Sébastien Michon

Post-doctorate on the ‘revolving doors’ of European and national political elites at the University of Strasbourg , based in the SAGE Joint Research Unit (CNRS, University of Strasbourg) in Strasbourg, France. This is a 24-month full-time postdoctoral position starting on 1 December 2026 . The post sits within the Infiltrates project, funded by the Volkswagen Foundation , a comparative research programme examining influence, elite trajectories, and wealth inequality across Germany, France, and the UK. The successful candidate will join Work Package 5, focused on “revolving doors between finance, consulting and government” , with a particular emphasis on the later careers of European Commissioners and national government ministers . The role is designed for an independent and collaborative researcher working on the career paths of European and national political elites. Core tasks include developing indicators to trace movement between high-level political office and the finance/consultancy sectors, collecting and organising career data, creating and analysing databases, drafting reports and research notes, and contributing to academic publications. Eligibility and profile: applicants must hold a PhD in sociology or political science , with the degree obtained less than 3 years ago . The post calls for strong knowledge of French and European politics, solid quantitative research skills, and very good French and English. Experience with prosopographic databases and career-path analysis would be an advantage. Supervision: the successful candidate will work under Sébastien Michon , CNRS Research Professor and co-leader of WP5. Application deadline: 9 October 2026 at 23:59 (Europe/Paris) . Apply by emailing your CV, cover letter, and diploma to [email protected] . The interview stage is expected to take place in November by videoconference.