Postdoctoral position in Political Behavior

The Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Copenhagen (UCPH), invites candidates for a 30-month postdoctoral position in Political Behavior from 1 August 2023 or as soon as possible thereafter (a later start date, will result in the period of employment being correspondingly shorter).

Job Description
The postdoc will be employed as part of the project “E Pluribus Plures: Is identity politics a new fault line in contemporary societies?” led by Professor Peter Thisted Dinesen and funded by Independent Research Fund Denmark. The project seeks to understand the contemporary phenomenon of “identity politics” and its potential consequences for social cohesion, understood broadly as a variety of social ties with in- and out-groups as well as broader social and institutional attachments. The project aims to employ a variety of data (including survey data, administrative data, and social media data) and apply corresponding observational and experimental research designs (e.g., panel data, survey experiments, lab experiments).

The position covers a variety of tasks related to the research process, including:

• Developing research designs
• Collecting various forms of data
• Analyzing data
• Writing papers

The postdoc will work closely together with Dinesen and other project members on each aspect of the research process.

In addition to conducting research, the position also entails teaching responsibilities corresponding to, on average, one course and some dissertation supervision per semester. The courses taught will primarily be on political behavior and quantitative methods in the MSc program in Political Science

Your Competencies
The candidate must have obtained a PhD degree in Political Science, Sociology, or related fields relevant for the project. Other key qualifications include:

• A good grasp of relevant academic literature
• Strong academic writing skills.
• Experience with developing and applying different research designs, for example with designing experiments and/or survey questions.
• Strong skills in quantitative analysis, for example in the analysis of experimental data and/or cross-sectional or longitudinal observational survey data.
• Extensive experience with coding and data management in common statistical programming languages (e.g., R or Stata).
• The ability to work independently as well as collaborate with other members of the research team.

What the Position Offers
The position offers a range of attractive opportunities for the candidate, including:

• Being part of a vibrant and ambitious team that aims to produce high quality research.
• The opportunity to develop an independent research agenda within the overall project.
• Being part of a strong environment within Political Behavior within the Department.
• The opportunity to develop teaching competences when teaching courses on Political Behavior.
• Funding for conferences, additional training etc.

The Department of Political Science
The Department is a top-ranked European Political Science department, which offers a vibrant, collegial, and pluralist academic working environment for ambitious scholars.

The pluralism of Political Science in Copenhagen is evidenced in the various epistemological and methodological approaches as well as subfields adopted by faculty, and in a wide range of core subjects in the MSc programme.

The Department offers a dynamic environment around the field of Political Behavior, which seeks to produce high-caliber research on pertinent societal questions. In addition, members of this environment also teach the courses in the popular MSc specialization in Political Behavior.

The Department consists of some 75 faculty members, which currently includes more than 10 tenure-track assistant professors, as well as some 25 PhD students, organized in four main research groups and a few centres. For more on the Department, please consult our webpage: politicalscience.ku.dk/about/

Strategy of the Faculty of the Social Sciences
The Department of Political Science is one of five departments at the Faculty of the Social Sciences. The Faculty is a successful academic community that strives to put knowledge into action by:

• Engaging partners in the co-creation of knowledge, learning and social change.
• Empowering our students to become reflective and responsible citizens who have the vision, the knowledge and the competences to change society for the better.
• Energising global, European and Danish communities of knowledge by innovating research methodologies and by research findings with impact

For more on the Faculty strategy (2020-2023), see Strategy for the Faculty of Social Science – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

Terms of Employment

• Further information on qualification requirements as postdoc can be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities 2019 here: employment.ku.dk/faculty/criteria-for-recognising-merit/dokumenter/Ministerial_Order_no._1443_of_11_December_2019_on_Job_Structure_for_Academic_Staff_at_Universities.pdf
• Terms of appointment and salary is in accordance with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (Akademikerne).
• The salary range starts at DKK 36,200 (approx. EUR 4,850) per month + a 17.1 % contribution to the pension scheme. It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis.

The recruitment process
Further information on the recruitment process at University of Copenhagen can be found here: employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/

An Equal Opportunity Workplace
The University of Copenhagen is committed in its pursuit of academic excellence to equality of opportunity and to creating an inclusive working environment and therefore encourages all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of personal background, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, ethnicity etc. For more on the diverse working place environment at the University and the University’s participation in the HRS4R HR Excellence in Research, see employment.ku.dk/working-at-ucph/eu-charter-for-researchers/

International applicant?
The University of Copenhagen offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including support before and during your relocation and career counselling to expat partners. Please find more information about these services as well as information on entering and working in Denmark here: ism.ku.dk/

Contact information
Information about the recruitment process is available from HR, e-mail: hrsc@hrsc.ku.dk please refer to ID number: 211-1427/23-2

Additional information about the position can be obtained from professor, Peter Thisted Dinesen, e-mail: ptd@ifs.ku.dk

How to apply
Submit a complete application at our online portal. Click on the “Apply now” icon at the bottom of the page to apply. The documents must be in Adobe PDF or Word.  

Your application must be written in English and include the following documents:

• Motivated application.
• Curriculum vitae
• Publication list. The enclosed publications must be marked with *.
• Up to three publications or working papers.    
• Diplomas (PhD, Master, and Bachelor).

Should any material submitted consist of work with named co-authors, or work that is otherwise the result of collective academic endeavors, the extent of the applicant’s contribution to the work must be clearly stipulated. The faculty may ask for a signed statement from the co-authors stipulating the extent and nature of each individual’s contribution.

The closing date for applications is 29 May 2023 23:59 CEST

Applications or enclosures received thereafter will not be considered.