preposition + relative

Question

The lack of data available puts the researcher in a position in which he has to rely on the internet to gather materials for his thesis.

I am having trouble trying to interpret this sentence, the relative clauses with the preposition "in which" should go to which part of the sentence?

1. He has to rely on the internet "in the position" to gather materials for his thesis.

2. He has to rely on the internet to gather materials for his thesis "in the position".

Answer 1

It is the second, but the idiom is "in his position", not "in the position". It means "the circumstances which he is in".