The Kiel Institute for the World Economy is looking for an

Junior Researcher on Ukraine Support and the Economics of Security (m/f/div)

starting in June 2026 or earlier, for a duration of seven months. The candidate will mainly work for the Kiel Institute’s high profile “Ukraine Support Tracker” project, which measures military, financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in early 2022. Our “Ukraine Support Tracker” has become a main reference point in the global debate on the Ukraine Russia war. We are also expanding our work to other aspects of military economics and economic security.

We are looking for a motivated candidate who will support data management for the Ukraine Tracker and related projects. A core task will be the processing and quantifying of micro level data on bilateral aid and weapon systems. The position is ideal for a “gap year” between degrees or in preparation of a PhD.

The candidate should meet the following criteria:

• A bachelor’s degree in economics, political science, or a related field
• A track record of academic excellence and very good grades
• Experience as a research assistant working on data management and or programming
• Very good knowledge of Excel is required, and knowledge of other programming languages (Python, R) is a plus
• Experience working with military and/or foreign aid data
• Excellent English skills. No German skills required

The contract is limited to 7 months. The salary is based on the German public sector pay scale (EG12 or possibly EG13) with 75% of a full time position (currently 29,025 weekly working hours).

The Kiel Institute for the World Economy values diversity. We welcome applications regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation. We strive for equal participation of women in all employee groups. Professional gender equality is guaranteed. The Kiel Institute is an equal opportunity employer with a certified family friendly policy (https://www.ifw-kiel.de/institute/career-education/equalopportunity/). We are committed to employing persons with recognized disabilities and will therefore give them preference over persons without disabilities if they are equally qualified.

Please submit your application online, using your family name as the file name (ID No. “03_26_UST_JR_01”), including a letter of interest, your CV, academic transcripts, a writing sample (e.g. a Bachelor’s thesis), as well as proofs of relevant work experience. Application photos should not be included.

The deadline for applications is the 27th of April 2026. Please do not hesitate to direct any questions regarding the position or the application process to Taro Nishikawa (Taro.Nishikawa@ifw-kiel.de).