King's College London

About us 

The Department of Political Economy is a unique interdisciplinary enterprise located in the heart of London with proximity to both the world of politics and the City. Founded in 2010, it is the only dedicated Department of Political Economy in the United Kingdom. The teaching and research recognises that the disciplines of Politics, Philosophy, and Economics are inextricably linked: it is not possible to properly understand political processes without exploring the economic or value contexts in which politics operates. Similarly, sound economic analysis requires an awareness of how resource allocation is conditioned both by the values and principles of individuals and communities, and by political and legal institutions, and the way these have been understood by different traditions in social thought. 

About the role 

The successful candidates will contribute to realising the ERC Synergy research project POPGOV (Popular Government in Global Perspective). The project seeks to uncover the principles and institutions of popular government, understood as those which empower ordinary citizens rather than socio-economic elites. The project contrasts popular government with the dominant model of democracy, representative government, in which political participation is restricted to electing rulers who enjoy significant independence from the electorate. POGOV is led by four co-PIs, Udit Bhatia (King’s College London), Bruno Leipold (LSE), Pierre-Etienne Vandamme (UC Louvain) and Yanina Welp (Girona), who will each recruit and host a team of postdoctoral researchers. The work package to be carried out at KCL under the supervision of Udit Bhatia, will focus on popular government in the Global South, with a particular interest in constituent moments in Chile, India, and South Africa. Candidates may, in their applications, and based on their research expertise, propose alternative constitutional moments from the Global South insofar as they raise important insights for the study of popular government. The KCL team will regularly integrate its findings with the empirical, comparative and philosophical work carried out by the wider research group. Through the post, candidates are expected to develop a research profile and competencies that prepare them for successfully applying to permanent, tenure-track positions in academia. The focus of the position is therefore research with no teaching obligations. Candidates are asked to outline their proposed research project on popular government in the Global South and how it contributes to the broader aims of POPGOV in their research statement.

Successful applicants will be required to travel for fieldwork activities and to project meetings every six months and these will be held in London, Girona and Brussels by rotation.

This is a full time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract from 1st August 2026 to 31st July 2030.

Research staff at King’s are entitled to at least 10 days per year (pro-rata) for professional development. This entitlement, from the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, applies to Postdocs, Research Assistants, Research and Teaching Technicians, Teaching Fellows and AEP equivalent up to and including grade 7. Visit the Centre for Research Staff Development for more information.

How to Apply

Please apply via the KLC portal at https://www.kcl.ac.uk/jobs and attach the following additional documents to your application:

1.    Up-to-date CV.

2.    A supporting statement, detailing how you meet the essential criteria listed in the person specification section of the job description. 

3.    Two-page research statement outlining the research you would undertake for the project. The statement should outline your proposed research project on popular government in the Global South and how it contributes to the broader aims of POPGOV.

About you

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. A completed (or close to completion) PhD in political science, history or related field by the post start date. 
2. Excellent skills in quantitative historical and theoretical methods 
3. Ability to work in a diverse, interdisciplinary team.  
4. Ability to tackle complex research challenges creatively 
5. Ability to communicate research findings in a clear and engaging manner (both oral and written). 
6. Fluency in written and spoken English 
7. Ability to work independently on research duties

Desirable criteria

1. Experience of developing outputs for varied audiences, including peer-reviewed journal articles and research presentations. 
2. Experience of working with collaborators 
3. Ability to engage with historical, empirical, comparative and philosophical approaches to the study of politics 
4. Administrative skills  

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

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

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's.

As part of this commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and through this appointment process, it is our aim to develop candidate pools that include applicants from all backgrounds and communities.  

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the person specification section of the job description. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘How we Recruit’ pages.

Interviews are due to be held in May 2026