The Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) is seeking to appoint a full-time postdoctoral researcher to join the Max Planck Research Group on Medical Demography led by Marcus Ebeling.
Description of the Research Group
Medical progress has fundamentally changed how people live with disease and how populations age, respond, and adapt. In many societies today, having a history of disease does not necessarily imply poor health. The Max Planck Research Group on Medical Demography investigates this new demographic reality.
Its mission is to advance the field of medical demography by building on existing approaches and developing new conceptual, methodological, and empirical foundations. We address key questions such as how medical advances shape population health over the life course, and how they influence population resilience and vulnerability. We collaborate closely with international research groups in the fields of epidemiology, medicine, and demography.
Further information on the research group can be found here.
Applications are invited from candidates who have, or will soon obtain, a PhD in demography, sociology, epidemiology, medicine, health economics, biostatistics, public health, or a related field.
The successful candidate is expected to work within one or more of the following areas:
1. Disease Presence and Disease Impact:
- Has disease presence become more or less predictive of disease impact?
- How do the timing and patterns of disease accumulation shape the onset of disease impact and individual health trajectories, including pathways to death?
2. Diffusion of Medical Progress in Populations
- How does medical progress shape health inequalities within populations?
- How are changes in population health linked to how medical progress is distributed within and across populations, for example through in- and outpatient care?
3. Population Resilience and Vulnerability
- How can population resilience and vulnerability be measured?
- Does medical progress make populations more or less vulnerable?
MPIDR is committed to providing an open, collaborative, and supportive research environment and welcome curious, critical, and motivated researchers who wish to contribute to an emerging interdisciplinary field.
German citizenship or residence is not a prerequisite for applying. MPIDR's international office will assist successful applicants through the process of obtaining a work visa, if needed.
Qualifications and Skills:
- [Required] Strong interest and demonstrated ability to conduct cutting-edge research at the intersection of demography, sociology, (public) health, and medicine.
- [Required] Proficiency in at least one statistical software package, such as R or Stata.
- [Desirable] Prior experience with quantitative analyses of high-resolution health data, such as population registers, hospital records, or panel data.
How to apply:
Applications should be in English and be submitted online via this survey and should include the following
documents:
1. Curriculum Vitae
2. Letter of interest (maximum 1 page)
Briefly explain why you are interested in joining the MPIDR, how the institute could foster your professional development and career trajectory, and how your interests and skills align with the research program of the Medical Demography Group at MPIDR.
3. Research Statement (maximum 2 pages)
Summarize your research accomplishments, ongoing work, and future research plans. Please also describe your technical skills, areas of expertise, and the type of scientific contribution or research agenda you envision making at MPIDR and within the Medical Demography Group.
4. Names and contact information for up to two academic referees
5. One writing sample or publication
In order to receive full consideration, applications should be submitted by March 22, 2026. Interviews are tentatively scheduled for early April 2026 (after Easter). The starting date is flexible, but preferably no later than fall 2026.
What is offered:
The successful applicants will be offered a 3-year contract with remuneration commensurate to experience (starting from currently approx. 64,940 EUR gross per year for researchers who have just completed their PhD, up to approx. 74,690 EUR gross per year for more senior scientists), based on the salary structure of the German public sector (Öffentlicher Dienst, TVöD Bund). They are expected to be in residence at the MPIDR, which is based near the Baltic Sea in Rostock, Germany.