Research and Academic Systems Across Europe
Academic career structures vary across Europe, with differences in funding models, doctoral employment systems, and research organisation. While many countries offer salaried PhD positions and internationally advertised postdoctoral roles, national systems differ in structure and career pathways.
This page provides an overview of academic job opportunities by country, helping researchers explore doctoral, postdoctoral and faculty positions within Europe’s leading research systems.
How Academic Systems Differ
In countries such as Sweden and the Netherlands, PhD candidates are typically employed as salaried doctoral researchers with full employment benefits.
In Germany and Austria, doctoral researchers are often employed as research associates within structured research groups and collaborative research centres.
In Switzerland, many academic roles are connected to federal institutes of technology and internationally funded research environments.
In the United Kingdom, doctoral funding models vary between funded studentships and employment-based research roles.
Academic Jobs by Country
Germany
One of Europe’s largest and most research-intensive academic systems, with strong engineering, medical and natural sciences environments.
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Sweden
Highly international and English-friendly research system with employment-based doctoral positions.
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Switzerland
Home to globally ranked technical universities and research-intensive institutions.
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Austria
Central European research environment with strong technical and medical universities.
Explore Academic Jobs in Austria