The Cluster offers two types of doctoral positions: doctoral researchers can either pursue their PhD within a larger Cluster-funded project team in which several Principal Investigators and early career researchers work together, or they can apply with an independent doctoral project. Doctoral researchers are usually funded for 4 years, according to a “1+3” model: After the first year of doctoral studies, doctoral researchers present their research proposal and work plan. Upon positive evaluation their employment contract is extended for the remainder of the four-year period.
Graduate School of the Social and Behavioural Sciences
Doctoral Researchers of the Cluster are enrolled in the Graduate School of the Social and Behavioural Sciences (GSBS), which was established by the University of Konstanz in conjunction with its two Clusters of Excellence to bring together researchers from eight disciplines: Biology, Economics, Linguistics, Politics and Public Administration, Physics, Psychology, Sociology, and Statistics. The Cluster offers an interdisciplinary specialization on Inequality within the structured doctoral program of the GSBS.
Inequality Specialization
The Graduate School's Inequality Specialization focuses on providing doctoral researchers with cross-disciplinary training linked to the Cluster's specific research fields, agendas, and methodologies. The Cluster offers a broad range of courses in the area of Inequality studies taught by our Principal Investigators and internationally renowned researchers. The program is completed by special methods courses organized by the Cluster’s Methods Hub.
Supervision
In order to ensure the best possible supervision and the necessary feedback, our doctoral researchers are supervised by dissertation committees rather than individual researchers.
Training
Each semester the Cluster offers a specific training program consisting of info events, workshops, and interdisciplinary roundtable discussions related to methods of inequality research and career development. Furthermore, doctoral researchers are encouraged to make use of the training and coaching offered by the University’s Academic Staff Development unit to further their academic careers.