Postdoctoral Research Fellow (SPARK)

Full-time: 35 hours per week 

Fixed-term: 2.5 years

The Opportunity:

You will conduct empirical research and quantitative data analysis on your choice of the parliaments of UK/Scotland (mixed methods); Germany/Bavaria (mixed methods); UK, Scotland, Germany and Bavaria (quantitative methods); or another configuration.  You will author and co-author project outputs and engage in dissemination activities, both for academic and non-academic stakeholders, contributing towards a systematic and comparative study of parliaments (and the representatives and officials therein) as consumers, producers and mediators of knowledge. Contributions to qualitative research will require in-person fieldwork of between 3 to 6 months at relevant parliamentary institutions (i.e. London, Edinburgh, Berlin, Munich, or a combination thereof).

This post is fixed term for a period of 30 months available from as early as February 2026, and ending no later than 31 January 2029.

This post is advertised as full-time (35 hours per week) and requires the post holder to be on campus at least three days a week.

The salary for this post is £41,064 to £48,822 per annum.

Your skills and attributes for success:

• A PhD (or equivalent) in a relevant social science (for example, Politics, Sociology, or Science and Technology Studies), with training or skills relevant to the project.
• Relevant training in qualitative AND/OR quantitative research methods, to an advanced level.
• Demonstrable knowledge of political science research on the politics of relevant case study locations
• Ability to author high quality academic publications and meet relevant deadlines.
• Relevant language skills to conduct advanced research on the case study parliaments (i.e. English and/or German).

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