Postdoc Research Position in Political Science / Computational Social Science

Postdoc Research Position in Political Science/Computational Social Science

Reference no.: 2026/096. Applications are invited for a 3‑year post‑doctoral research position as part of the project "INEQUALITY AND SUPPORT FOR LONG‑TERM INVESTMENT POLICIES (IneqInvest)" led by Marius Busemeyer, Sebastian Koos, and Alexander Horn. The position is available as of October 1 2026.

Override a 3‑year postdoctoral research position in computational social science and political science. In the University of Konstanz the role focuses on how inequalities shape support for long‑term investment policies (LTIPs) – policies whose benefits emerge over time but face short‑term political costs. The project examines how socio‑economic, ideological, party, and interest‑group factors influence support for LTIPs, and how cooperative or contested dynamics shape policy adoption.

Key research questions are: how socio‑economic and ideological factors shape support for LTIPs; how political parties use these support patterns; the influence of interest groups and social movements; and the conditions that facilitate or hinder future‑oriented policies.

As a postdoc you will map the long‑term investment policy positions of parties, interest groups, and social movements, analyse corpus data, and link positions with public attitudes and policy outcomes. The role requires expertise in computational social science, text‑as‑data methods, and independent, collaborative research in English.

Your Responsibilities

• Process and analyse political text data.
• Contribute to research on future‑oriented policy (e.g., social investment, climate policy) and the future‑orientation of language.
• Publish project results jointly with the team.
• Participate actively in the project and the broader Cluster of Excellence.

Your Competencies

• PhD in political science, computational social science, or a related field with a quantitative focus.
• Excellent skills in quantitative empirical methods, especially automated text analysis and large language models.
• Experience with positions or salience analysis.
• Ideally, experience with SQL/SQLite.
• Publication experience is a plus.

What We Offer

• International and interdisciplinary research community, including the Inequality Discourse Observatory.
• A family‑friendly and diversity‑conscious university and workplace.
• Wide network of partners and funding for conference participation.
• A beautiful setting on the shores of Lake Constance and River Rhine, close to the Alps and Switzerland.

The University of Konstanz is committed to ensuring an environment that provides equal opportunities and promotes diversity, as well as a good balance between university and family life. As an equal opportunity employer, we strive to increase the number of women working in research and teaching. Persons with disabilities are explicitly encouraged to apply and will be given preference if appropriately qualified.