Postdoctoral position in political representation and interest groups
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Postdoctoral position in political representation and interest groups
The Department of Political Science at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Copenhagen (UCPH), invites candidates for a full-time postdoctoral position in political representation and interest groups from 1 December 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.
The position is for 21 months.
Introduction
The Department of Political Science offers a dynamic environment around the fields of social media, Representation, and Political Behavior and seeks to produce high-caliber research on timely societal questions. The post-doc will work on a research project about the use, impact and democratic consequences of digital advocacy, supervised by PI Anne Rasmussen.
For more on the Department and its pluralistic academic environment, please see https://politicalscience.ku.dk/about/
Job Description
The postdoc will be employed as part of the project “Advocacy in Digital Democracy” (ADVODID) led by Professor Anne Rasmussen and funded by the European Research Council. The project uses experimental, quasi-experimental, and descriptive research to examine the use and impact of digital advocacy tools used by interest associations and companies. It also investigates how the use of social media by groups impacts political responsiveness, political discourse, and democratic representation more broadly. The project team will consist of team members employed at both King’s College London and the University of Copenhagen. More information about the project and the international project team can be found on https://advodid.eu
The position covers a variety of tasks related to the research process, including:
Your Competencies and Opportunities
The candidate must hold (or be close to completing) a PhD degree in Political Science, Data Science, Economics, Sociology or related fields. Other key qualifications include:
The Department of Political Science is part of the Faculty of Social Sciences. The faculty is a successful academic community that strives to put knowledge into action by:
Strategy for the Faculty of Social Science – University of Copenhagen.
Terms of Employment
Further information on the recruitment process at University of Copenhagen can be found here: https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/.
As an applicant to the University of Copenhagen, you should be prepared to undergo a security screening related to international research collaboration as part of the recruitment process. The security screening will be conducted in cases where the University deems it appropriate based on an overall assessment.
An Equal Opportunity Workplace
The University of Copenhagen is committed in its pursuit of academic excellence to equality of opportunity and to creating an inclusive working environment and therefore encourages all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of personal background, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, ethnicity, etc. For more on the diverse working place environment at the University and the University’s participation in the HRS4R HR Excellence in Research, see https://employment.ku.dk/working-at-ucph/eu-charter-for-researchers/
International applicant?
The University of Copenhagen offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including support before and during your relocation and career counselling to expat partners. Please find more information about these services as well as information on entering and working in Denmark here: www.ism.ku.dk.
Contact information
Information about the recruitment process is available from HR, e-mail: HR-soendre@adm.ku.dk, please refer to ID number: 211-2344/25-2I #2.
Additional information about the position can be obtained from Anne Rasmussen, e-mail: ar@ifs.ku.dk.
How to apply
Submit a complete application at our online portal. Click on the “Apply now” icon at the bottom of the page to apply. The documents must be in Adobe PDF or Word.
Your application must be written in English and include the following documents:
Applications or enclosures received thereafter will not be considered.
The position is for 21 months.
Introduction
The Department of Political Science offers a dynamic environment around the fields of social media, Representation, and Political Behavior and seeks to produce high-caliber research on timely societal questions. The post-doc will work on a research project about the use, impact and democratic consequences of digital advocacy, supervised by PI Anne Rasmussen.
For more on the Department and its pluralistic academic environment, please see https://politicalscience.ku.dk/about/
Job Description
The postdoc will be employed as part of the project “Advocacy in Digital Democracy” (ADVODID) led by Professor Anne Rasmussen and funded by the European Research Council. The project uses experimental, quasi-experimental, and descriptive research to examine the use and impact of digital advocacy tools used by interest associations and companies. It also investigates how the use of social media by groups impacts political responsiveness, political discourse, and democratic representation more broadly. The project team will consist of team members employed at both King’s College London and the University of Copenhagen. More information about the project and the international project team can be found on https://advodid.eu
The position covers a variety of tasks related to the research process, including:
- Developing experimental, quasi-experimental, or descriptive research designs
- Collecting data through original surveys, APIs, and/or web-scraping
- Coding of (social media) data using large language models and HPCs
- Cleaning and analyzing those data
- Possibility to collaborate in writing and publishing papers
- Assistance to the PI with project administration and reporting requirements for the European Research Council
Your Competencies and Opportunities
The candidate must hold (or be close to completing) a PhD degree in Political Science, Data Science, Economics, Sociology or related fields. Other key qualifications include:
- A good grasp of relevant academic literature (e.g., research on interest groups, (inequality in) political representation, and social media).
- Strong academic writing skills.
- Experience with developing and applying quasi-experimental and experimental research designs.
- Extensive experience with coding and data management in common statistical programming languages (e.g., R, Python, or Stata).
- Experience with implementing large-scale surveys in Qualtrics or other survey softwares
- The ability to work independently as well as collaborate with other members of the research team.
- Being part of a vibrant and ambitious team that aims to produce high quality research.
- Being part of a strong environment within Political Representation and Behavior in the Department of Political Science in Copenhagen and the Department of Political Economy at King’s College London.
- Funding for project relevant conference attendance.
The Department of Political Science is part of the Faculty of Social Sciences. The faculty is a successful academic community that strives to put knowledge into action by:
- Engaging partners in the co-creation of knowledge, learning, and social change.
- Empowering our students to become reflective and responsible citizens who have the vision, the knowledge, and the competences to change society for the better.
- Energizing global, European, and Danish communities of knowledge by producing research findings with impact.
Strategy for the Faculty of Social Science – University of Copenhagen.
Terms of Employment
- Further information on qualification requirements as postdoc can be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities 2025 here: Bekendtgørelse om stillingsstruktur for videnskabeligt personale ved universiteter (in Danish only).
- Terms of appointment and salary are in accordance with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (Akademikerne).
- The salary range starts at DKK 39,237.44 per month + a 18.07 % contribution to the pension scheme. It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis.
Further information on the recruitment process at University of Copenhagen can be found here: https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/.
As an applicant to the University of Copenhagen, you should be prepared to undergo a security screening related to international research collaboration as part of the recruitment process. The security screening will be conducted in cases where the University deems it appropriate based on an overall assessment.
An Equal Opportunity Workplace
The University of Copenhagen is committed in its pursuit of academic excellence to equality of opportunity and to creating an inclusive working environment and therefore encourages all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of personal background, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, ethnicity, etc. For more on the diverse working place environment at the University and the University’s participation in the HRS4R HR Excellence in Research, see https://employment.ku.dk/working-at-ucph/eu-charter-for-researchers/
International applicant?
The University of Copenhagen offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including support before and during your relocation and career counselling to expat partners. Please find more information about these services as well as information on entering and working in Denmark here: www.ism.ku.dk.
Contact information
Information about the recruitment process is available from HR, e-mail: HR-soendre@adm.ku.dk, please refer to ID number: 211-2344/25-2I #2.
Additional information about the position can be obtained from Anne Rasmussen, e-mail: ar@ifs.ku.dk.
How to apply
Submit a complete application at our online portal. Click on the “Apply now” icon at the bottom of the page to apply. The documents must be in Adobe PDF or Word.
Your application must be written in English and include the following documents:
- Cover letter motivating your application
- Curriculum vitae, including a publication list and names of two references who could write a letter for you
- Up to three publications or working papers
- Diplomas (PhD, Master, and Bachelor)
Applications or enclosures received thereafter will not be considered.