Doctoral scholarship holder lobbying and EU public policy

Organisation/Company University of Antwerp Research Field Political sciences » Public policy Political sciences » Other Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Final date to receive applications 17 Aug 2026 - 21:59 (UTC) Country Belgium Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Let’s shape the future - University of Antwerp

The University of Antwerp is a dynamic, forward-thinking, European university. We offer an innovative academic education to more than 20000 students, conduct pioneering scientific research and play an important service-providing role in society. We are one of the largest, most international and most innovative employers in the region. With more than 6000 employees from 100 different countries, we are helping to build tomorrow's world every day.

Through top scientific research, we push back boundaries and set a course for the future – a future that you can help to shape.

The Department of Political Science in the Faculty of Social Sciences is looking for a full-time (100%)
doctoral scholarship holder in the field of lobbying and EU public policy.

Position

• You will work actively on the preparation and defence of a PhD thesis in the field of Political Science. Your research focuses on interest group mobilization across the EU policy cycle. This PhD project is embedded in a collaborative and internationally oriented research environment with strong expertise in EU politics, interest groups, and public policy analysis. Under the supervision of dr.
  
  Frederik Stevens (Politics and Public Governance), Prof. Peter Bursens and Prof. Dirk De Bièvre (International Politics), you will study how interest groups strategise, gain access, and exert influence across different stages of the EU policy process.
• You are expected to gradually develop independence in designing and executing your research while benefiting from close supervision, structured feedback, and integration in ongoing research activities.
• You will publish scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals.
• You will carry out a limited number of teaching and research support tasks for the Department of Political Science.
• You will prepare and submit an FWO PhD fellowship application within the first year of the appointment, in close collaboration with the supervisory team.

Profile

• You hold a Master degree in Political Science, European Studies or Public Policy or a closely related field, or you will have obtained it by the time you start work.
• You have a strong interest in lobbying, EU politics and public policy research.
• You have an excellent command of English (written and spoken)
• Your teaching competences are in line with the University of Antwerp’s educational vision .
• You are willing to develop skills in quantitative data analysis tools such as Stata or R.
• Strong assets:
  • You have familiarity with lobbying and/or EU institutions and public policy processes
  • You have experience with quantitative methods, qualitative methods, or both
  • You are comfortable with (or demonstrate a high potential for) mixed-methods research.

What we offer

• We offer a doctoral scholarship for a period of one year. Following a positive evaluation, the scholarship can be renewed for another period of 1 year, up until a maximum of 4 years in total.
• The planned start date is November 1st 2026
• Your monthly scholarship amount is calculated according to the scholarship amounts for doctoral scholarship holders
• You will receive ecocheques, internet-connectivity allowance and a bicycle allowance or a full reimbursement of public transport costs for commuting.
• As a doctoral researcher, you will have access to a wide and varied range of courses and an educational credit through the Antwerp Doctoral School .
• Find out more about working at the University of Antwerp here .

The University of Antwerp received the European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research Award for its HR policy. We are a sustainable, family-friendly organisation which invests in its employees’ growth. We encourage diversity and attach great importance to an inclusive working environment and equal opportunities, regardless of gender identity, disability, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation or age. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds and with diverse characteristics to apply.