Göteborgs universitet · Göteborg
Postdoctoral fellow in Political Science
The University of Gothenburg tackles society’s challenges with diverse knowledge. 58 000 students and 6800 employees make the university a large and inspiring p...
The University of Gothenburg tackles society’s challenges with diverse knowledge. 58 000 students and 6800 employees make the university a large and inspiring place to work and study. Strong research and attractive study programmes attract researchers and students from around the world. With new knowledge and new perspectives, the University contributes to a better future.
The Department of Political Science is an international academic environment that welcomes students, researchers, and staff from all over the world. Our research covers topics such as political institutions, elections, public opinion and democracy, international and European politics, environmental politics, corruption, and political ideas. The Department of Political Science at the University of Gothenburg is ranked as the best in Sweden and one of the top 10–15 in Europe in its subject area, according to the global Shanghai ranking of academic subjects for 2025. We organize a large number of research seminars and workshops each year in the various research areas of the department. We offer education at all levels in both Swedish and English. In total, around 1,400 people study with us, and we have around 170 employees.
For more information about the Department, visit https://www.pol.gu.se.
The Department of Political Science at the University of Gothenburg invites applications for a postdoctoral fellow in political science, 100% of full-time, for a two-year appointment with the possibility of extension. The position focuses on research in political behavior and comparative politics, with a particular focus on parenthood, health, pregnancy, and social outcomes.
Research project and research environment
The Gothenburg Research Program on Pregnancy and Politics (PregDem) is a cross-disciplinary research program bringing together political scientists, midwives, obstetricians, and other researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Princeton University, and McGill University. Its overarching aim is to deepen understanding of how pregnancy and becoming a parent affect people’s relationship to society, work, and politics – and how political and institutional conditions, in turn, shape experiences of pregnancy, care, and early parenthood. The program also includes research on whether and how the policy preferences of pregnant people and their partners are taken up by political parties, parliaments, and public policy. PregDem is led by Professor Elin Naurin and funded by the Swedish Research Council, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, and the University of Gothenburg. More information is available at https://www.gu.se/en/pregdem.
We are looking for a postdoctoral fellow who wants to build a strong research profile in an interdisciplinary environment where questions about democracy, health, gender, parenthood, and inequality meet. The postdoctoral fellow will be affiliated with two ongoing research projects within PregDem, with established frameworks, data sources, and research questions. For researchers interested in empirical social science, the projects offer strong opportunities to work with rich data, robust research designs, and questions that reach beyond the specific substantive area. At the same time, the position offers room to shape the projects’ continued direction, develop analyses, publications, and possible sub-studies, and broaden their expertise. The two projects are briefly described below.
Project 1: Having a child, political participation, and representation. In this project, we investigate how having a child affects women’s political participation and opportunities to participate in representative politics. The study uses a research design based on IVF treatment, comparing women whose IVF treatment leads to a child with otherwise similar women whose treatment does not lead to a child. Through linked Swedish register data, the project can follow outcomes such as voter turnout, candidacy and elected office, as well as broader labor market and career outcomes over time. The postdoctoral fellow will contribute to developing theory and the empirical strategy, analyzing data, and writing scientific articles on how having a child may shape political participation, representation, and career development.
Project 2: Perinatal health, measurement strategies, and inequality in social outcomes. In this project, we examine differences in perinatal health and care, as well as possible long-term consequences of health complications during pregnancy, childbirth, and the early period with a young child. One part of the project uses data from the Swedish Pregnancy Register and the Swedish Neonatal Care Register to develop comparable measures of health need, care burden, and complications. Another part links these measures to sources such as LISA and electoral registers to analyze inequalities in care relative to need and possible consequences for political participation and labor market outcomes. The project thus offers scope for both methodological development and substantive analyses of health, inequality, and civic participation, while also contributing to theoretical development in the field.
Research group and collaborations. The postdoctoral fellow will be part of the PregDem research environment and work closely with researchers in political science, obstetrics, reproductive health, and related fields. The projects involve, among others, researchers from the University of Gothenburg, Princeton University, and McGill University. These include Elin Naurin, Elias Markstedt, Moa Frödin Gruneau, Verena Sengpiel, Maria Forslund, Karolina Linden, and Helen Elden at the University of Gothenburg, as well as Tanushree Goyal at Princeton University and Dietlind Stolle at McGill University.
Subject area
Political science
Subject area description
Political science is the study of politics.
Duties
Employment as a postdoctoral fellow gives the employee an early opportunity to develop their independence as a researcher after completing their doctoral degree and to create the conditions for further qualifications. The person employed as a postdoctoral fellow will mainly conduct research. Teaching may be included in the duties, but for no more than one-fifth of the working time.
The work will be carried out in close collaboration with the research group and may include responsibility for sub-studies. The postdoctoral fellow is expected to independently develop theoretical and empirical ideas at the intersection of political science, health research, economics, register-based methods, and research on inequality.
