Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Quantitative Political Behaviour and Political Economy

University of Reading; Reading; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading research institution in the UK is offering a postdoctoral position in Quantitative Political Behaviour and Political Economy. The successful candidate will pursue innovative research, collaborate with esteemed partners, and contribute to various data analyses. Applicants should hold a PhD in relevant fields and demonstrate strong quantitative research capabilities. The position offers a full-time contract with potential for extension, ideal for those looking to engage in impactful research within an exciting project environment.

Qualifications

• PhD in Political Science or related field with expertise in quantitative methods.
• Demonstrable potential to produce innovative and rigorous quantitative research.

Responsibilities

• Pursue a research agenda in political behaviour and political economy.
• Design and conduct statistical and experimental analyses.
• Support data architecture and organisation of datasets.

Skills

Quantitative research skills

Statistical analysis

Research methodology

Education

PhD in Political Science, Economics, or related field

Job description

Position Summary

This is a full-time, temporary post (31 months, with the possibility to extend to 36), tenable soon after interview.

Key Responsibilities

• Pursuing an exciting, ambitious, and innovative research agenda in political behaviour, political economy, and/or in survey and social science methodology.
• Working alongside the PI and Opinium in designing and carrying out all statistical and experimental analyses.
• Supporting data architecture/infrastructure work, helping to collect, clean and organise existing and original large datasets.
• Co‑authoring all academic and non‑academic outputs from the project.
• Pursuing continuing professional development in research methods for the project, and optionally in areas such as impact or teaching.
• Supporting colleagues by attending regular team meetings and providing academic/methodological advice as needed.

Qualifications

PhD in Political Science, Economics, or a related field with very strong expertise in quantitative methods. Demonstrable potential to produce exciting, innovative, and methodologically rigorous quantitative research in political economy and political behaviour.

Project Background

Postdoctoral Research position in Quantitative Political Behaviour and Political Economy for the UKRI‑funded project DIVIDED: Inequality and Polarization Prevention (PI: Dr Miriam Sorace). Partners include the London School of Economics Data Science Institute (DSI), the UK Labour Party HQ Data and Insight team, Opinium, and the European Election Studies.

Application Details

Please upload a cover letter (2 pages maximum and under 500KB) and ensure your Supporting Statement outlines how you meet all the criteria outlined in the Person Specification. Include a section with working and published academic papers to your CV before uploading. We welcome applications from both external and internal candidates. As part of the University’s ongoing commitment to professional development, this role can be considered on a seconded basis for existing staff members. Internal candidates should discuss this with their line manager prior to applying.

EEO Statement

We welcome applications from both external and internal candidates. The University is an equal opportunities employer.