HPI is recognized as one of the leading university institutes for computer science (www.hpi.de). Our goal is to strengthen Europe's digital sovereignty with excellent research and practice-oriented teaching in computer science. At HPI, we are convinced that excellence is created when knowledge from different disciplines is collaboratively combined to create responsible and pioneering solutions for the future.
In our research clusters "Systems," "Data and AI," "Foundations," "Digital Health," "Security," and "Business and Society" researchers from various disciplines work together on topics relevant to solving the challenges facing society. The Digital Engineering Faculty of the University of Potsdam and HPI offers a computer science engineering degree program that is unique in Germany. 

In the course of its strong growth, the Hasso Plattner Institute is looking for the earliest possible start date for a

Post- or Pre-Doctoral Researcher in Digital Technology, Governance, and Policy (m/f/x) 

for our location in Potsdam.

​The position is full time and fixed term for the period of two years.

Do you have academic experience at the interdisciplinary intersection of politics and technology? Do you have the experience and language skills to produce research in less studied national contexts? Do you have a commitment to disseminate your research knowledge for impact rather than simply publish papers for other academics? If so, we invite your application to join the Path to Power project at the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI). The position and project are embedded in the Digital Technologies and Governance research group.

Your future tasks

• Developing quantitative/qualitative/mixed-methods research pertaining to the impact of digital technologies on political elections, institutions and activities
• Develop a research agenda focused on the Global South, which may include a specific country, region, or broader comparative/thematic perspective
• Conduct cutting-edge research on technology governance, regulation, and digital policy with a critical focus on issues such as digital colonialism, global inequalities, data justice and power in global governance, while contributing policy-relevant insights
• Developing research and contributing to policy reports/documents pertaining to the development of technology regulation in your specialist region e.g. AI governance, infrastructure development, digital sovereignty
• Producing and contributing to group projects that apply critical approaches to technology governance, including focus on issues such as digital colonialism and global inequalities
• Producing and contributing to dissemination activities such as presenting research at academic conferences or to policymaking audiences, and writing content for non-expert audiences such as blogs and traditional and social media publications
• Engaging in public conversations around expertise in technology and society (e.g., contributions to policy debates, public lectures, media engagement, podcasts)
• Providing research support to wider project activities, such as data collection and management, preliminary data analysis, producing literature review summaries, or searching for appropriate cases/real world examples for project presentations
• Participating in and supporting the activities of the project
• Other responsibilities commensurate with position and project needs

Essential skills

• For the post-doctoral position, PhD in a relevant field, such as political science, sociology, science and technology studies (STS), international relations, media/communication studies, law, development studies, or related disciplines. Applicants from interdisciplinary or technical backgrounds with a strong critical and policy orientation are also encouraged to apply; for the pre-doctoral position, an excellent MA in a relevant social science field, such as politics, communications or Internet studies
• Demonstrated expertise in technology governance, digital regulation, or related fields, with a focus on global power dynamics, digital colonialism, or inequalities in the digital sphere
• Strong grounding in qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods research, with the ability to design and execute interdisciplinary projects
• Experience or interest in working collaboratively across technical and social science disciplines, possibly in partnership with digital engineering or computer science researchers
• Proven ability to translate academic research for non-academic audiences, including policy stakeholders, practitioners, and the wider public
• Evidence of stakeholder engagement and/or public scholarship, such as policy consultation, collaborative research projects, media contributions, or community-engaged research
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with the capacity to produce high-quality academic outputs as well as accessible policy and public-facing materials
• Commitment to critical, reflexive, and innovative approaches to understanding global technology governance
• Excellent proficiency in both academic and professional English, with the ability to write and present in a highly engaging and informative way for different audiences
• For the post-doctoral position only, a record of publication in international, peer-reviewed journals
• Knowledge of critical political and/or communication theories and approaches
• Confidence processing and implementing constructive written and oral feedback
• Ability to manage own working time and set internal milestones to adhere to wider project deadlines across multiple projects and tasks
• Commitment to producing research that addresses issues of political and economic power in society and aims to generate concrete political and policy recommendations

Desirable skills

• Experience arranging, conducting and analysing interviews
• Experience searching for, collating and analysing diverse secondary data (such as media reports, company filings and congressional reports)
  Experience with political economic critique
• Experience publicizing and disseminating academic research to social and traditional media audiences
• Experience working at the intersection of academia and policy
• Experience with innovative thinking on the use of technology to strengthen political systems

What we offer

• A first-class, active and inspiring research environment
• The opportunity to produce research that truly has an impact
• Well-funded research group with generous budget to advance the goals of the project
• Opportunities to travel for events, conferences and fieldwork
• Regular team events and workshops 
• Attractive employee offers (corporate benefits)
• Company-subsidized public transportation ticket/"Deutschlandticket"
• Possibility to work remotely (up to 2 days a week)
• Numerous sports facilities (tennis and basketball courts, beach volleyball court, calisthenics park, and participation in running events)
• Workplace on the HPI campus in Potsdam-Babelsberg (Griebnitzsee S-Bahn station), with fast transportation connections to Berlin

Application materials

• A CV and cover letter (clearly indicating salary expectations, availability to start and linguistic proficiencies)
• For the post-doctoral position: two academic writing samples and one sample of content produced for a more general audience (such as a blog post or opinion piece or newspaper article)
• For the pre-doctoral position: two to three writing samples, at least one of which should be academic
• An answer of up to 250 words to each of the following questions:
  • What is your overall aim for your career whether inside or outside academia?
  • What academic work or idea has been most influential to the way you think about the world?
  • What is the biggest problem facing the world today and, if you were a benevolent dictator, what would you do to address it?
  • What conditions do you need in order to thrive within an academic research team?
• Degree certificates/transcripts
• Contact details of three references

We look forward to receiving your application documents including salary requirements. Please apply exclusively via our career page by Friday November 21, 2025.

Contact HR Recruiting

Tobias Pröchtel / Nicola Mertens 
+49 331 5509-425 / -428

Hasso-Plattner-Institut für Digital Engineering gGmbH
Prof.-Dr.-Helmert-Str. 2-3
14482 Potsdam