The University for Continuing Education Krems specializes in part-time academic continuing education. As a public university, it works with its expertise in teaching and research to overcome societal challenges. The university combines many years of experience in continuing academic education with innovation and the highest quality standards in research and teaching.
As an employer, we offer around 700 employees an inspiring and flexible working environment in the unique Wachau World Heritage region.
The Department for Migration and Globalisation at the Faculty of Business and Globalisation is looking for a PhD candidate.
Early-Stage Researcher – PhD Student in Migration Studies (m/f/d)
ERC Consolidator Grant (Comparison Brazil & Spain – Regularisation Policies)
30 hrs./week for 3 years
Advertisement No. SB26-0079
Project description
This position is part of the ERC-funded project Ethics in Action: Navigating Ethical Dilemmas of Migrant Solidarity, led by Professor Julia Mourão Permoser.
Focusing on policies and practices of solidarity with irregular and precarious migrants, Ethics in Action develops a novel, actor-centred framework to understand how policymakers and civil society actors navigate ethical dilemmas in real-world contexts. Rather than treating ethics as abstract theory, the project investigates ethics in action—that is, the everyday processes of decision-making, justification, and compromise through which political actors respond to morally conflicting situations.
The project brings together political theory and empirical research in an innovative way. Through in-depth qualitative fieldwork across multiple world regions, it examines how five different types of actors—national policymakers, local policymakers, labour unions, faith-based organizations and facilitators of movement—experience, interpret, and respond to ethical dilemmas in practice. These cases are systematically compared across Global North and Global South contexts to identify patterns and develop a new theory of decision-making under conditions of value conflict.
By focusing on political agency under constraint, Ethics in Action opens up a new research agenda that goes beyond existing approaches to polarization and value conflict. It shows how actors continue to act—even under conditions of deep moral tension—and how their decisions reshape their political identities and the meaning of solidarity itself.
The project team includes the PI, a coordinating postdoctoral researcher, and five researchers (postdoctoral fellows and PhD candidates), each leading a complementary empirical work package. Together, the team will generate comparative insights that feed into a shared theoretical framework.
Your Role in the Project
You will contribute to Work Package 2, which examines the ethical dilemmas faced by national policymakers implementing solidarity-oriented migration policies in Brazil and Spain.
This position offers a distinctive opportunity to:
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Develop an ambitious, original doctoral project within a high-profile ERC research environment;
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Receive close supervision and structured mentoring from the PI and postdoctoral members of the team;
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Gain advanced training in migration studies within an interdisciplinary and thematically focused PhD program
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Gain training and hands-on experience in comparative qualitative methods and theory-driven research
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Conduct research on a highly topical and globally relevant issue
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Build an international academic profile through publications and conference participation
Your research will form the basis of a cumulative PhD dissertation (article-based), consisting of four papers.
Your tasks
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Design and implement a comparative PhD research project on national migration policies in Brazil and Spain
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Conduct qualitative empirical research (e.g. document analysis, interviews, fieldwork)
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Develop and submit a cumulative PhD dissertation within the project timeframe
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Participation and completion of PhD courses according to the curriculum Migration Studies
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Contribute to high-quality academic publications and project outputs
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Participate in international academic exchange (conferences, workshops, research stays)
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Contribute to the collaborative research environment of the ERC team
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Support project-related activities, including dissemination and event organisation
Your profile
We require evidence of the following qualifications for the application:
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Completed master’s degree in political science, sociology, public policy, migration studies, or a related field (completion certificate must be available by 15 September 2026)
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Excellent academic performance (e.g. as evidenced by transcripts, references etc.)
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Proven interest in migration politics, governance, policymaking
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Familiarity with debates and literature on migration governance
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Solid training in qualitative methods of research
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Ability to develop and pursue an independent research agenda
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Excellent command of English (min. C1)
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Excellent command of Spanish and/or Portuguese (min. C1)
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Excellent writing skills, proven by 2 writing samples (see list of application documents below)
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Excellent and innovative research outline (see list of application documents below)
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Willingness to relocate to Krems, Vienna or surrounding areas
In addition, the following criteria are desirable:
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Solid knowledge of the region (Brazil and/or Spain)
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Prior research experience in migration studies or related fields
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Previous academic publications
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Experience working in collaborative research projects
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Experience with comparative research designs
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Knowledge of normative theory literature on migration and interest in connecting empirical research with normative theoretical debates
Your perspective
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Fully funded PhD position (30 hours/week) initially limited to 3 years (to be filled by 1st October 2026)
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Salary of EUR 3,776.10 gross per month (14x) on a full-time basis (40 hours)
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Classification as a scientific project staff member according to § 49 VwGr. B1, Kollektivvertrag für Universitäten (collective agreement for universities)
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A position within a prestigious ERC-funded project with strong international visibility
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Close supervision and career mentoring tailored to early-stage researchers
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A vibrant, interdisciplinary research environment
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Opportunities for international networking, conferences, and publications
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A strong platform for academic career development
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Innovative working environment at the Campus Krems
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Flexible working hours and the option to work from home (max. two days a week)
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Comprehensive internal training and coaching opportunities
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A wide range of support services to help balance work and family life
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Various workplace health promotion programs as well as offerings from the University Sports Institute (USI)
The University for Continuing Education Krems sees high innovation potential in the diversity of its employees and is committed to diversity as a guiding principle. We therefore explicitly invite people with disabilities and/or chronic illnesses who meet the required profile criteria to apply for the position.
We look forward to receiving your online application by 29 June 2026 via our online tool:
https://www.donau-uni.ac.at/vacancies
Your application should include:
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Cover letter (max. 2 pages)
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Curriculum Vitae
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Research outline (2–3 pages) describing how you would design and implement Work Package 3
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Copies of degrees and transcripts
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Two writing samples (preferably single-authored academic articles or chapters)
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3 contact details for references
The research outline should address:
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The ethical dilemmas likely to arise in the context of sanctuary/solidarity cities in the United States and Latin America
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The proposed research design and methodology
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Relevant theoretical and empirical literature, including additional sources beyond the project proposal
For further details, please consult the project proposal.
