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 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 2024. 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 our website www.pol.gu.se.

The research project

The postdoctoral fellow will join the research project “Consensus and Conflict in the Energy Transition”, bringing together researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Chalmers University of Technology, and RISE Research Institutes of Sweden.

The project examines how consensus and conflict shape the pace, direction, and legitimacy of the energy transition. The postdoctoral fellow will focus particularly on public opinion and policy acceptance: How do citizens respond to contested climate and energy policies? How do perceptions of fairness shape public support? And how can policy design—including compensation and other strategies for managing conflict—strengthen the legitimacy and acceptance of ambitious climate and energy policies?

A central part of the research will involve surveys and survey experiments, providing opportunities to develop and test new theoretical arguments about the drivers of climate and energy policy acceptance. The project also offers opportunities to combine experimental research with text analysis, interviews, and data on political and administrative actors.

The position offers substantial scope for the postdoctoral fellow to develop an independent research agenda and initiate original studies within the broader themes of the project. Possible topics include policy acceptance, fairness and distributional conflict, political trust, compensation, public responses to different energy technologies, and the political conditions for maintaining support for ambitious climate policy.

The postdoctoral fellow will become part of a collaborative research environment with strong expertise in political science, public opinion, and sustainability transitions. The project provides excellent opportunities for international publication, methodological development, collaboration across institutions and disciplines, and building an independent research profile in the rapidly growing field of climate and energy politics.

A more detailed project description is available upon request.

Subject area 

Political science

Subject area description 

Political Science is the study of politics.

Duties 

The employment as a postdoctoral fellow aims to provide an early opportunity to develop independence as a researcher after completing a doctoral degree and to create favourable conditions for further academic qualifications. The postdoctoral fellow is expected to focus primarily on research. Teaching may be included in the duties but may comprise no more than one-fifth of the working time.

The postdoctoral fellow will be employed at the Department of Political Science, University of Gothenburg, and is expected to engage in close collaborative research with Niklas Harring and other members of the project team. The fellow will play an important role in developing and conducting the project’s research on public opinion and policy acceptance.

We expect the successful candidate to design and implement original data collection, particularly surveys and survey experiments, and to analyse and (co-)author studies resulting from these efforts. The postdoctoral fellow is expected to take an independent role in developing high-quality studies within the broader framework of the project and to contribute to publications in leading international journals.

There will be substantial opportunities to develop original research questions and expand the project in directions related to the postdoctoral fellow’s own interests and expertise, particularly within public opinion, climate and energy politics, policy acceptance, political trust, and experimental political science.

The successful candidate will join a collaborative research team and be integrated into the research environment at the Department of Political Science, including the Centre for Environmental Political Studies (CEPS) and the Quality of Government (QoG) Institute. The position offers excellent opportunities for intellectual development, collaboration and mentoring, while providing substantial scope to build an independent research agenda and academic profile. The project also provides opportunities for international collaboration, conference participation, methodological development, and ambitious new data collection.

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 visit The Appointment Procedure GU 2024/1687

Assessment criteria 

Applicants must hold (or be close to completing) a PhD in political science or another field relevant to the project, no later than the date on which the appointment decision is made.

We are primarily looking for candidates with strong methodological skills and an ability to develop rigorous and creative research designs, rather than expertise in a particular area of climate or energy policy. However a specialization in public opinion, policy acceptance, political psychology, climate and environmental politics, or related fields is considered an asset.

Applicants should have a strong interest in collaborative research and demonstrate the ambition and ability to produce high-quality research, both independently and as part of a team.

We particularly welcome applicants with strong quantitative skills and experience with survey research. Experience in designing and implementing survey experiments, analyzing large-scale or comparative survey data, and using R or Stata is an asset. The project’s research design combines surveys and experiments with quantitative and qualitative text analysis and interviews, and experience with these or other complementary methods is also valuable.

We are especially interested in candidates who enjoy developing creative research designs and theoretically motivated empirical studies. An interest in acquiring new methodological skills and in working across disciplinary boundaries is highly valued. Applicants should also have the ability to work constructively and effectively within a collaborative research environment while developing their own ideas and research profile.

Applicants must have excellent written and oral proficiency in English.

To be successful in this position, you must have an eye for detail, good organizational skills and be able to solve problems. You need to have excellent communication and collaboration skills.

Great emphasis is placed on personal suitability for the position. We will make an overall assessment and the applicant who is considered to be best qualified to carry out and develop the tasks described above will be appointed to the position.

Employment 

The employment is limited (temporary) for 2 years, with the possibility of extension up to 3 years 100% of full-time at the Department of Political Science. Starting date; 1 February or as agreed.

Contact information 

If you have questions regarding the employment, or details about the projects in which this position is organized, please contact Niklas Harring, niklas.harring@pol.gu.se

If you have any questions regarding the employment procedure, 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. In the selection process, it will likely be relevant with interviews, reference taking and work tests in English.

The application should include the following:

Applications must be received by: 2026-10-15

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.