Offer Description
The Institute of Psychology, Chair of Health and Prevention, at the University of Greifswald, is seeking to fill, within the DFG Research Group “Adaptation Processes of Public Service Infrastructures in Rural-Peripheral Areas (AdaptInfra)”, subject to funding availability and expected to start at the earliest possible date, the position of
Research Associate
for a fixed period of 4 years as a part-time position (75%). Payment will be made according to pay group 13 TV-L Wissenschaft.
The interdisciplinary research group AdaptInfra investigates how public service infrastructures in rural-peripheral areas adapt to changing social conditions. These infrastructures and their transformations are examined comparatively from socio-technical and system-dynamic perspectives by researchers from economics, geography, criminology, psychology, theology, medicine, and political science. This work is part of Sub-project 3, which addresses adaptation processes of security infrastructures in peripheral rural areas in collaboration with the Chair of Criminology (focus on civil protection) and the Chair of Health and Prevention (focus on disaster management).
Against the backdrop of social transformation processes—demographic, economic, and sociocultural, including the digital divide—that have a particularly severe impact in rural-peripheral regions, this Sub-project 3 analyses the adaptation processes of security infrastructure in rural-peripheral areas. These include, for example, authorities and organisations with security responsibilities that operate in the field of hazard prevention (e.g., police, fire department, Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW)) as well as specialised task forces, municipal crisis management teams, and administrative actors. The experiences, needs, and challenges are examined while taking into account complex interactions with the security-related attitudes, experiences, and needs of the local population. In the civil protection focus area, the emphasis is on police hazard prevention, while in the disaster management focus area, the emphasis is on non-police hazard prevention.
We offer:
- The position offers the opportunity to combine a doctorate with work in this research area, utilising the results generated by the AdaptInfra project
- Work on a topic of political relevance and great topical interest
- Close collaboration within a cooperative and highly qualified team across disciplinary boundaries
- First-rate opportunities for further professional development through a wide range of project-internal and university-wide offerings
- A family-friendly environment at the university and in Greifswald
Job description:
- Conducting systematic literature reviews and preparing reviews on the adaptation of public safety and disaster management infrastructure, with a focus on rural and rural-peripheral areas
- Preparing, conducting, and analysing qualitative, guided interviews with experts in public safety and disaster management, as well as representatives of self-organised social groups with safety responsibilities
- Preparation and conduct of quantitative secondary data analyses on security-related indicators among the population, particularly in rural-peripheral areas, in German-speaking regions, and in comparable European regions (e.g., surveys on perceived safety, crime)
- Joint and comparative analysis of the results in the field of civil protection and disaster management (in collaboration with the team from the Chair of Criminology), triangulation of qualitative and quantitative data, and development of process models (using process tracing)
- Further analysis of the influence of regional and differential factors, e.g., the degree of rurality and the extent of digitalisation, using qualitative (e.g., typology) and quantitative (e.g., moderation analyses) methods, taking into account the study regions and the various civil protection and disaster management sectors
- Collaboration with other sub-projects within AdaptInfra, as well as contributions to the research group’s synthesis
Job requirements:
- A successfully completed university degree in psychology, social sciences, or health sciences at the time of hire, with a relevant qualification (Diplom, master’s, or equivalent)
- A high level of expertise in relevant psychological, social or health sciences methodologies, e.g., in the analysis of quantitative longitudinal data or secondary data (ideally with a focus on public safety, civil protection or disaster management) OR, for example, in the analysis of qualitative longitudinal data or expert interviews (both of which would generally need to be demonstrated through relevant academic publications, papers, or reports)
- Experience in consolidating and integrating different data sources (e.g., structural data, survey data, qualitative data) or a willingness to learn how to perform this task
- Interest in the field of public safety and disaster management
- Interest in interdisciplinary collaboration within a cross-faculty team
Further requirements which may have an impact on the decision-making process:
- Experience with interdisciplinary collaboration or an interdisciplinary educational background
- Strong proficiency in advanced quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods approaches
- Interest in developing scholarly publications
- Interest in pursuing further academic qualifications (e.g., doctorate, postdoctoral qualification)
The position is open to all persons, irrespective of gender. Severely disabled applicants with the same qualifications will be considered with preference.
Pursuant to § 83(8) Sentence 3, read in conjunction with § 83(1) Item 1 PersVG M-V, the Staff Council shall only be consulted on the appointment and determination of the pay grade for members of academic or artistic staff upon request. The request may be submitted in text form, via email, together with the application documents.
Unfortunately, the application costs will not be reimbursed by the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Please note that by submitting your application, you provide your consent pursuant to data protection law for our processing of your application data. Further information about the legal bases and the use of your data can be found here.
Please submit the following documents:
- Curriculum vitae
- Proof of professional qualifications (copies of master’s and doctoral certificates or similar)
- Your master’s dissertation/doctoral dissertation
- Any relevant publications
Applications must be sent with reference to the job advertisement number 26/Sa25 by 30 August 2026 via email to:
University of Greifswald
Institute of Psychology
Chair of Health and Prevention
Prof. Dr. Silke Schmidt-Schuchert
Robert-Blum-Str. 13
17489 Greifswald