Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe (GWZO), Leipzig

The Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe (GWZO) conducts comparative research into the history and culture of the region between the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea and the Adriatic from late antiquity to the present day. The institute has been based in the centre of Leipzig since 2010 and employs around 90 staff from Germany and abroad. Since 2025, the GWZO has also an office in the centre of Prague.

Since March 2025, the GWZO has been hosting the research project "The Cotton Empire in the East: A Commodity History of the Soviet bloc”. The project takes the history of cotton and related commodity chains as a starting point to explore the global connections and interconnectedness of the Soviet bloc’s economy.

This project is part of the collaborative initiative "Commodity Frontiers in Eastern Europe: Environment and Societies at Global Risk (16th-21st Centuries)”, conducted in cooperation with the Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies (IOS) in Regensburg and the German Mining Museum in Bochum. The project situates Eastern Europe in the historical geography of global capitalism by identifying commodity frontiers in the region. It explores the formation and dynamics of these frontiers and examines their impacts on local societies as well as their political, economic, environmental, and geographical contexts. The project is financed by the Leibniz Association via third-party funding in the framework of the funding format Leibniz Collaborative Excellence.

For the research project based at the GWZO department "Entanglements and Globalisation", we are looking to recruit:

A Research Fellow (f/m/d)

starting on 01 January 2026

The position is classified in salary group 13 TV-L (100%) and is fixed-term until 29 February 2028.

Reference number: 25_06_A3

Your tasks:

• Conduct independent research on the history of cotton in the Eastern Bloc (including archival research, presumably in Uzbekistan and/or Azerbaijan, depending on the individual research design).
• Publish the results of this research, particularly through a peer-reviewed article in the special issue planned by the research group, and, if applicable, through co-editorship
• Participate in and support the activities of the research group, including:
• assisting in the organisation and participating of workshops, and
• contributing to editorial work for project publications.
• Present your research at conferences and GWZO events.
• Engage with and connect your work to the research of other scholars at the GWZO.

Your profile:

• A completed doctoral degree (or equivalent) in History, East European Studies, Global Studies, Political Science or a related discipline.
• Very good command of spoken and written English, command of Russian for archival research.
• Experience with archival research and historical analysis.
• A strong interest in global history, economic history, history of science and technology, and/or environmental history of Cold War state socialism.
• Willingness to engage with the theoretical concepts of the research project (particularly that of ”commodity frontier”).

What we offer:

• An open, collaborative and team-oriented work atmosphere with flat hierarchies.
• An interdisciplinary and international working environment.
• Opportunities for developing your individual profile and further professional qualification through training programmes.
• Space for independent work and personal initiative
• The option to work remotely for up to 40% of weekly working hours.
• The possibility to purchase the Deutschlandticket as a subsidised job ticket.
• Participation in the company pension scheme (VBL).
• A workplace located in the heart of the city of Leipzig.

Please send your application, including a CV, degree certificates of your Master’s and PhD, a motivation letter (cover letter), a 2-3 pages sketch of how you plan to approach the topic (including a basic bibliography) and a writing sample (PhD chapter or article), quoting the reference number 25_06_A3, by 05 November 2025 to Professor Maren Röger (Director), Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe (GWZO), Reichsstr. 4-6, 04109 Leipzig) or by email to: bewerbung(at)leibniz-gwzo.de. Submitting an application via email has implications for data protection. The applicant bears full responsibility for this.

Since July 2021, our institute has held the TOTAL E-QUALITY Award for its commitment to equal opportunities. The GWZO is dedicated to promoting professional equality between men and women and therefore strongly encourages applications by women. Applications from individuals with severe disabilities are expressly encouraged and will be given preferential consideration in cases of equal qualification.

For inquiries regarding the application process or job advert, please contact Dr. Jan Zofka (jan.zofka@leibniz-gwzo.de).

Further information about the GWZO and the research project can be found on our website www.leibniz-gwzo.de and at the following links:

Information on data protection

Your personal data contained in the application documents or obtained during the interview will be processed exclusively for the purpose of the selection procedure for this position. The legal basis for the data processing is § 11 Abs. 1 Sächsisches Datenschutzdurchführungsgesetz i. V. m. EU-Datenschutz-Grundverordnung (DS-GVO). The person responsible for the application process is the addressee of the application named at the top of this advertisement. As part of the application process, your personal data will be shared within the institute and within the scope of their organisational or legal responsibilities, with the following members of staff:

• members of the selection committee,
• the human resources department,
• the equal opportunities officers,
• the inclusion officer and
• the works council.

Your personal data will be deleted no later than six months after the end of the selection process. According to the GDPR, you have the following rights vis-à-vis the addressee of the application, provided that the corresponding legal requirements are met: Right of access (Art. 15 DS-GVO), right to rectification of inaccurate personal data (Art. 16 DS-GVO); right to erasure (Art. 17 DS-GVO), right to restriction of processing (Art. 18 DS-GVO) and right to object to processing (Art. 21 DS-GVO). If you have any questions, please contact the GWZO data protection officers. Furthermore, there is a right of appeal. The supervisory authority responsible for the GWZO is the person commissioned by the Saxon State Parliament for data protection.