Postdoctoral Researcher in Comparative Political Behaviour and Survey Methods (Affective Polarization) Koç University in Turkey

Koç University in Istanbul, Türkiye is recruiting a postdoctoral researcher for the ERC-funded EMERGEPOL project, Emerging Issues and the Dynamics of Affective Polarization. The position sits in the Department of International Relations and is embedded in an international, interdisciplinary environment focused on political behaviour, public opinion, computational social science, survey methodology, NLP, machine learning, and Bayesian modelling.

The project examines how emerging political issues such as immigration, climate change, and European sovereignty gain salience, are framed by elites and the media, and develop into drivers of affective polarization. Using a comparative design across Ireland, the Netherlands, Hungary, and Türkiye, the project combines multilingual NLP pipelines, three-wave panel surveys with embedded survey experiments, and machine-learning approaches to build a Polarization Potential Index.

The successful candidate will help lead the survey-based and causal-modelling strand of EMERGEPOL. Main responsibilities include designing and harmonising three-wave panel instruments, coordinating fieldwork with panel providers, developing and estimating Dynamic Bayesian Network models, and analysing how issue exposure, framing, belief updating, partisan attachment, and affective polarization evolve over time. The post also involves comparative analysis across the four country cases, contribution to open and harmonised datasets, publication in peer-reviewed journals, conference presentation, workshop organisation, and mentoring of doctoral researchers.

The post is based at Koç University in Istanbul, with collaboration and potential research stays across the partner country teams. Applicants should hold a PhD in political science, comparative politics, political psychology, sociology, or a closely related field, and should have strong quantitative skills in survey research and causal inference. English fluency is essential. Experience with R and/or Python, Bayesian methods, panel or longitudinal design, and survey experiments is expected.

This is a full-time position initially for three years, with the possibility of renewal for up to five years in total following positive evaluation. The role is associated with an ERC Advanced Grant and includes a competitive salary, social benefits, a dedicated research budget, and relocation/work-permit support for international candidates.

Application deadline: 30 November 2026 at 17:00 (Africa/Tunis). Apply by email to [email protected] with a CV, motivation letter, English writing sample, and a short statement outlining how you would approach the project.