Doctoral Researcher in spatial data management (SDC-36)

Köln

Part-time

Temporary

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 January 1, 2027, our Department Survey Data Curation, Team Survey Data Augmentation, located in Cologne, is looking for a

Doctoral Researcher in spatial data management
(Salary group 13 TV-L, working time 75 %, limited to 3 years)

The department “Survey Data Curation“ processes and prepares social science research data across a diverse range of data types to support sociological and political science research, especially in comparative perspectives across space and time. The curated data include long-running national (e.g., ALLBUS, GLES) and international (e.g., ISSP, CSES) survey programs, which are documented and curated to the highest quality standards, but also research data products derived from or connected to these surveys, such as geo referencing services or trend files. “Electoral Spaces” is a project of our team Survey Data Augmentation that develops a research data infrastructure for making geocoded electoral data more findable, accessible, interoperable, and re-usable.

Your tasks will be:

Setting up the data storage technology and programming the R interface and auxiliary tools for “Electoral Spaces”
Testing and assessing the tech stack to ensure it meets researchers' needs for spatial electoral data
Supporting data modeling, data ingestion pipelines, and curation workflows
Contributing to technical documentation, project outreach, and dissemination
Conducting methodological or applied research showcasing the added value of the infrastructure

Your profile:

Master’s degree in geography, geoinformatics, spatial data science, or a related discipline
Technical literacy in geospatial software stacks and strong programming skills in R
Strong interest in the application of GIS and spatial data to political and social science research
Motivation to complete a PhD thesis closely aligned with the project
Excellent English language skills

Our Benefits:

Opportunity to contribute to a research data infrastructure with substantial impact on the future of democracy research
Work in an integrated yet flexible team of quantitative social scientists with substantial synergies between survey augmentation projects specializing in geospatial data applications and democracy
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 programme
Generous support for your pension provision as a direct insurance policy
Promotion of your skills through further training measures

Contact

For further information concerning the tasks please contact Stefan Jünger via E-Mail (stefan.juenger@gesis.org). If you have questions about the application process, please contact Christine Laßmann via E-Mail (christine.lassmann@gesis.org).

Interested?

Please apply by submitting a motivation letter, a CV, and a writing sample via our online-application portal until October 2, 2026.
Our reference number is: SDC-36

About us

GESIS is one of the world's leading social science infrastructure facilities, supporting researchers at all levels of their research projects with expertise and infrastructure services. We help ensure that socially relevant questions can be answered based on reliable data, the latest scientific methods and research information. We help with study planning and data collection, provide high-quality research data, support with data preparation and analysis, and finally with data archiving.
GESIS helps you gain further qualifications. We offer our employees a wide range of career opportunities in an appealing work environment with a high degree of personal responsibility and creative freedom. With us, you will work in an international environment in the heart of Mannheim and Cologne and benefit from a flexible work environment as well as internal and external networks.
GESIS ensures compliance with the guidelines for the severely disabled and promotes professional equality between women and men.
Full-time positions can also be filled on a part-time basis.
As a family-friendly employer, we have been certified by the “berufundfamilie” audit since 2010.
Further information on working at GESIS can be found here.