PostDoc in Immigration Studies , Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Universite d'Europe

Applications are invited for a postdoctoral research fellowship, starting October 2013 at the latest, for a duration of 2 years. The fellowship is open to individuals of all nationalities but the candidate should not have worked in Belgium in the last 2 years.

The post-holder will be part of the research project ‘Migration, Asylum, Multiculturalism’ (MAM) coordinated by Prof. Andrea Rea (Université libre de Bruxelles – ULB). The candidate will work under the supervision of Prof. Jean-Benoit Pilet (Université libre de Bruxelles – ULB).

Applicants must submit the following:
1. Up-to-date CV;
2. Cover letter;
3. Two-page summary of current and planned research.

Deadline
The closing date for applications is 17:00 CET on August 31st, 2013. Interviews will be organized in September. Completed applications should be emailed to Jean-Benoit Pilet (jpilet@ulb.ac.be).

Description

The research project is interdisciplinary, gathering researchers from political science, sociology, geography, social psychology and law. The goal of the research project is to analyze the causes underlying the gradual shifts in several European countries towards more restrictive immigration and integration policies in the last decade. The postdoctoral researcher would be involved in two work packages. The first WP is based upon the analysis of survey data on the attitudes of European citizens towards immigrants and immigration. The objective is to determine whether the change in policy direction could be associated with a transformation of public attitudes and preferences on the issue. The analysis would be based upon existing survey data (European Value Survey, World Values Survey, Eurobarometers and National Election Studies). For the second work package, the analysis lies at another level, that of the public debate around immigration and integration. The goal is to see how institutional, political, social and economic actors participate and interact in the debate about immigration. What are the claims that are made? And what are the coalitions and networks that are active? Through these questions, the aim is to see whether the change in policy direction could be associated with changes in the public debates around immigration.

Duties of the post

•  To engage in independent advanced study and research within the two WP mentioned above;
•  To publish research results regularly in scholarly (articles, book chapters) and other forms of outlets;
•  To support the activities of the MAM project: this includes managing the website of the project, coordinating the activities of the WPs, organizing regular meetings of the team members, international networking and promotional activities.
•  To assume administrative tasks (preparation of the reports of activities, minutes of the meetings).

Selection criteria

• Completion of a doctorate in social and political sciences, or another relevant discipline;
•  Thorough knowledge of immigration politics;
•  Advanced skills in quantitative methods;
•  Proven experience in theory-driven, empirical research on public opinion data;
•  Excellent knowledge of spoken and written English;
•  Knowledge of French is an advantage;
•  Knowledge of other European languages is also an advantage;
•  Experience of and commitment to working in a team;
•  Evidence of motivation and reliability.

Nr of positions available : 1

Research Fields

Political sciences - Governance

Career Stage

Experienced researcher or 4-10 yrs (Post-Doc)

Research Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Benefits

The post-holder will receive a starting salary of approx. 2,000 Euro per month (after taxes). Some research funding for travelling and conferences is provided.
The term of the contract is 2 years, starting in October, 2013.
Personal office space will be provided in the Cevipol research center. (For further
information http://www.cevipol.be/)