Postdoctoral Researcher - Geopolitics and Business

ESSEC Business School – Postdoctoral Researcher
Main field: Geopolitics and Business
Cergy Campus

ESSEC Business School is a leading higher education institution with an international reach, specialized in high-level management and business education. Our Institute for Geopolitics and Business opens a position for a Postdoctoral Researcher starting from September 2026, for a 24-month fixed-term contract.

Your responsibilities

This postdoctoral position offers the opportunity to join an ambitious and original transdisciplinary research project at the intersection of geopolitics and business.

The position is structured around a 40/40/20 allocation of time.

• 40% will be reserved for the Fellow’s own research agenda and publications; normally these align with or complement the project’s themes so as to create mutual intellectual synergies.
• 20% will be dedicated to contributing to the intellectual life of the Institute for Geopolitics & Business, notably through seminars, organisation of the annual research conference, and other collective research activities.
• The remaining 40% will be devoted to the research agenda outlined below, contributing directly to its implementation, with theoretical and empirical research leading to relevant publications in high-impact academic journals.

Led by Prof. Aurélien Colson (Political Science) and Prof. Radu Vranceanu (Economics), the project investigates how new geopolitical dynamics reshape management knowledge, business and public perceptions, and strategic alignments. It thus addresses crucial questions in the difficult new geopolitical context. The project also contributes to the development of Geopolitics & Business as a distinctive research cluster at ESSEC, through a transdisciplinary agenda at the intersection of political science / IR, management, and economics.

As a starting point, the project combines three components:

• a topical analysis of the geopolitics/business cluster in the management literature;
• a survey-based, information-treatment analysis on geopolitical framings in French society;
• a substantial extension of an ongoing working paper on the resilience of defense alliances, focusing on alliance formation, credibility, burden-sharing, and defection in a strategic framework.

The postdoctoral researcher will contribute centrally to the implementation of the project and to the production of high-level academic outputs. Main tasks will include:

• literature review and thematic coding;
• contribution to the design, implementation and analysis of experiments;
• contribution to the theoretical and empirical development of research on defense alliances;
• data collection, organization and documentation;
• co-drafting of conference papers, policy briefs and academic articles;
• participation in co-authored publications across the three components.

The successful candidate will be affiliated with the Law, Political Science & Society Department, with strong connections with the Economics Department. S/he will be based on the Cergy campus, with regular on-site presence. Mobility support will be provided to join for short stays, if need be, the ESSEC Campus in Singapore for the purpose of research.

Your profile

• We are seeking an excellent early-career scholar with a strong research orientation, intellectual curiosity, and a demonstrated capacity to work across disciplinary boundaries.
• Candidates should hold a PhD in one of the related fields (political science / IR, or economics), and show a clear interest in questions at the nexus of geopolitics and business.
• Candidates have a proven record of quantitative research, with strong competencies in data analysis (econometrics and statistics) or theoretical research (game theory).
• Strong writing skills in English are essential; a good command of French would be a significant asset.

Why join us?

• A research-supportive environment
• Budget for conference travel and eligibility for internal research funding calls
• Working within a team of researchers with international reach
• Competitive financial package
• Subsidized catering
• Partial reimbursement of public transport
• Professional equipment available
• Standard social security benefits

ESSEC is actively committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. Convinced that the richness of our community rests on the plurality of backgrounds and identities, we work every day to create a caring and inclusive environment for all. In accordance with the ESSEC Group’s recruitment policy promoting diversity, this position is open to people with disabilities. The data collected as part of your application will be kept for a period of 2 years by the ESSEC Group in accordance with legal provisions, unless you instruct otherwise. (job.essec.edu)

To apply

• Candidates should send their application letter and a CV including contacts of at least three academic referents to: berthault@essec.edu.
• The deadline is June 20, 2026. Shortlisted candidates will be informed before June 30.