Postdoctoral Researcher (80%)

The University of Lucerne is a modern, personal and dynamic human sciences university at the heart of Switzerland and Europe. In keeping with our guiding principle 'Moving Human Sciences', we focus on people and their institutions with our six faculties and two academies. Our aim is to develop the University of Lucerne into a pioneering, internationally visible centre for research and teaching in the human sciences.

The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, with its ten institutes and departments focuses on interdisciplinarity and innovation in research and teaching. The faculty offers its nearly 800 students a range of integrated degree programmes that are unique in Switzerland. We place great emphasis on excellent supervision and on ensuring close links between teaching and research.

The Institute of Political Science at the University of Lucerne invites applications for a

We offer a 4-year research position (2 + 2 years) starting from the 1st of October 2026 (or by mutual agreement), working within the SNSF-funded research project ?Pathways to Progression? Participation Capacity and Climate Policy Support". The postdoc will conduct research independently as well as within the project, examining how the design of climate policies shapes citizens' opportunities to participate in the transition to net zero, and how these opportunities influence perceived fairness, public support, political polarization, and climate policy backlash.

Within the project, the postdoctoral researcher will contribute to the analysis of media discourse and party competition across six European countries, examining how climate policies are framed, politicized, and contested. At the same time, the successful candidate will also be involved in the project's public opinion research, including the design and analysis of focus groups, cross-national surveys, survey experiments, and election-period panel studies. Candidates will be encouraged to engage with those components that best complement their expertise and research interests. The position offers considerable scope to develop an independent research profile at the intersection of climate politics, political communication, policy feedback, and political behaviour.

Applicants should hold, or be close to completing, a PhD in political science or a related field. We particularly welcome highly motivated candidates with expertise in comparative politics, climate politics, quantitative methods, or survey research. Candidates should have a strong interest in collaborative research and solid methodological skills. Experience in designing and conducting surveys or survey experiments, as well as proficiency in quantitative data analysis using R and/or Stata, would be particularly valuable.

There is no teaching obligation that comes with this position, but the future postdoc may conduct paid teaching assignments within the Institute of Political Science if desired. The candidate should be prepared to help with advising doctoral candidates.

Please submit your application, including a letter outlining your motivation and skills, as well as a CV, two writing samples (e.g., published articles or chapters from your dissertation), names and contacts of two potential references, and your MA level study transcripts – all in one single pdf-file via our job portal.

We look forward to receiving your application by the 19th of July 2026 . Interviews are scheduled to be held 27th and 28th of July (remote or in Luzern).

Please submit your application, including a letter outlining your motivation and skills, as well as a CV, two writing samples (e.g., published articles or chapters from your dissertation), names and contacts of two potential references, and your MA level study transcripts – all in one single pdf-file via our job portal.
More information on the project is available at lena-schaffer.de and further inquiries about the position can be directed to Prof. Lena Schaffer ( E-Mail auf jobs.nzz.ch ansehen ).