Postdoctoral researcher in comparative politics on ERC-funded POLSTYLE project University of Namur in United Kingdom

Postdoctoral researcher (H/F/X) in comparative politics on the ERC Starting Grant project POLSTYLE at the University of Namur, Belgium.

The project, coordinated by Prof. Jeremy Dodeigne, studies new trends and old habits in political styles since 1960, with a particular focus on the mainstreaming of hostile rhetoric, political hostility, and democratic erosion. The research combines unique datasets from parliamentary debates, television debates, and social media posts across European democracies, and uses advanced computational methods including deep learning and natural language processing (NLP).

The postdoctoral researcher will join the Research Institute Transitions, working with a team of postdocs and a PhD candidate on comparative and longitudinal research. Possible research directions include the diffusion of hostile rhetoric across arenas, the role of radical and extreme-right parties, spillover between social media and parliamentary communication, and the effects of hostile rhetoric on citizens’ democratic attitudes and affective polarization.

The position is open to candidates with a PhD in comparative politics or a closely related field, with expertise in political communication and/or democratic erosion. Experience with computational text analysis and NLP is welcome, though the project provides strong computational support. Strong English is required, and additional languages such as German, Spanish, French, Dutch, Swedish, Czech, or Hungarian are an asset.

Funding is provided through an ERC Starting Grant. The post offers a competitive Belgian university salary of approximately €3,200 net per month, along with full social security, pension contributions, health insurance, and extensive conference support. The institute also offers mentoring, support for future fellowship applications, and administrative help with visa and relocation.

Application deadline: 2026-08-15. Applicants should submit a single PDF with a cover letter, past research report, CV, and three referees to [email protected]. Interviews are expected in early/mid-September 2026, with a planned start date of 1 or 15 October 2026.