The School of Politics and International Relations at University College Dublin is offering the prestigious Ad Astra Doctoral Scholarship in Authoritarian Politics. This fully funded PhD opportunity invites applications from candidates interested in conducting advanced research on topics such as authoritarian legitimation and propaganda, disinformation, media and censorship, elite behaviour, public opinion, authoritarian diffusion and learning, democratization, autocratization, and personalist rule. The scholarship is ideal for students passionate about political science, especially those with interests in quantitative, computational, or mixed-method approaches, including natural language processing, machine learning, survey experiments, and network analysis.

Successful applicants will join a vibrant academic community at UCD, ranked among the top 100 in the world for political science. The scholarship covers tuition fees (up to the non-EU rate), provides a generous annual stipend of €25,000, and includes a €4,000 research budget for conferences, fieldwork, and other research-related expenses. The award is renewable for up to four years, contingent on satisfactory progress, and is available only for full-time study.

Applicants must hold, or expect to obtain, a relevant Master's degree with a minimum grade of 2.1 (GPA: 3.6). Those without a completed Master's may apply, but the award will be conditional on achieving the required grade. Required application materials include a cover letter, a detailed thesis proposal (up to 2,000 words), academic transcripts, a CV or résumé (max 2 pages), evidence of English language proficiency (if applicable), and contact details for two academic referees. The application deadline is 6 February 2026 at 5pm Dublin time. Incomplete applications or those submitted after the deadline will not be considered.

The successful candidate will be supervised by Dr. Nikita Khokhlov, Ad Astra Fellow and Assistant Professor at University College Dublin. For further details and to apply, visit the official UCD SPIRe website. Specific questions about the research area can be directed to Dr. Khokhlov, while application process queries should be sent to Ms Dara Gannon. This is an excellent opportunity for aspiring scholars in political science to develop their expertise in authoritarian politics within a supportive and internationally recognized academic environment.