PhD student in political science

Tasks and responsibilities

Doctoral education in political science comprises 240 higher education credits (equivalent to four years of full-time studies) and concludes with the doctoral student defending their printed doctoral thesis at a public defense. The person employed as a doctoral student receives a salary from the university for four years and shall primarily devote themselves to their own doctoral education. Departmental service of up to 20 percent of full-time may occur, for example in the form of teaching, in which case the employment is extended accordingly. The doctoral student will have access to a workplace at the Department of Political Science.

The employment is linked to the research project ”En polariserande spiral? Elitkommunikation, väljarreaktioner och algoritmisk förstärkning av affektiv polarisering”. The project is funded by Vetenskapsrådet 2027–2030 and is led by professor Hanna Bäck at the Department of Political Science, Lunds universitet. The project focuses on how affective polarization, strong negative emotions towards political opponents, arises in the interaction between politicians' communication and voters' engagement on social media. Using large language models, polarizing communication in text and audio from Sweden and Finland is analyzed on a large scale, and experiments test how communication forms and algorithms affect voters. Read more about the project here

The doctoral student is expected to contribute to the study of affective polarization among politicians and voters in line with the project's overall purpose. Within this framework and in dialogue with other project participants, the doctoral student is expected to conduct independent research based on their own research questions, theoretical choices, and methodological approaches. The doctoral student is expected to be present at the department and actively participate in the research and teaching environment, as well as be involved in the work on the project.

Qualifications

To be appointed as a doctoral student, you need to meet the requirements below.

Eligibility requirements

To be admitted to doctoral education (HF kap 7 § 35), the applicant must have basic eligibility and the special eligibility that the university may have prescribed, and otherwise be assessed to have such ability as is required to undertake doctoral education (SFS2010:1064).

Basic eligibility for education at the doctoral level is held by those who have:

completed a degree at an advanced level, fulfilled course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 higher education credits are at an advanced level, or in some other way, within or outside the country, acquired primarily equivalent knowledge

Special eligibility

In addition to the basic eligibility for doctoral education, the applicant must have at least 30 higher education credits within the main subject political science at an advanced level or have acquired equivalent knowledge within or outside the country. The applicant must also have completed an independently authored thesis of at least 15 higher education credits at an advanced level in political science or a subject assessed as equivalent in relation to the project. At the time of application, the thesis must be examined and graded.

Basis for assessment

Only those admitted to education at the doctoral level may be appointed to the position of doctoral student. Upon admission, primary attention shall be paid to the degree of ability to undertake doctoral education. The ranking of applicants is based on a collective assessment of the quality of submitted thesis work and the submitted research plan, grades from previous education, as well as personal suitability. Since doctoral studies in political science are very demanding, the applicant must be highly motivated and have the ability to work independently under time pressure.

Good cooperation and communication skills are also a requirement, as well as good knowledge of English in both speech and writing. Documented experience of research related to the project's theme, as well as automated text analysis, is highly meritorious. Furthermore, experience in programming and working with large-scale social science data is meritorious, as is knowledge of languages relevant to the project's empirical material. Interviews will be conducted with a limited selection of applicants in the final stage of the admission process.

About the employment

The employment is a fixed-term employment at full-time for four years according to Högskoleförordningen (1993:100), 5 kap 1–7 §§. Start 1 January 2027 or by agreement. The working language in the doctoral education is primarily English. However, non-Swedish-speaking doctoral students are expected to acquire basic skills in Swedish during the period of employment. The possibility to participate in language instruction within Lunds universitet is available. The general study plan and other information about the doctoral education in political science is available at: http://www.svet.lu.se/forskning/forskarstudier.

How to apply

Application is made via Lunds universitets recruitment system. The assessment of applicants is based on documents submitted before the application deadline. Only complete applications will be processed. It is not possible to add documentation after the deadline.

The application shall contain:

an introductory letter in Swedish or English, comprising a maximum of 1,000 words, containing a short presentation of yourself as an applicant and your merits, as well as a short description of why you are interested in the doctoral education at the Department of Political Science at Lunds universitet; a curriculum vitae in Swedish or English showing eligibility for doctoral education in political science; degree certificates and transcripts in Swedish or English; a thesis in Swedish or English corresponding to at least 15 higher education credits at an advanced level (where applicable, a thesis at the bachelor's level may also be attached, in addition to a thesis at the advanced level) in political science or a subject assessed as equivalent; a concise research plan in Swedish or English, comprising a maximum of 2,000 words including references; names and contact details for two references, preferably active in academia (reference letters are not necessary at the application stage); other documents that you, as an applicant, wish to invoke for the current employment.

Welcome with your application!