Job Application - Post Doc Researcher

Sciences Po, Centre for European Studies and Comparative Politics, CEE (UMR 8239)

Background

We are seeking to appoint a Researcher to work with Virginie Guiraudon and Hélène Thiollet in the project “BRIDGES: assessing the production and impact of migration narratives” (Grant number 101004564) of the H2020 program funded by the European Commission.

Project web site: https://www.bridges-migration. eu/

BRIDGES aims to understand the causes and consequences of migration narratives in a context of increasing politicisation and polarisation. By focusing on six current/former EU countries (FR, GE, HU, IT, SP, and UK), it has a three-fold objective.

First, at the academic level, it aims to understand the processes of narrative production and impact and their mutual interaction. This entails analysing: a) why some narratives have become dominant over others in public and political debates from a historical perspective; b) how narratives shape individual attitudes in Europe and potential migrants’ decisions in countries of origin and transit; c) how narratives impact policy decisions and outputs both at the national and EU levels; and d) how individuals and policymakers become in turn narrative producers (‘shaped shapers’) and influence each other. Second, at the policy level, it aims to foster evidence-based policies. By developing a typology of government strategies for responding to populist narratives, we will provide policymakers with recommendations on how to redress a tendency towards increasingly symbolic policies in the field of migration and integration. Third, at the societal level, our objective is to create spaces for dialogue between actors involved in narrative production. A key added value of the project is its interdisciplinarity and co-production approaches, including interactive workshops with policy, media and civil society actors, an itinerant photojournalism exhibition and two hip hop contests to reflect on the challenges of multicultural and increasingly diverse societies.

More specifically, the Sciences Po, CEE (FNSP) team has been in charge of the empirical work in WP 3 on narrative production in the media arena and WP7 on the impact of narratives on policymaking at the national level. The French team must now disseminate its results to a variety of relevant actors and thus create a dialogue with policy, media and civil society actors.

This involves

1. Helping to disseminate the results of the project through relevant media outlets
2. Organising a large-scale event to present the project results to policy, media, and civil society actors open to the public
3. Organizing a medium-sized event to present the results of WP7 to policymakers and relevant expert circles

The appointment is full time starting from Nov 2nd 2023 with a contract duration of 4 months.

How to apply

Please send (1) a cover letter outlining precisely the qualifications and skills that match the requirements for the position, as well as the expected salary, (2) a CV, to recruitment.cee@sciencespo.fr by 23h59 pm on 5 October 2023.

Interviews will be planned before Oct. 15.

Tasks

The researcher will be expected to:

• Prepare and undertake all the necessary tasks under the supervision of the French PIs.
• The post holder will be required to manage his/her time to deliver on the priorities of the project notably the two public events required by the project. The post holder will need to plan to ensure the research is delivered in accordance with the overall research objectives and deadlines. This includes defining tasks and schedules, organising meetings;
• Any other tasks that might be necessary for the proper undertaking of the role and the successful completion of the work packages.

Requirements

Qualifications, Knowledge and Experience

• A PhD in Social Science with a strong methodological focus relevant to the project ∙ An understanding of the issues studied in the project: migration, integration, racism, borders∙ Fluency in French and English, the two working languages of the project.

Skills, Abilities and Competencies:

• Proven ability to organize academic and public events.
• Ability to take initiative, self-manage and contribute intellectually to the overall project. ∙ Expertise with relevant Office packages.
• Ability to work as part of a team.
• Good oral and written communication skills.