Postdoctoral research careers in Europe
Postdoctoral positions in Europe provide early-career researchers with the opportunity to deepen their expertise, publish independently, secure external funding, and build international research networks. Most postdoctoral roles are fixed-term research appointments connected to externally funded projects, collaborative research centres, or strategic research initiatives.
Many opportunities are supported by national research councils, European Union funding schemes, and competitive fellowship programmes. Postdoctoral researchers typically work within research-intensive universities, technical institutions, university hospitals, and interdisciplinary research environments across Europe.
In countries such as Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, and Austria, postdoctoral researchers are commonly employed within structured research groups and international research consortia. Positions are frequently available within engineering, natural sciences, medicine, life sciences, computer science, and interdisciplinary research fields.
Leading European institutions recruiting postdoctoral researchers include Karolinska Institutet and Lund University in Sweden, Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU Munich) in Germany, TU Wien in Austria, and research-intensive universities in the Netherlands.
This page lists active postdoctoral positions across Europe. You can refine your search by country, discipline or institution to find relevant postdoctoral opportunities.
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