PhD Fellowship in Terror Trial Ethnography in Germany
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PhD Fellowship in Terror Trial Ethnography in Germany
The Department of Social Sciences and Business (ISE), Roskilde University, invites applications for a position as PhD fellow as part of the Independent Research Fund Denmark Project (IFRD), ”Citizen Terrorists and the Presumption of Innocence (CiTPrI)” led by Associate Professor Kerstin Bree Carlson from October 1st, 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter. The position as PhD is limited to a period of 3 years.
Description of the PhD project
The PhD will be part of the research project, ”Citizen Terrorists and the Presumption of Innocence (CiTPrI)” funded by IFRD and led by Associate Professor Kerstin Bree Carlson. As a PhD you will work closely with the principal investigator and project team, including collaborators at Bielefeld University and The American University of Paris.
The project examines how terror law positions what citizens do (agentic behavior) in relation to who citizens are (immutable characteristics). It does this by explicitly examining and comparing how the presumption of innocence is functioning in terror trials in Denmark, France and Germany. The presumption of innocence is a procedural requirement that governs how criminal cases are conducted, requiring the state to produce overwhelming evidence to convict an individual of a crime. This deliberately onerous standard tempers the enormous power of the state and ensures citizens’ basic rights. This makes it an inalienable right protected both domestically and internationally.
The PhD will focus on the ways that the presumption of innocence is functioning (or not) in and in relation to German terror trials. The research is comprised of qualitative investigation (ethnography; interviews; discourse analysis) in relation to terror trials, including (but not limited to) research regarding legal professionals (judges, prosecutors, lawyers) and trial participants, including civil parties and/or the families of terror accused. This law-in-action focus examines the interplay between legal doctrine (as articulated by involved parties) and socio-legal, extra-positivist considerations of legal practice. The PhD fellow - in dialogue with the supervisor - is expected to develop a theoretical and methodological framework fitting the overall project goals and design.
Because the project is a law-in-action investigation of legal consciousness, an educational background that includes law is advantageous but not necessary. Prior experience in socio-legal research is required. Fluency in German and English is a prerequisite. Knowledge of Danish and/or French is an advantage.
The Doctoral School
You will be enrolled as a PhD fellow at the Doctoral School of Social Sciences and Business with approximately 47 PhD fellows from all over the world.
The Doctoral School of Social Sciences & Business provides PhD training and research within an interdisciplinary, international, and professional environment. It is part of a dynamic community of researchers who share a commitment to understanding society in diverse contexts of change and global engagement. Researchers come from all over the world and engage in topics that are geographically, theoretically and methodologically diverse. The Doctoral School has one PhD program. The program offers work-in-progress seminars, thematic professional development seminars, feedback and social activities for enrolled PhD fellows. As a PhD fellow you will be part of the Social Science section at the department and associated with one or more of the following research groups; Transformation and Ordering of Political Institutions (TOPI), Globalization & Europeanization Research Group (GERG), Roskilde School of Governance (RSG), or Global Political Sociology.
Responsibilities and tasks
As a PhD fellow you are trained at an international level to undertake research. You are responsible for carrying out independent research under supervision and receiving constructive feedback in the PhD program to finish your PhD thesis. During your employment you are required to take 30 ECTS of coursework, and gain experience in teaching and supervision. You are also required to have a research environmental change during your PhD enrollment. The environment change can take place at foreign or local universities or research institutions.
For more information, see chapter 3, Ministerial Order on the PhD Programme at the Universities and Certain Higher Artistic Educational Institutions. Read more on what it entails to be a PhD Fellow at Roskilde University.
Qualifications
You must hold a master’s degree or equivalent from relevant law or social science programs (e.g., sociology, public administration, political science, EU-studies, international politics and governance).
Qualifications within the following areas are required:
We also emphasize the following qualifications:
You are required to be enterprising and to possess good communication skills and to be a visible, involved participant in the Department’s daily activities, in addition to being willing to engage in disciplinary and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Applications are invited from both inside and outside Denmark.
Assessment
In the assessment regarding employment consideration will be given to:
In the assessment regarding enrollment consideration will also be given to the following criteria:
Questions
For further information about the position, please contact acting Head of the PhD school, Professor Peter Triantafillou (triant@ruc.dk). For technical or administrative questions, please contact the PhD Coordinator Hanne Vang Hansen (ise-phdadmin@ruc.dk).
Terms of employment
The employment is full time, 37 hours per week and you will refer to the Head of Department.
The position will be filled according to the Agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC) and Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities.
Application procedure
After the deadline for applications the Dean will shortlist applicants for assessment with assistance from the recruitment committee including the chairperson of the assessment committee.
Shortly after the application deadline all applicants will be notified whether or not their application has been selected for assessment.
The shortlisted applicants will be informed about the composition of the assessment committee, and each applicant will be given the opportunity to comment on the composition of the committee and - later on - their assessment.
Once the recruitment process is completed, all applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application.
Application
To apply for the position go to www.ruc.dk/en/job/
Only applications in English are accepted.
Applications must include:
1. Cover letter
2. CV
3. Documentation of education including grades from Master’s programme or equivalent. If you master degree is not awarded within the ECTS frame, please provide us with:
Your bachelor diploma and grades.
An official English translation of diplomas
A description of the master programme including the official duration (in years).
4. Your description of the PhD project (Max 5 pages)
5. Your time schedule of the PhD project
6. If applicable: Documentation for any research experience, work experience or publications.
Please submit your application no later than April 27, 2026.
Material received after this date will not be taken into consideration.
Roskilde University wishes to reflect the diversity of society and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.
Description of the PhD project
The PhD will be part of the research project, ”Citizen Terrorists and the Presumption of Innocence (CiTPrI)” funded by IFRD and led by Associate Professor Kerstin Bree Carlson. As a PhD you will work closely with the principal investigator and project team, including collaborators at Bielefeld University and The American University of Paris.
