Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Computational Social Science and Text Analysis

The Department of Politics and International Relations (DPIR) is one of Oxford’s largest and most internationally recognised departments, home to around 90 academic staff and a thriving community of researchers and visitors. Ranked the Number One University in the UK for Politics by The Guardian in 2024, the department delivers world‑class teaching and research supported by experienced Professional Services teams working across Courses, Research, Finance, HR and Communications. We are strongly committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, including work towards an Athena Swan Bronze Award, and are based in the Social Sciences Building on Manor Road alongside Economics, Criminology, Socio‑Legal Studies and the Social Science Library.

About the Role 

The Centre for Democratic Resilience is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Computational Social Science and Text Analysis to contribute to its Higher Education and Democratic Resilience Programme. The programme examines threats to academic freedom, institutional autonomy and the integrity of higher education, with a primary focus on Germany and a broader comparative perspective across democratic systems.

Working closely with an interdisciplinary team of political scientists, legal scholars and practitioners, the postholder will play a central role in shaping the programme’s computational research agenda.

About You

You will lead the computational analysis of legal, regulatory and political texts, using methods from computational social science and natural language processing to identify and monitor emerging risks to higher education institutions. This includes analysing legislation, policy documents and political discourse to track developments that may affect university governance, research independence, academic expression and institutional resilience. You will develop innovative approaches to analysing complex textual data, contribute to the interpretation and communication of findings, and support efforts to understand and anticipate vulnerabilities within higher education systems. Furthermore, you must hold or be close to completion of a doctorate in political science or a related field.

This position is full-time and fixed term for 3 years and available from 1 October 2026.

If you have any questions about the role, please contact the DPIR HR Team at vacancies@politics.ox.ac.uk. All enquiries will be treated in strict confidence and will not form part of the selection decision.

Application Process

Applications for this vacancy are to be made online via the University’s job pages. You will be required to upload a recent CV and supporting statement as part of your online application. 

Only applications received before 12 noon (UK time) on Friday 25th September can be considered. Please quote reference 188420 in all correspondence.

Further information on the application process can be found here: How to apply | Oxford University

The Interview process is likely to take place week commencing 5th October and will be held online.

DPIR is currently working toward its submission to achieve Bronze Athena Swan status.

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