Doctoral scholarship holder lobbying and EU public policy

Role Overview
The Department of Political Science in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Antwerp is looking for a full-time (100%) doctoral scholarship holder in the field of lobbying and EU public policy. The University of Antwerp is a dynamic, forward-thinking, European university offering innovative academic education to more than 20,000 students and conducting pioneering scientific research.

Responsibilities
- Work actively on the preparation and defence of a PhD thesis in the field of Political Science, focusing on interest group mobilization across the EU policy cycle.
- Study how interest groups strategise, gain access, and exert influence across different stages of the EU policy process under the supervision of dr. Frederik Stevens, Prof. Peter Bursens, and Prof. Dirk De Bièvre.
- Gradually develop independence in designing and executing research while benefiting from close supervision, structured feedback, and integration in ongoing research activities.
- Publish scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals.
- Carry out a limited number of teaching and research support tasks for the Department of Political Science.
- Prepare and submit an FWO PhD fellowship application within the first year of the appointment, in close collaboration with the supervisory team.

Requirements and Qualifications
Essential requirements:
- Hold a Master degree in Political Science, European Studies or Public Policy or a closely related field, or obtain it by the time work starts.
- Demonstrate excellent academic performance during studies.
- Have a strong interest in lobbying, EU politics and public policy research.
- Have an excellent command of English (written and spoken).
- Have teaching competences in line with the University of Antwerp’s educational vision.
- Have research qualities in line with the faculty and university research policies.
- Be willing to develop skills in quantitative data analysis tools such as Stata or R.

Strong assets:
- Familiarity with lobbying and/or EU institutions and public policy processes.
- Experience with quantitative methods, qualitative methods, or both.
- Comfort with (or high potential for) mixed-methods research.

What They 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.
- Monthly scholarship amount calculated according to the scholarship amounts for doctoral scholarship holders.
- Ecocheques, internet-connectivity allowance, and a bicycle allowance or a full reimbursement of public transport costs for commuting.
- Access to a wide and varied range of courses and an educational credit through the Antwerp Doctoral School.
- Work at City Campus in a dynamic and stimulating working environment, integrated into the Politics & Public Governance and International Politics research groups.
- Planned start date: November 1st, 2026.