Post-Doctoral Researcher in Comparative Political Behavior

The University of Cologne is one of the largest and most research-intensive universities in Germany, offering a wide range of subjects. With its six faculties and its interfaculty centres, it offers a broad spectrum of scientific disciplines and internationally outstanding profile areas, supported by the administration with its services.

The post-doc (f/m/d) will be part of Prof. Sven-Oliver Proksch’s ERC-funded research project MINORITYRULE on “Democracy without Majorities: Political  Representation under  Minority  Rule”.  The project’s objective is to provide a  systematic comparative analysis of the implications of minority governments for political representation. The project investigates how minority rule affects the intensity of political polarization in parliamentary debates and election campaigns, how the responsiveness of minority governments to public opinion differs from those of majority governments at the national and supranational level, and how citizens evaluate the legitimacy of decisions taken by minority governments.

YOUR TASKS

• Take  a  leading  role  in  work  package  3  on  citizen  evaluations  of minority rule, including the design and analysis of cross-national survey experiments and panel surveys;
• Conduct and publish high-quality research within the context of MINORITYRULE;  
• Collaborate with other project members;
• Provide support for project-related management and administrative tasks; 
• Participate in the intellectual life of the Cologne Center for Comparative Politics

YOUR PROFILE

• A Ph.D. in political science (or close to completion) with a specialization in comparative political behavior and European politics;
• Advanced skills in survey methods and survey experiments;
• Strong interest and ability to produce high-quality and high-impact research,  as demonstrated through international peer-reviewed publications;
• Ability to work in a team, and ability to work independently;
• Strong command of English and German. Knowledge of other European languages is an asset.

WE OFFER YOU

• Participation in a cutting-edge research project funded by an ERC Consolidator Grant;
• Opportunity  to  develop  your  own  research  agenda  within  the  framework of the project » Funding for conferences, additional training, research activities;
• Integration into the Cologne Center for Comparative Politics;
• A diverse and fair working environment;
• Support in reconciling work and family life;
• Flexible working time models, full-time positions suitable for job sharing;
• Extensive advanced training opportunities;
• Occupational health management offers;
• Local transport ticket at a discount for UoC employees.

The starting date for the position is May 1, 2022. The full-time position will last until August 2026. If the applicant meets the relevant wage requirements and personal qualifications, the salary is based on remuneration group 14 TV-L of the pay scale for the German public sector.

The  University of Cologne is committed to equal opportunities and diversity. Women are especially encouraged to apply and will be considered preferentially in accordance with the  Equal  Opportunities  Act of North Rhine-Westphalia (Landesgleichstellungsgesetz – LGG NRW). We also expressly welcome applications from people with disabilities / special needs or of equal status.

Applications should be submitted in English by email (in one pdf-file)  under the reference number  Wiss2110-15  to  cccp-jobs@uni-koeln.de and include a motivation letter, CV including publication list, proposal for an own postdoctoral project  (1  page),  transcripts,  writing sample,  and the names of two references. The application deadline is 15 December 2021. For further information, please contact Prof. Sven-Oliver Proksch  (so.proksch@uni-koeln.de). Informal inquiries are welcome.