Leuphana Transformation Lab, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Germany.
Prepare for the next step in your academic career by joining the the Leuphana Transformation Lab’s competitive international Postdoctoral Fellowship program. Focusing on the investigation of major transformation processes that affect contemporary societies, Leuphana has created an international and interdisciplinary hub that offers exciting opportunities to fine-tune your research profile and shape your path in the world of academia. If you have already developed an excellent track record as a researcher and recently obtained your doctoral degree, you might be eligible for a scholarship of up to two years.
A Dynamic Research Environment
Within the Embracing Transformation program, Leuphana has established the Transformation Lab as a central, cross-faculty institution dedicated to researching transformation processes and their social, ecological, and technological dimensions. The Lab aims to develop an independent school of thought that understands transformation as a multi-layered concept, grounded in inter- and transdisciplinary, reflexive research. It expands research and international collaborations through a distinguished community of professors, postdocs, doctoral candidates, and international fellows.
Successful applicants to the postdoctoral fellowship program will have the opportunity to strengthen their academic profile, expand their international network, and advance their careers by securing an externally funded project focused on transformation.
The Fellowships
The Leuphana Transformation Lab is currently offering up to seven fellowships for postdoctoral researchers for a period of up to two years, beginning on 1 April 2027. A second call for applications for postdoctoral fellowships is planned for the summer of 2027, with the fellowships set to begin in 2028.
The main task is to develop a grant proposal and submit it to a competitive funding program.
The fellows will have the opportunity:
- to establish themselves as transformation experts in their field
- to collaborate on-site in interdisciplinary contexts with researchers from Leuphana and international visiting scholars
- to participate in the lab’s collaborative and innovative activities
- and to benefit from Leuphana’s internal support infrastructure, particularly in terms of assistance and guidance regarding third-party funding and professional development (e.g., qualifiction activities for a professorship in Germany)
Requirements
Postdoctoral researchers may apply with a project proposal in one of the three conceptual streams of the Transformation Lab (see below).
Applicants must hold a verifiable doctoral degree by the the time of application. Fluency in English is required.
Applications may be submitted until 30 September 2026.
For further information, please refer to the full call for applications.
The Conceptual Streams
We welcome a variety of angles, including ethnographic, historical, and theoretical work, among others. We are also interested in methodological innovation, including reflexive, participatory, arts-based, or experimental approaches that seek not only to analyze but to reconfigure how transformation is understood, practiced, experienced, and constantly evolving. Project proposals may be submitted within one of the three conceptual streams: Epistemologies of Transformation, Disruption and Transformation, or Scales and Temporalities of Transformation. More information about each of these streams can be found on the Leuphana Transformation Lab website.
Applicants may additionally choose to link their research proposal to one of the Key Subject Areas of Embracing Transformation (climate futures in digital cultures, democratic resilience, organizing in times of crisis, towards a regenerative society, and companies as drivers of sustainability transformations), to psychology of transformation, or to another discipline represented at Leuphana.