The project examines how terror law positions what citizens do (agentic behavior) in relation to who citizens are (immutable characteristics). It does this by explicitly examining and comparing how the presumption of innocence is functioning in terror trials in Denmark, France and Germany. The presumption of innocence is a procedural requirement that governs how criminal cases are conducted, requiring the state to produce overwhelming evidence to convict an individual of a crime. This deliberately onerous standard tempers the enormous power of the state and ensures citizens’ basic rights. This makes it an inalienable right protected both domestically and internationally.
The PhD will focus on the ways that the presumption of innocence is functioning (or not) in and in relation to German terror trials. The research is comprised of qualitative investigation (ethnography; interviews; discourse analysis) in relation to terror trials, including (but not limited to) research regarding legal professionals (judges, prosecutors, lawyers) and trial participants, including civil parties and/or the families of terror accused. This law-in-action focus examines the interplay between legal doctrine (as articulated by involved parties) and socio-legal, extra-positivist considerations of legal practice. The PhD fellow - in dialogue with the supervisor - is expected to develop a theoretical and methodological framework fitting the overall project goals and design.
Because the project is a law-in-action investigation of legal consciousness, an educational background that includes law is advantageous but not necessary. Prior experience in socio-legal research is required. Fluency in German and English is a prerequisite. Knowledge of Danish and/or French is an advantage.
The Doctoral School
You will be enrolled as a PhD fellow at the Doctoral School of Social Sciences and Business with approximately 47 PhD fellows from all over the world.
The Doctoral School of Social Sciences & Business provides PhD training and research within an interdisciplinary, international, and professional environment. It is part of a dynamic community of researchers who share a commitment to understanding society in diverse contexts of change and global engagement. Researchers come from all over the world and engage in topics that are geographically, theoretically and methodologically diverse. The Doctoral School has one PhD program. The program offers work-in-progress seminars, thematic professional development seminars, feedback and social activities for enrolled PhD fellows. As a PhD fellow you will be part of the Social Science section at the department and associated with one or more of the following research groups; Transformation and Ordering of Political Institutions (TOPI), Globalization & Europeanization Research Group (GERG), Roskilde School of Governance (RSG), or Global Political Sociology.
Responsibilities and tasks
As a PhD fellow you are trained at an international level to undertake research. You are responsible for carrying out independent research under supervision and receiving constructive feedback in the PhD program to finish your PhD thesis. During your employment you are required to take 30 ECTS of coursework, and gain experience in teaching and supervision. You are also required to have a research environmental change during your PhD enrollment. The environment change can take place at foreign or local universities or research institutions.
For more information, see chapter 3, Ministerial Order on the PhD Programme at the Universities and Certain Higher Artistic Educational Institutions. Read more on what it entails to be a PhD Fellow at Roskilde University.
Qualifications
You must hold a master’s degree or equivalent from relevant law or social science programs (e.g., sociology, public administration, political science, EU-studies, international politics and governance).
Qualifications within the following areas are required:
- Documented training in qualitative research methods
- Fluency in German
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English
We also emphasize the following qualifications:
- Experience with fieldwork and semi-structured interviews
- Advanced legal theoretical and methodological competences
- Knowledge of and/or interest in comparative legal methods and interdisciplinarity
You are required to be enterprising and to possess good communication skills and to be a visible, involved participant in the Department’s daily activities, in addition to being willing to engage in disciplinary and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Applications are invited from both inside and outside Denmark.
Assessment
In the assessment regarding employment consideration will be given to:
- Relevant master’s degree or equivalent (according to Danish Qualifications Framework for Higher Education).
- Any additional academic requirements stated in the job advertisement.
In the assessment regarding enrollment consideration will also be given to the following criteria:
- Educational skills and any further professional qualifications within the social sciences.
- Grades at a social science master’s program or equivalent.
- Quality and relevance of the project description.
- Quality and relevance of the methodical and theoretical choices.
- Consistency and coherence between the problem and the choice of method and theory.
- If the PhD project seems realistic and feasible.
- Ability to complete the PhD project.
- Relevance of the project to the profile of the Doctoral School.
- Your project description shall be no more than 5 pages (excluding references).
Questions
For further information about the position, please contact acting Head of the PhD school, Professor Peter Triantafillou (triant@ruc.dk). For technical or administrative questions, please contact the PhD Coordinator Hanne Vang Hansen (ise-phdadmin@ruc.dk).
Terms of employment
The employment is full time, 37 hours per week and you will refer to the Head of Department.
The position will be filled according to the Agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC) and Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities.
Application procedure
After the deadline for applications the Dean will shortlist applicants for assessment with assistance from the recruitment committee including the chairperson of the assessment committee.
Shortly after the application deadline all applicants will be notified whether or not their application has been selected for assessment.
The shortlisted applicants will be informed about the composition of the assessment committee, and each applicant will be given the opportunity to comment on the composition of the committee and - later on - their assessment.
Once the recruitment process is completed, all applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application.
Application
To apply for the position go to www.ruc.dk/en/job/
Only applications in English are accepted.
Applications must include:
1. Cover letter
2. CV
3. Documentation of education including grades from Master’s programme or equivalent. If you master degree is not awarded within the ECTS frame, please provide us with:
Your bachelor diploma and grades.
An official English translation of diplomas
A description of the master programme including the official duration (in years).
4. Your description of the PhD project (Max 5 pages)
5. Your time schedule of the PhD project
6. If applicable: Documentation for any research experience, work experience or publications.
Please submit your application no later than April 27, 2026.
Material received after this date will not be taken into consideration.
Roskilde University wishes to reflect the diversity of society and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.