BI 10/2026 - Award of a Post-Doctoral Research Grant Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Lisbon in Portugal

The Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Lisbon (ICS-ULisboa) is offering 1 post-doctoral research grant within the Horizon Europe project RESPOND – Rescuing Democracy from Political Corruption in Digital Societies (Grant Agreement No. 101132405). The grant is part of a European Union-funded research effort focused on political corruption, democratic quality, and digital societies, with the successful candidate contributing directly to Task 9.2 on Citizen and Political Elite Surveys, specifically the Political Elite Survey.

The appointed researcher will work under the scientific coordination of Dr Luís de Sousa, project coordinator at ICS-ULisboa. The role is highly research-intensive and involves questionnaire review and refinement for members of national parliaments, coordination with international consortium partners, monitoring of fieldwork and data collection, tracking response rates and data quality, ensuring methodological compliance, and organising and harmonising a comparative database across countries. The fellow will also take part in statistical analysis, write technical reports, policy briefs, and scientific outputs, and contribute to meetings and dissemination activities.

This is a full-time research grant for 9 months, with the possibility of renewal within the limits of the applicable grant regulations or until the end of the project. The grant includes a monthly maintenance allowance of €1,901.00, paid by bank transfer, and social security support under the Portuguese research grant holder statute.

Eligibility is restricted to candidates holding a PhD or equivalent in Political Science, International Relations, Sociology, Economics, or European Studies, obtained within the last three years. The call also requires that the doctoral degree was not obtained at ICS-ULisboa. If the degree was obtained abroad, Portuguese recognition/equivalence/registration rules apply. Candidates must not have previously held a postdoctoral grant for more than 36 months.

Preferred profiles include strong experience in political corruption, democratic quality, political representation, political elites, or political behaviour; survey methodology; quantitative research and statistical analysis; use of software such as R, Stata, or SPSS; experience in international competitive projects, ideally EU-funded; database construction and harmonisation; and excellent English-language communication. Experience liaising with parliaments, political parties, public institutions, or other specialist stakeholders will be an advantage.

Applications must be submitted by email to recrutamentos@ics.ulisboa.pt with the reference “Research Scholarship Call No. 10/2026”. The application package must include the personal data form and consent declaration, up-to-date CV, motivation letter, proof of academic degree(s), and, where relevant, documents proving degree recognition/equivalence in Portugal. The deadline is 11 August 2026 at 23:59 Lisbon time.

The position is based at the Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Lisbon in Lisbon, Portugal.