (ideally) experience with databases
• Very good command of written and spoken English; German language skills are not expected at first but will be required by the start of the tenure process

Our Benefits:

• An excellent international and interdisciplinary research environment that will support you in further developing your own research profile
• Access to unique digital behavioral datasets collected within the department
• Flexible working hours and regulations for mobile working
• Very good conditions for reconciling work and family life, e.g. subsidies for childcare for children who have not yet attained the age of compulsory schooling
• Holistic company health management and discounted participation in the university's sports program
• Generous support for your pension provision as a direct insurance policy
• Promotion of your skills through further training measures and, if required, support in acquiring German language skills

Contact

For further information concerning the tasks please contact Dr. Paul C. Bauer via E-Mail (paul.bauer@gesis.org). If you have questions about the application process, please contact Franca Tosetti via E- Mail (franca.tosetti@gesis.org).

Interested?

Please apply via our Online-application portal until 09.12.2025 .
Our reference number is: CSS-116