Duties include leading and contributing to scientific publications, developing and conducting quantitative analyses, and preparing, linking, and analyzing register and survey data. This may include data from the Swedish Pregnancy Register, the Swedish Neonatal Care Register, LISA, electoral registers, other Swedish administrative registers, and previous survey studies within PregDem. The work may also include ethics applications, documentation, measurement strategies, data preparation, project meetings, workshops, and international collaborations.
The position offers good opportunities for supervision and mentoring, conference participation, methodological training and further skills development, and, where relevant, additional data collection within the framework of the projects.
Eligibility
The eligibility criteria for employing teaching staff are set out in Chapter 4 of the Higher Education Ordinance and in the Appointment Procedure for Teaching Posts at the University of Gothenburg.
To be eligible for appointment as a postdoc, the applicant is required to have a doctoral degree, a doctoral degree in art or a foreign degree that is deemed to be equivalent to a doctoral degree. This eligibility requirement must be met before the employment decision is made.
In the first instance, those who have completed their degree no more than three years prior to the end of the application period shall be considered. Those who have completed their degree more than three years prior to the end of the application period may also be considered in the first instance if special grounds exist. Special grounds relate to leave of absence due to illness, parental leave, commissions of trust within union organisations, service within the defence services or other similar circumstances, as well as clinical service or service/assignment relevant to the subject area.
For more information regarding eligibility, please see Appointment Procedure Teaching Posts GU 2024-3252
Assessment criteria
The assessment will primarily be based on scientific merit and the applicant’s ability to conduct and develop research within the area of the position. Particular weight will be given to the quality of the applicant’s research, the ability to work independently, and the potential to contribute to the projects.
The following qualifications are required:
A doctoral degree in political science or a relevant related subject no later than the time at which the employment decision is made.
Documented research competence relevant to one or more of the research areas of the position.
Good ability to independently produce high-quality scientific writing.
Excellent written and oral proficiency in English.
Meritorious qualifications include experience with quantitative methods, especially causal or quasi-experimental research designs, as well as work with register data, health quality registers, longitudinal survey data, or other large-scale data sources. Experience with quantitative analysis in, for example, Stata, R, or Python is also meritorious.
We welcome applicants with research experience in political participation, representation, gender and politics, health inequalities, labor market outcomes, or social inequality. Scientific publications, high-quality manuscripts, interdisciplinary collaboration, project coordination, or responsibility for sub-studies are also meritorious.
The work involves engaging with Swedish registers, documentation, and administrative systems.
Knowledge of Swedish is not required, but the person employed should be willing to learn about the Swedish context and, where needed, develop relevant language understanding during the employment.
To be successful in this position, you should be able to work carefully and independently, communicate well with researchers from different disciplines, and contribute constructively to a research group spanning political science, obstetrics, epidemiology, and related fields. Great emphasis is placed on personal suitability for the position, especially collaborative ability, analytical independence, and the capacity to take responsibility for research tasks within joint projects.
We will make an overall assessment, and the applicant who is considered best qualified to carry out and develop the tasks described above will be appointed to the position.
Employment
The employment is a full-time position limited to two years, with the possibility of a one-year extension, and is currently placed at the Department of Political Science, University of Gothenburg. Starting date: 1 January 2027, or as agreed.
For more information, please see Appointment Procedure Teaching Posts GU 2024-3252
Contact information
If you have any questions about the position, please contact Elias Markstedt, elias.markstedt@pol.gu.se
If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Helena Jensen, helena.jensen@gu.se
Unions
Union representatives at the University of Gothenburg can be found here: https://www.gu.se/en/work-at-the-university-of-gothenburg/how-to-apply-for-a-position#collective-agreement-and-union-representatives
Application
Submit your application via the University of Gothenburg’s recruitment portal by clicking the “Apply” button. It is your responsibility to ensure that the application is complete as per the vacancy notice, and that the University receives it by the final application deadline.
We kindly ask you to write your application in English, as the application may be reviewed by English-speaking staff.
The application should include the following:
A letter of application (max. 1 page), outlining how your research background has prepared you to contribute to the projects. It should clearly show the ways in which you meet the requirements specified above and why you would like to work with us.
A short outline of possible research ideas relevant to the projects (max. 2 pages, excluding references).
A CV (including a list of publications).
One writing sample (article or article manuscript).
A list of at least three references (with contact information) who may be contacted for letters of recommendation.
Applications must be received by: 2026-09-07
Information for International Applicants
Choosing a career in a foreign country is a big step. Thus, to give you a general idea of what we and Gothenburg have to offer in terms of benefits and life in general for you and your family/spouse/partner please visit:
The University works actively to achieve a working environment with equal conditions, and values the qualities that diversity brings to its operations.
Salaries are set individually at the University.
In accordance with the National Archives of Sweden’s regulations, the University must archive application documents for two years after the appointment is filled. If you request that your documents are returned, they will be returned to you once the two years have passed. Otherwise, they will be destroyed.
In connection to this recruitment, we have already decided which recruitment channels we should use. We therefore decline further contact with vendors, recruitment and staffing companies.
Roll
Postdoctoral fellow in Political Science
Plats
Publicerad
8 augusti
Sista ansökningsdag
7 september
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