3-year doctoral position (m/f/d) 65% E13 TV-L

Faculty of Economics
and Social Sciences

Hector Research Institute of Education
Sciences and Psychology

The Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology is currently inviting applica-
tions for a:

3-year doctoral position (m/f/d)
(65 %, E 13 TV-L1)

We are seeking excellent doctoral candidates who are motivated to work on the development of new
research methods. Applicants may come from any of the following fields (or related fields): data sci-
ence, statistics, psychology/psychometrics, econometrics, or education sciences.

The position will be funded for 3 years. The starting date for this position is as soon as possible, but
we are committed to accommodating candidates’ individual circumstances.

The position is embedded in the institute’s main research field methodological research and devel-
opment; the successful candidate will primarily be supervised by Assistant Professor Steffen Zitz-
mann. The Hector Research Institute is a nationally and internationally leading research center in
education sciences and psychology. Our interdisciplinary team works in a well-equipped building
close to the historic city center of Tübingen, Germany. Traditionally, research at the Hector Research
Institute investigates determinants of successful teaching and learning processes using large scale
assessments, longitudinal studies, and randomized controlled field trials. Our team will collaborate
with the other research fields at the institute and support them by providing a diverse array of methods
know-how, particularly in quantitative methods and statistics. More information can be found at
www.hib.uni-tuebingen.de.

The successful candidate is expected to work on one or more of the following topics: (1) Causal
inference and how causality can be established (or approached) by using advanced statistical meth-
ods in non-experimental designs, (2) longitudinal/time-series modelling, (3) Regularization and ma-
chine learning techniques to process big data, (4) Approaches to improve computational efficiency,
(5) Development of R packages and/or Shiny Apps. Besides theoretical contributions and program-
ming, the successful candidate is expected to use computer simulations to evaluate the developed
methods.

The PhD candidates will benefit from unique opportunities, including:

• Close collaboration, mentoring, and professional development from a supervisory team

• Supportive environment to enable presentations at national and international conferences and

publications in highly ranked journals to advance an (international) academic career

• Opportunities for interdisciplinary and international exchange programs (e.g., lab visits)

• Access to the LEAD Graduate School & Research Network (www.lead.uni-tuebingen.de)

1 According to the general pay scale of German universities, the salary will be “E 13TV-L”. This corresponds to a monthly
salary of at least EUR 2,601,-** (65% position, gross pay, before tax). After taxes as a single (i.e. not married or in a civil
partnership; no children), the monthly salary is at least EUR 1.703 (net salary after taxes and health insurance payments).
Your income will increase annually if you remain employed. Information regarding cost of living in Tübingen:
https://tuebingenresearchcampus.com/tuebingen/

http://www.hib.uni-tuebingen.de/
http://www.lead.uni-tuebingen.de/

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Faculty of Economics
and Social Sciences

Hector Research Institute of Education
Sciences and Psychology

Requirements
Graduates (and applicants about to graduate) with a master’s degree from the above-mentioned fields
with excellent grades and a strong interest in research from interdisciplinary perspectives are encour-
aged to apply. We especially give priority to candidates who have experience in developing and pro-
gramming statistical procedures (preferably with R). Experience with publishing articles is a bonus.

For further inquiries about the position, please reach out to Assistant Professor Steffen Zitzmann
(steffen.zitzmann@uni-tuebingen.de).

Applications including a (a) cover letter detailing your research experiences, interests, and method-
ological skills, (b) a CV, and (c) degree and other certificates with transcripts should be sent via email
in one single pdf-file to verwaltung@hib.uni-tuebingen.de. The initial deadline is March 21. Disa-
bled candidates will be given preference over other equally qualified applicants. The University seeks
to raise the number of women in research and teaching and therefore urges qualified women to apply
for these positions. Employment will be officially organized by the central university administration.

mailto:steffen.zitzmann@uni-tuebingen.de
mailto:verwaltung@hib.uni-tuebingen.de