Postdoctoral Assistant Position in International and European Studies

Organisation/Company KU LEUVEN Research Field Political sciences » Governance Researcher Profile Established Researcher (R3) Country Belgium Final date to receive applications 20 Jan 2026 - 23:59 (UTC) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Negotiable Offer Starting Date 1 Apr 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Other EU programme Reference Number AAP
- Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

We are seeking a postdoctoral researcher who will contribute not only to ongoing research and teaching activities, but also play a key role in shaping the future research agenda of our group. The successful candidate will actively collaborate with several team members to identify and develop competitive, substantial research proposals, particularly in response to major funding opportunities (e.g., European Framework Programmes such as Horizon Europe).

This position emphasizes a collaborative approach and research strategy, within which different research themes, methodologies and ongoing international cooperation of LINES and EU ExAct in particular are reflected. At the same time, we encourage the postdoctoral researcher to apply for an individual research project (especially in the framework of Research Foundation Flanders (FWO)). The candidate is expected to contribute intellectual leadership in aligning research proposals with the LINES research group, and develop the postdoctoral researcher’s own research agenda.

The ideal candidate will:

• Contribute to ongoing projects and develop new lines of inquiry, responding to research calls, including with international scope;
• Conduct high-quality research aligned with one or more of the research core themes of LINES and of EU ExAct;
• Participate in the organization of academic service and outreach activities, including LINES research sessions, workshops, conferences and fostering dialogues between practitioners and LINES ;
• Foster the researcher’s own research agenda, including by applying to postdoctoral projects at FWO;
• Support LINES by supervising or co-supervising junior researchers and PhD students, and, occasionally, contribute to BA- and MA-level teaching associated with LINES researchers (in English and/or Dutch).

• First, the candidate will strengthen the research unit by writing research proposals for (inter) national funds and apply for individual post-doctoral project(s). The candidate will also be publishing in high-impact international journals – alone or, ideally, in collaboration with colleagues at LINES and EU ExAct in particular. Moreover, the candidate functions as research manager for the research unit: in close dialogue with the head of the research unit, the candidate develops research policy, writes collective research proposals and coordinates research projects.
  
  The function also includes the organization of academic service and outreach activities, including LINES research sessions, workshops, conferences and fostering dialogues between practitioners and LINES/EU ExAct. The candidate contributes to collective responsibilities of the research group (such as educational services, team meetings, research proposals, supervision of bachelor and master students, invigilating exams, student recruitment activities, etc.).
• Secondly, the candidate will support LINES by supervising or co-supervising junior researchers and PhD students, and, occasionally, contribute to BA- and MA-level teaching associated with LINES researchers (in English and/or Dutch).

• You have recently obtained a PhD in Political Science and/or International Relations (after 1 October 2024);
• You have an excellent academic track record, demonstrated by several (at least
  3) publications in international, (double-blind) peer-reviewed, high-impact journals, as well as submissions which are under review in current journals;
• Your research engages with or complements the research agenda of LINES and EU ExAct, and has been continuously presented at international conferences over the past 2-3 years;
• You have substantial experience with qualitative and quantitative research methods and a strong…