Two PhD Positions in Marine Governance and Policy (HIFMB / AWI)

Job title

Two PhD positions in "Infrastructures, knowledges and policy practices in marine governance".

Company

Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB), in institutional cooperation between the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) and the Carl von Ossietzky University in Oldenburg.

Description of the job

HIFMB invites applications for 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, developing 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.

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 two PhD positions will develop research within these themes across different geographical contexts and scales in Germany and beyond, engaging primarily with social science concepts and methods, with opportunities for in-depth and creative case study research.

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 excellent training opportunities provided by AWI and the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg. The positions are limited to 3 years.

Research areas of particular interest:

• 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 your 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.

What We Offer:

• Membership of AWI's postgraduate program POLMAR or another graduate school with comprehensive training and support.
• An international environment with flexible working hours.
• Health promotion and company fitness with Hansefit and Wellhub.
• Support services and a culture of reconciling work and family.
• Occupational pension provision (VBL).

Requirements

Required:

• 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:

• Basic German language skills (approximately equivalent to CEFR level A1+A2).
• Knowledge of key debates in the Marine Social Sciences, Science and Technology Studies, and/or Political Ecology.
• Evidence of working within inter- and transdisciplinary contexts.

Location

Oldenburg, Germany.

Salary

Not specified. 

How to apply

Please submit your application online only by March 18th, 2026, in English, quoting reference number 26/19/G/HIFMB-b. Submit as a single PDF file containing: a letter (2 pages maximum) explaining your background, interests and motivation, a short outline of your envisaged research (1 page), CV and relevant qualifications documents including copies of degrees. No photo is required. For questions about the position, contact Prof Dr Rossella Alba (rossella.alba@hifmb.de; +49(471)4831-2519).

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

Deadline

18/03/2026.

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