Postdoctor in Political Science, focus on affective polarization - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

The Department announces one vacant position as a 2-year postdoctoral fellow with an orientation towards affective polarization among voters and attitudes related to Covid-19 prevention. The postdoctoral position is fully funded for 2 years and placed at the Department of Political Science.  

Project description 
The postdoctoral position will be part of the 3-year research project on affective polarization and attitudes related to Covid-19 prevention, funded by Vetenskapsrådet. The project is led by associate professor Emma Renström at Kristianstad University, together with Professor Hanna Bäck at the Department of Political Science at Lund University. The project focuses on “affective polarization” among voters, which reflects social identity divisions and emotions related to group belongingness and seeing some other group as a hated outgroup. The project connects affective polarization to attitudes toward Covid-19 prevention and vaccines. It explores how the political elite contributed to a polarized society through their social media rhetoric, how such rhetoric influence individuals’ affective polarization, attitudes and behaviors related to the pandemic, and the psychological factors that explain attitudes toward vaccination. Empirically, the project will employ a variety of methods such as computational text-analyses of social media material, controlled experiments, and a large-scale survey. 

What we offer
Lund University is a public authority, which means that you will have special benefits, generous annual leave and an advantageous occupational pension. Read more on the University’s website about being a Lund University employee, Work at Lund University. 

Main responsibilities 
The main responsibility for the postdoctoral fellow is to conduct research within the research project in collaboration with other projects participants. Research tasks will involve data collection of various kinds, data analysis, and dissemination of results through publications in scholarly journals and conference presentations as well as certain project coordination and reporting. The position consists in 100% research. If the postdoc undertakes teaching or administration (up to a maximum of 20%), the position will be extended accordingly.

Qualification requirements 
Postdoctoral positions are appointed primarily for purposes of research. Applicants are expected to hold a Swedish doctoral degree or an equivalent degree from another country. 

Assessment criteria 
The degree must have been completed at the latest before the employment decision is made, but no more than three years before the application deadline. An older degree may be acceptable under special circumstances. Special circumstances refer to sick leave, parental leave, elected positions in trade unions, service in the total defense, or other similar circumstances as well as clinical attachment or service/ assignments relevant to the subject area. Special consideration will be given to the scientific skills and merits of the applicant. We seek candidates with a PhD in Political Science who has done research on affective polarization among voters or related topics. An additional merit is having done research related to Covid-19 and within the field of political psychology. We are particularly interested in candidates with a quantitative methods background, who also have experience with using an experimental approach. Additional merits include having published in international peer-reviewed journals on topics related to the project. The candidate must have excellent skills in academic written English. 

Terms of employment 
The position involves at least two years full-time employment, with the possibility of extension under special circumstances according to the Swedish national agreement “Avtal om tidsbegränsad anställning som postdoktor”. The starting date is at the earliest in May 2023, or as per agreement. 

Application 
Apply for the position at Lund University's recruitment system Varbi. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the job advertisement, and that it is submitted before the deadline. Please include the following information with your application 

• Your contact details and personal data 
• Your highest degree 
• Your language skills 
• Contact details for 2–3 references and, in addition, please include the following documents 
• Cover letter 
• CV – degrees and other completed courses, work experience and a list of publications 
• Research proposal (no more than 2 pages) describing: 
– why you are interested in the field/project described in the advertisement 
– why and how you wish to complete the project 
– what makes you suitable for the project in question 
• Copy of PhD diploma (or a document showing that the thesis will be defended before employment)
• Publications in support of your application (no more than 3 files).