PhD student in Political Science: Nuclear Politics in the Middle East

The position is linked to the Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies (CMES), Lund University and to the project "Nuclear Politics in the Middle East". 

The Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies is coordinating the Strategic Research Area (SRA) and the research program “The Middle East in the Contemporary World” (MECW). The program conducts cutting-edge interdisciplinary research on the Middle East and comprises more than 40 scholars from five different faculties at Lund University. The PhD position is part of the research project “Nuclear politics in the Middle East”, funded by MECW, and led by Dr. Hebatallah Taha. 

Duties

The PhD programme in Political Science consists of 240 credits (equivalent to four years of full-time studies) and is concluded with the public defense of a doctoral thesis. The appointed PhD student will receive a salary from the University during four years. The primary obligation of the appointed PhD student is to complete his or her PhD studies. The position may involve departmental duties, mainly in the form of teaching, up to 20 per cent of fulltime working hours, in which case the appointment will be extended by the equivalent number of hours. The PhD student will have access to workspaces both at the Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies and the Department of Political Science. The terms of employment for PhD students are regulated in the Swedish Higher Education Ordinance (HF 1993:100), Chapter 5, Sections 1–7. 

Nuclear politics in the Middle East (NUCLEAR-ME) is a research project that focuses on the nuclear condition in/from the Middle East. The overarching aim is to confront the long-standing invisibility of the region in nuclear thought. The PhD student is expected to contribute to knowledge about the "nuclear condition", broadly conceived. The project challenges the divide between weapons and energy, and considers multiple stages of the nuclear fuel cycle. It confronts disciplinary boundaries and scopes to account for diverse perspectives on the nuclear sphere. In doing so, it challenges hegemonic approaches to nuclear politics in the modern Middle East, which have emphasised fears of horizontal proliferation and have reproduced the assumption of nuclear desire as a point of departure. The PhD student is expected to pursue independent research both as regards theory and method within the overarching aim and focus of the project. The PhD student will have double affiliations with CMES and the Department of Political Science and is expected to be present and actively participate in both research environments as well as in the everyday activities of the project. More information on the project: https://www.cmes.lu.se/strategic-research-area-middle-east/research-projects. 

The main language of the PhD programme is English. However, non-Swedish speaking students are expected to acquire basic skills in Swedish during the period of employment. There are opportunities to participate in language courses taught at the University. The doctoral studentship will commence on 1 February 2025. The general syllabus and other information about the PhD programme in Political Science are available at: http://www.svet.lu.se/en/education/phd-studies.

The limit of tenure is, in accordance with HF 5 kap 7§, four years.

Qualifications

The requirements for admission to third cycle courses and study programmes (in accordance with HF, Chapter 7, Section 35) are that the applicant

• meets the general and specific entry requirements that the higher education institution may have laid down, and
• is considered in other respects to have the ability required to benefit from the course or study programme (Swedish Code of Statutes 2010:1064)
  A person meets the general entry requirements for third cycle courses and study programmes if he or she:
  • has been awarded a second cycle qualification,
  • has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second cycle, or 
  • has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

Specific entry requirements

In addition to the general entry requirements, the applicant must have completed at least 30 second cycle credits of coursework within the field of Political Science or acquired equivalent knowledge, i.e. completed coursework with an orientation towards politics in a discipline deemed to be equivalent, in Sweden or abroad. Moreover, the applicant must have completed a Master's degree project/thesis of at least 15 credits in Political Science or a discipline deemed to be equivalent.

Assessment criteria

Only applicants who are eligible for third cycle studies may be appointed to a doctoral studentship. Admission is primarily based on the applicant's ability to benefit from the third cycle programme. Applicants will be ranked based on an overall assessment of the quality of their submitted thesis/theses and research plan, grades from previous studies, and their personal suitability. As third cycle studies in Political Science are very demanding, the applicant must be highly motivated and able to work independently under time constraints. Good collaboration and communication skills are also required, as is proficiency in both written and spoken English. Interviews will be conducted with a shortlisted number of applicants during the final stages of the admission process.  

Application procedure

Applications are to be submitted electronically via the Lund University application portal. The evaluation of applicants is based on documents submitted by the application deadline. Only complete applications will be considered. It is not possible to add documentation after the deadline.

The application must include:

• A cover letter in Swedish or English (max. 1 000 words), which contains a brief presentation of yourself and your qualifications, as well as a brief explanation of why you are interested in third cycle studies at the Department of Political Science at Lund University.
• A CV in Swedish or English that demonstrates your qualifications for the third cycle programme in Political Science.
• Degree and grade certificates in Swedish or English.
• Master's degree project in Swedish or English corresponding to at least 15 credits in Political Science or an equivalent discipline (in addition to the Master's degree project/thesis, a Bachelor's degree project/thesis can also be submitted).
• A brief research plan in Swedish or English (max. 2 000 words, including references). 
• Name and contact information of two personal references (letters of reference are not required in the first stage of application).
• Other documentation of relevance to the position.  

We look forward to receiving your application!