Two PhD Positions in "Infrastructures, Knowledges and Policy Practices in Marine Governance" (HIFMB / AWI)

Job title

Two PhD Positions in "Infrastructures, Knowledges and Policy Practices in Marine Governance".

Company

Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) / Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI).

Description of the job

The Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) is offering two PhD positions in the newly established Marine Policy and Management working group. The group examines diverse efforts to protect, govern, and reclaim waters across oceans and coastal regions. The research develops innovative theoretical and methodological approaches to understand how knowledge, infrastructure, and policy practices are mobilized in the management of marine waters — by whom, for what purposes, and with what consequences on people and environments.

HIFMB is a research institute located in Oldenburg that studies marine biodiversity and its importance for the function of marine ecosystems, the people linked to those ecosystems, and their governance. Founded in 2017, HIFMB is an institutional cooperation between the Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), and the Carl von Ossietzky University in Oldenburg.

The working group places particular emphasis on exploring creative and critical pathways toward transformative change in marine governance, with strong attention to biodiversity conservation and environmental justice. The 2 PhD positions will develop research within the above themes across different geographical contexts and scales in Germany and beyond.

Research Focus Areas:

• The governance of infrastructure, including how the planning, construction, operation, and/or decommissioning of infrastructure such as sea walls, offshore wind farms, cables, and desalination plants shape the management of marine and coastal environments.
• The knowledge and practices of doing marine policy and ocean research in the contexts of ongoing initiatives, including but not limited to the establishment of marine protected areas, the UN Ocean Decade, the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) agreement.

Tasks:

• Develop own PhD research project on issues of marine policy and governance.
• Work collaboratively and creatively with the Marine Policy and Management group to develop innovative research questions.
• Conduct literature reviews and contextual research in the field of marine policy and management.
• Carry out effective research using primarily qualitative methods towards collecting empirical evidence, including conducting fieldwork.
• Contribute to theoretical interventions for governance of ocean biodiversity and justice.
• Prepare findings for dissemination in academic and policy fields via conference presentations, peer-reviewed publications, and public outreach.
• Partake in professional development opportunities to support career development.

The successful PhD candidates will join a growing group of critical marine social science researchers at HIFMB and have access to a well-equipped qualitative methods laboratory. They will also benefit from HIFMB's interdisciplinary research environment and from excellent training opportunities provided by AWI and the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg. All doctoral candidates will be members of AWI's postgraduate program POLMAR or another graduate school.

The position is limited to 3 years. The place of employment will be Oldenburg.

Requirements

Essential qualifications:

• Master's degree (or equivalent) in a discipline such as Human Geography, Anthropology, Social Science, Environmental Humanities, or Interdisciplinary Environmental Sciences.
• Experience in designing, conducting, and completing a research project in the social sciences (or a project with social science components).
• Experience in using qualitative methodologies, such as in-depth interviewing, ethnography, and textual analysis.
• Openness, willingness, and enthusiasm to work in an inter- and transdisciplinary environment and to collaborate with natural sciences.
• Strong written and spoken English skills (approximately equivalent to CEFR level C1).

Preferred qualifications:

• Basic German language skills (approximately equivalent to CEFR level A1+A2) are welcome but not essential.
• Knowledge of key debates in the Marine Social Sciences, Science and Technology Studies, and/or Political Ecology is preferred.
• Evidence of working within inter- and transdisciplinary contexts is desirable but not essential.

Location

Oldenburg, Germany.

Salary

Not specified. 

How to apply

Applications should be submitted online only, in English, by March 18th, 2026. No photo is required. An application should consist of a letter (2 pages maximum) explaining background, interests and motivation for undertaking a PhD in the area described, alongside a short outline of the envisaged research (1 page), CV and relevant qualifications documents, including copies of degrees. This should be submitted as a single PDF file.

For further information on the specific position, contact Prof Dr Rossella Alba (rossella.alba@hifmb.de, +49(471)4831-2519).

For general questions about the application process, contact Elisabeth Wildt (bewerbungsmanagement@awi.de, +49(471)4831-2236).

Deadline

18/03/2026.

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