VACANCY – Doctoral Researcher (100%) in Political Science 4 years

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
Doctoral Researcher (100%) in Political Science
4 years Focus: Public opinion, Political Conflict, and the Far Right

The Department of Political Science at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) is hiring a doctoral researcher with a specialization in quantitative research (survey and experiments) for the project “Political Conflict in Hybrid Media Systems” (POLHYBRID) funded via Action de Recherche Concertée (ARC), 2025-2028.
 

Context of the project

How do opposition to feminism and universities shape support for the far right? Far-right voting has traditionally been explained by xenophobia and opposition to immigration. Yet recent scholarship shows that these explanations overlook other cultural and symbolic divides that structure contemporary political conflict. Emerging research highlights the role of antifeminism and the contestation of the legitimacy of higher education institutions as expressions of neo-authoritarian attitudes shaping far-right support. This project investigates how such symbolic divides influence democratic attitudes and fuel far-right support across Europe and beyond. Using large-scale surveys and survey experiments, it examines how opposition to feminism and universities interacts with broader authoritarian predispositions and voting behaviour. The selected PhD researcher will contribute to the design and analysis of survey and experimental data, while also developing their own research agenda within this framework.

Job description

This is a call for applications for a full-time doctoral position for four years.
The doctoral researcher will become an active member of the research project “Political Conflict in Hybrid Media Systems” (POLHYBRID). The project offers a stimulating working environment in a dynamic research team. The action will be conducted in close collaboration with the ‘Dynamics of far-right mobilization and opinion change in contemporary democracies’ (IMPACT) project led by Caterina Froio at Sciences Po.

The researcher will be based at the CEVIPOL (ULB). They will have a shared office (at CEVIPOL, located at Avenue Jeanne 44 in Ixelles) and relevant administrative support at ULB. They will have no teaching obligations and be expected to contribute to collective work on the POLHYBRID project, and to present and publish individual or collective research outputs. They also be involved in the scientific activities organized within CEVIPOL (research seminars, collective projects, conferences).
With 87 members, CEVIPOL is the largest political science research center in Belgium. Located within the Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences, its members conduct cutting-edge research in the fields of political sociology, comparative politics, European studies, and area studies. The selected candidate will be fully integrated in CEVIPOL’s intellectual and social activities.
Within the project POLHYBRID, the selected candidate will work on the role of cultural and symbolic divides in shaping far-right support. The dissertation will focus on how opposition to feminism and universities, as expressions of neo-authoritarian attitudes, interact with broader predispositions and voting behaviour. The doctoral researcher may choose to concentrate on one or more of these dimensions. The dissertation will primarily rely on large-scale surveys and survey experiments designed within the project, while also allowing the candidate to develop an independent research agenda within this framework.

Profile

Qualifications required
• Master’s degree (120 ECTS or equivalent) in Political Science, Sociology, or related fields
Skills
• Research interest/expertise in public opinion, far-right politics and neo-authoritarianism
• Research interest/expertise in comparative political sociology
• Good command of quantitative and survey methods
• Experience or interest in experimental methods, including:
- Design and analysis of randomized (survey) experiments
- Understanding of causal inference frameworks (e.g., statistical power, effect size)
- Awareness of open science practices (e.g., preregistration, reproducibility)
• Experience or interest in R programming for data management, statistical modeling, and visualization
• Ability to work in a team
• Excellent command of English; French is an asset but not required

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