Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Criminal Law

The Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Criminal Law in Freiburg i.Br., in cooperation with the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, in accordance with the guidelines of the Max Planck Society for the support of young researchers, and with the proviso that funding is approved, is accepting applications for

several doctoral research positions
in the areas of criminal law and criminology
beginning 1 January 2010 or later

for the pursuit of a doctoral degree in the area of law (Dr. jur.).

Academic supervision is provided by the Max Planck Institute and the University of Freiburg. Doctoral candidates pursue their doctorates in Freiburg. They participate in the training program of the International Max Planck Research School for Comparative Criminal Law and can make use of the facilities of the Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Criminal Law. The main focus of the training program is on the teaching of special expertise useful for the carrying out of academic research (e.g., the methods of comparative criminal law). Soft skills, however, will also be taught (e.g., the structuring of research projects or rhetoric for the oral presentation of research projects). The primary language of training is German.
The academic framework for doctoral research projects is supplied by the research agenda of the Research School. Thus, the following list of topics is not exhaustive. Other topics – especially those that fall within the scope of the research agenda of the Department of Criminal Law of the Max Planck Institute – are also possible.

Possible areas of concentration:

I. Comparative substantive criminal law:

1. Selected issues regarding the general part of the criminal law in connection with the project "International Max Planck Information System for Comparative Criminal Law"
   aiming at the comparison – encompassing several legal systems – of issues concerning the general part (e.g., attempt, criminal liability of legal persons, etc.)

II. Comparative law of procedure:

1. International criminal law: investigations conducted by the International Criminal Court (possibly in comparison to the procedures of other international criminal courts)
2. The "new architecture of security" on the national and international level in the fight against terrorism and organized crime
   (e.g., institutions, procedures, guarantees, international cooperation; intelligence law should also be included)
3. Current developments in European criminal law (in particular with regard to the new institutions of European criminal law, e.g., EuroJust, European prosecutor, Europol, SitCen)

III. Comparative Internet and computer criminal law:

1. Comparison of substantive legal or procedural issues
   (also in the form of implementation studies, e.g., of the Cybercrime Convention)

IV. Comparative white collar crime:

1. Use of the criminal law to oversee financial markets and their limits;
2. National and/or transnational administrative criminal law
   (e.g., the investigative powers of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and its sanctions);
3. New approaches to the fight against white collar crime
   (e.g., private law enforcement, compliance programs, whistle-blowing, situational crime prevention, anti-corruption measures, etc. – the submitted proposal should, of course, be limited to one of these aspects)

The awarding of a doctoral stipend depends on both the qualifications of the applicant and the quality of the proposed research project. Proposals addressing the research subject, the research goal, and the research method should not exceed ten pages.

Please submit your detailed, expressive application materials to

applications-imprs-cc@mpicc.de (maximum 5 MB per Email).
Application materials should not be submitted by post.

We ask for your understanding that we cannot respond to inquiries submitted by telephone, in person, or via Email.