Postdoctoral Research Fellow (SPARK)

The University of Edinburgh; City of Edinburgh; On-site; GBP 41,000 - 49,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK university in Edinburgh is seeking a researcher to conduct empirical research and quantitative data analysis on various parliaments. The role requires a PhD in social science and offers a competitive salary of £41,064 to £48,822 per annum. The position is full-time for 30 months, requiring in-person fieldwork. Join a vibrant team to contribute to impactful academic work.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Generous holiday entitlement

Comprehensive Staff Benefits

Qualifications

• Conduct empirical research and quantitative data analysis on chosen parliaments.
• Engage in dissemination activities for academic and non-academic stakeholders.
• Contributions to qualitative research will require in-person fieldwork.

Responsibilities

• Author and co-author project outputs.
• Contribute to a systematic study of parliaments.

Skills

PhD in relevant social science

Training in qualitative AND/OR quantitative research methods

Knowledge of political science research

Ability to author high quality academic publications

Relevant language skills

Education

PhD or equivalent in a relevant social science

Job description

The Opportunity

You will conduct empirical research and quantitative data analysis on your choice of the parliaments of UK/Scotland (mixed methods); Germany/Bavaria (mixed methods); UK, Scotland, Germany and Bavaria (quantitative methods); or another configuration. You will author and co-author project outputs and engage in dissemination activities, both for academic and non-academic stakeholders, contributing towards a systematic and comparative study of parliaments (and the representatives and officials therein) as consumers, producers and mediators of knowledge. Contributions to qualitative research will require in-person fieldwork of between 3 to 6 months at relevant parliamentary institutions (i.e. London, Edinburgh, Berlin, Munich, or a combination thereof).

This post is fixed term for a period of 30 months available from as early as February 2026, and ending no later than 31 January 2029.

This post is advertised as full-time (35 hours per week) and requires the post holder to be on campus at least three days a week.

The salary for this post is £41,064 to £48,822 per annum.

Your skills and attributes for success

• A PhD (or equivalent) in a relevant social science (for example, Politics, Sociology, or Science and Technology Studies), with training or skills relevant to the project.
• Relevant training in qualitative AND/OR quantitative research methods, to an advanced level.
• Demonstrable knowledge of political science research on the politics of relevant case study locations
• Ability to author high quality academic publications and meet relevant deadlines.
• Relevant language skills to conduct advanced research on the case study parliaments (i.e. English and/or German).

View a copy of the full job description (opens in a new browser tab).

Application Information

Please ensure you include the following documents in your application:

• A cover letter covering your motivation and suitability for the role (up to three pages)
• An outline of your proposed cases including, briefly, why you have chosen these cases and how you would undertake the research (up to one page)
• A CV (no page limit, though please be considerate here)

Informal questions about this post can be directed to the Hiring Manager, Dr Marc Geddes, Senior Lecturer, via email at [e-mail].

As a valued member of our team you can expect:

• A competitive salary
• An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work
• To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community
• Comprehensive Staff Benefits, such as a generous holiday entitlement, competitive pension schemes, staff discounts, and family-friendly initiatives. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page (opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the total value of your pay and benefits.

Championing equality, diversity and inclusion

The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter and we are also Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality.

Prior to any employment commencing with the University you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages (opens in a new browser tab).

The University may be able to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. This will depend on a number of factors specific to the successful applicant.

Key dates to note

The closing date for applications is 29th October 2025.

Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm GMT. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browser’s local time zone.

Interviews will be held in-person in Edinburgh on Tuesday 25 November 2025.