Job description

The Department of Political Economy is seeking to appoint two Postdoctoral Research Associates to work with Anne Rasmussen for up to four years as part of the research project ADVODID, which is funded by an European Research Council Consolidator Grant. The Advocacy in Digital Democracy (ADVODID) project seeks to implement the first large-scale project designed to provide evidence on the effects of advocacy on citizens and policymakers in both online and offline settings. It analyses the use, impact and democratic consequences of digital advocacy strategies by assessing interactions of advocacy groups, citizens and political representatives in eight countries (Australia, Chile, Denmark, India, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK, and the US). It sets out to address - theoretically and empirically - the potentials and challenges for modern democracies that arise from digital advocacy tools.

The successful applicants will have an excellent academic track record, a strong knowledge of research methods, and ideally have expertise in experimental and/or quasi-experimental research. The successful applicant will be expected to contribute to the research across the project’s three work packages, including co-authoring the research outputs from the project and helping to organize conference panels and other events to disseminate the project’s findings. There is a strong potential for the post doc to contribute to the design and implementation of research ideas within the overall project frame.

The successful applicants will also be expected to involve themselves in the academic life of the Department of Political Economy at King’s College London (e.g., attending departmental seminars, engaging with research groups etc.). Founded in 2010, the department is the only dedicated Department of Political Economy in the UK offering a unique interdisciplinary environment with staff and students from all over the world.

Applications will be considered from postdoctoral researchers and from current PhD students nearing the completion of their PhD. Applicants must have submitted their PhD by the time they take up the post.

All applications should include: 1) a cover letter; and 2) a CV (including names of two referees) and 3) a single-authored article-length writing sample.

This post will be offered on a full-time, fixed term contract for 2 years.

Key responsibilities

• Undertake research on the three work packages of the research project ‘ADVODID’, which includes:
• Developing experimental, quasi-experimental or observational research designs in the political representation, advocacy and social media context
• Collecting data in collaboration with students assistants through for example original surveys, APIs, web-scraping and/or personal interviews
• Cleaning, managing and analysing quantitative data
• Co-authoring research outputs from the project.
• Organizing conference panels and other events to disseminate the project’s findings.
• Presenting research outputs from the project.

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

Skills, knowledge, and experience

Essential criteria

1.       PhD awarded or near completion in Political Science, Communication Science, Data Science, Economics, Sociology, or a closely related discipline.

2.       Demonstrated capacity for producing excellent research published, or capable of being published, with leading academic journals and presses.

3.       Solid expertise in research methods, including experience with coding and data management in common statistical programming languages (e.g. Stata, R, and/or Python).

4.       Excellent communication skills (oral and written), and ability to communicate complex information clearly and concisely.

5.       Excellent workload and time management skills.

6.       Experience in undertaking independent research.

7.       Experience in presenting at conferences and/or research seminars.

Desirable criteria

1.       A good grasp of relevant academic literature (e.g. theory and research on (inequality in) political representation, social media, digital democracy and/or interest groups).

2.       Experience with developing and applying quasi-experimental and experimental research designs.

3.       Ability to conduct interviews in multiple languages spoken in the countries included in the study.

Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6.

Further information

The selection process will include a panel interview, conducted online if necessary.