PhD (m/f/d) (2603-WMA-Psychologie PhD)
At the German Sport University Cologne (Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln), the Institute of Psychology, Department of Performance Psychology, is offering, as of 01 June 2026, a position as
PhD (m/f/d)
part-time, with a regular weekly working time of currently 29 hours and 52 minutes (75% position), limited until 31 May 2030.
This is a qualification position within the meaning of the German Academic Fixed-Term Contract Act (Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz, WissZeitVG), intended to support a doctoral project. The position is fixed-term for the duration of the doctoral procedure, initially for a period of up to four years. The doctoral topic involves investigating task-switching choices, with a focus on experimental studies on the costs (disutility) of task switching and on external factors that may influence them.
The position is embedded in the DFG Research Unit FOR6047 and will be supervised by Prof. Dr. Markus Raab and Dr. Laura Will. It is a joint project with Prof. Dr. Andreas Glöckner (University of Cologne), who is filling an additional doctoral position focusing on the computational part of the project (DFG subproject TP 1: “Influencing factors of switching disutility—experimental testing and cognitive modeling of two-stage decision processes in task switching”). Close collaboration between the doctoral candidates is expected; therefore, physical presence at the workplace in Cologne is required.
The project offers doctoral training within the research unit as well as exchange with experts from psychology and cognitive science in the fields of task switching and decision-making.
The Department of Performance Psychology is one of the active research groups in psychology. The working and laboratory language is English. The department provides several laboratories and technical support and offers intensive supervision and training for postgraduate researchers.
Your tasks
- Implementation of the research project within the Research Unit FOR6047
- Planning and conducting experiments, and publishing the results in peer-reviewed scientific journals
- Collaboration in the above-mentioned joint subproject with the University of Cologne
- Participation in the institute’s self-administration
Required qualifications
- Completed academic university degree (Master of Science), preferably in psychology, sport psychology/sport science, or cognitive sciences
- Interest in cognitive psychology and in experimental and computational research
- Motivation to engage in academic work within a research group
- Very good command of English, spoken and written
Desired qualifications
- Experience with at least one experimental method (e.g., computer-based studies, modeling, investigation of cognitive processes)
- Knowledge in the area of task switching or decision research
- Knowledge of statistics (e.g., JASP, SPSS) and/or experience with statistical programming languages (e.g., R, Python, MATLAB)
If the personal and collective-agreement requirements are met, classification will be up to pay grade 13 TV-L. More information on the salary level can be found here. Placement within the pay scale will take into account relevant professional experience.
The German Sport University Cologne sees itself as a cosmopolitan employer that values diversity. It is committed to diversity and gender equality and welcomes applications that contribute to this—
regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic and social background, religion, disability, age, or sexual orientation and identity. Promoting equal opportunities is among the university’s strategic goals; qualified women are therefore explicitly encouraged to apply. Women will be given preferential consideration in accordance with the State Equal Opportunities Act (Landesgleichstellungsgesetz).
Applications from people with severe disabilities and those with equivalent status are welcome and will be given preferential consideration within the framework of legal provisions.
The German Sport University Cologne supports its employees in reconciling family and work responsibilities.
Please send your informative application, stating the reference number 2603-WMA-Psychologie PhD, by April 6, 2026 as one single PDF file, and your Master’s thesis in a separate file, exclusively to bewerbung@dshs-koeln.de .
For questions regarding the position, please contact Univ.-Prof. Dr. Dr. Raab (Tel. +49 221 4982-5491) or Dr. Will (Tel. +49 221 4982-5518). For legal and procedural questions, Ms. Ziemann (Tel. +49 221 4982-7601) will be happy to assist you.
You can also visit our homepage at www.dshs-koeln.de. Information on how we handle personal data submitted for application purposes can be found at www.dshs-koeln.de/datenschutz/.