Assistant Researcher for the Election Research Program

Gothenburg University meets societal challenges with diverse knowledge. With 56,000 students and 6,600 employees, the university is a large and inspiring workplace. Strong research and attractive education attract researchers and students from around the world. With new knowledge and new perspectives, Gothenburg University contributes to a better future.

The Department of Political Science is an international academic environment that welcomes students, researchers, and staff from all over the world. Our research covers topics such as political institutions, elections, public opinion and democracy, international and European politics, environmental politics, corruption, and political ideas. We annually organize a large number of research seminars and workshops within the department's various research areas. We offer education at all levels in both Swedish and English. Approximately 1,400 people study with us, and we have about 170 employees.

More information about the department can be found on our website www.pol.gu.se (http://www.pol.gu.se).

Since the early 1950s, the Swedish Election Research Program has been dedicated to empirical studies of opinion formation, elections, and voter behavior, as well as the state and development of Swedish representative democracy. We track and follow trends in Swedish electoral democracy and make comparisons with developments in other countries. Since 2011, the Election Research Program has been led by Professor Henrik Ekengren Oscarsson. Read more about the Swedish Election Research Program.

The Department of Political Science is now seeking an assistant researcher for the Election Research Program. The position is a full-time temporary position for 18 months.

Job Responsibilities

The main task is to provide qualified research support to researchers working on the research project "The Movement of Men to the Right - Explanations for Changing Political Gender Differences 1956–2022," and, if necessary, assist several other research networks and ongoing projects located at the Election Research Program, Department of Political Science.

The tasks mainly consist of processing and analyzing registry and survey data from the Swedish Election Surveys 1956–2022. The tasks also include participating in the continuous database maintenance of the Election Research Program, planning and designing the Election Survey 2026, compiling and communicating research results, co-authoring applications, conducting literature reviews, and supporting the Election Research Program's national and international research networks.

Other tasks that may be included are assisting with coding and documentation, booking rooms and travel, organizing conferences and social events, and editing work reports, chapters, and articles, etc.

Qualifications

You should have a bachelor's degree in political science and have a particularly good knowledge of Swedish domestic politics as well as a strong interest in political behavior in general and voter behavior in particular. Merit in the form of theses, articles, reports, and conference papers is of great value.

The tasks require extensive experience in conducting advanced analyses of survey data from both cross-sectional studies and panel studies. A prerequisite is very good knowledge of statistical analysis methods, as well as the use of statistical packages such as Stata and R. Extensive user experience of the Microsoft Office package, especially Excel and advanced programming in Excel, is a requirement. A significant advantage is documented experience with software such as Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, and Affinity Designer. Merit in the form of syntax, code, or other programming is of great value.

The work requires a high degree of independence, initiative, and strong planning and organizational skills. To succeed in the position, you need to have an eye for detail, great flexibility, and the ability to adapt to changing priorities in the work. You need to be a problem solver and demonstrate excellent collaboration skills, appreciating working with ambitious colleagues. Since the position includes a lot of communication tasks, you must be able to convey information in words and images in a professional and easily understandable way. Very good knowledge of Swedish and English, both spoken and written, is a requirement. The working language at the Election Research Program is Swedish, as most of the survey work involves Swedish citizen surveys.

Great emphasis will be placed on suitability for the position. We will make a comprehensive assessment, and the applicant who is deemed best qualified to carry out and develop the tasks described above will be offered the position.

Employment

Temporary employment for 18 months with a full-time (100%) position at the Department of Political Science. Start date as soon as possible or July 1.

Contact Information for the Position

Inquiries about the position or more information about the projects within which this research takes place can be directed to Henrik Ekengren Oscarsson, henrik.oscarsson@pol.gu.se (mailto:henrik.oscarsson@pol.gu.se) or Lena Wängnerud, lena.wangnerud@pol.gu.se (mailto:lena.wangnerud@pol.gu.se).

Questions about the employment process can be directed to Helena Jensen, helena.jensen@gu.se (mailto:helena.jensen@gu.se).

Applications must be received by: 2025-04-16

The university actively works for a work environment with equal conditions and values the qualities that diversity brings to the organization.

The university applies individual salary setting.

According to the regulations of the National Archives, the university is obliged to store application documents for two years after the appointment decision. If you, as an applicant for a position, specifically request the return of your documents, they will be sent back after the two years have passed; otherwise, they will be disposed of.

To staffing and recruitment companies and to you as a seller: Gothenburg University engages contracted advertising agencies in connection with the recruitment of staff. We kindly but firmly request no direct contact with staffing and recruitment companies or sellers of job advertisements.