ESSEC is offering a Postdoctoral Position
Main field: democratic resilience / influence, interference and intimidation
ESSEC Business School is one of Europe’s leading business schools with campuses in Greater Paris, Singapore, and Morocco. The school has many strategic academic partnerships with leading institutions worldwide. The school holds the HR Excellence in Research award. As part of our ongoing HRS4R (Human Resources Strategy for Researchers) commitment, ESSEC implements a recruitment policy aligned with the principles of OTM-R (Open, Transparent, and Merit-Based Recruitment).
1. Position Description
- Job Title: Postdoctoral Researcher (Postdoc)
- European Research Profile: R2 (Recognised Researcher)
- Research Project: Resilience to Strategies of Influence, Interference & Intimidation
- Principal Investigator: Aurélien Colson, Associate Professor of Political Science
- Research Unit / Laboratory: CERESSEC / Department of Law, Political Science & Society / ESSEC Center for Geopolitics, Defense & Leadership
- Location: Cergy, France
- Contract Type: Fixed-term contract (CDD)
- Duration: 24 months
- Target Start Date: September 2026
2. Project Background
The postdoctoral researcher will join the research project R-S3i (Resilience to Strategies of Influence, Interference & Intimidation), which aims to strengthen the resilience of European democratic societies by developing an integrated scientific understanding of influence, interference, and intimidation strategies. The project combines political science, international relations, social psychology, economics, and information studies in order to bridge macro-level analysis of geopolitical strategy with micro-level mechanisms of perception, persuasion, polarisation, and belief formation.
The project is structured around three substantive work packages:
- WP1: Electoral interference and democratic processes;
- WP2: Perceptions of the war in Ukraine, media ecosystems, and opinion formation;
- WP3: Social networks, algorithms, and digital vectors of influence.
The successful candidate will contribute to a comparative and interdisciplinary research programme with strong academic and policy relevance, and will help produce peer-reviewed publications, policy briefs, and research outputs addressed to both scholarly and policy-making audiences.
3. Your Responsibilities
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:
- contributing to the analytical and conceptual structuring of the project across WP1, WP2, and WP3;
- conducting qualitative and comparative research on electoral interference, public opinion, and democratic resilience;
- supporting the collection, organisation, coding, and analysis of empirical material, including survey-based and experimental data;
- contributing to the exploitation of large-scale datasets and secondary survey material;
- together with the PI, helping ensure coherence across work packages, research outputs, and project timelines;
- writing and publishing scientific papers in peer-reviewed international journals;
- presenting research findings at national and international conferences;
- contributing to policy-oriented outputs, research seminars, and dissemination activities.
4. Requirements
We are seeking an excellent early-career scholar with a strong research orientation, intellectual curiosity, and a demonstrated capacity to work across disciplinary boundaries.
Essential Criteria:
- PhD in Political Science or closely related field. PhD in Social Psychology, Management, or Economics may also be considered, provided the candidate demonstrates a strong and proven interest in the political substance of the project.
- Robust mixed-method research skills, combining qualitative capacities with strong ability to work with survey-based, experimental, or other quantitative data.
- Proven ability to build analytical frameworks, conduct comparative empirical research, and contribute to collaborative publications.
- Professional proficiency in English, both written and spoken.
Desirable Criteria:
- Research experience on one or more of the following: electoral interference, disinformation, digital politics, public opinion, democratic resilience, European politics, hybrid threats, or media ecosystems.
- Familiarity with large-scale survey datasets, survey experiments, or information-treatment designs.
- Experience in interdisciplinary and/or international research environments.
- Strong teamwork capabilities, autonomy, and project coordination skills.
- Knowledge of French would be an asset.
5. Working Conditions & Environment: Why Join Us?
- A research-supportive environment, part of a truly international business school with campuses in Europe, Asia, and Africa
- Working within a team of researchers with international reach
- Competitive financial package
- Budget for conference travel
- Subsidized catering, partial reimbursement of public transport
- Professional equipment available
- Standard social security benefits
- Professional development: support for learning French (if desired), access to the institution's training catalog, and career development support.
6. Eligibility criteria
Candidates can be from any nationality. Equal opportunity and diversity for all applicants. In accordance with the ESSEC hiring policy promoting diversity, this position is accessible to people with disabilities.
7. Application File
- A detailed Curriculum Vitae (including a list of publications).
- A cover letter highlighting how your profile matches the position requirements.
- A copy of the PhD diploma (or graduation certificate / defense notification).
- Contact information for three scientific referees (letters of recommendation are not required at this stage).
8. Selection Process
- Interested candidates should submit their application to Aisha Konde (recruitdps@essec.edu) referencing [Postdoc_R-S3i] in the subject line.
- Application Deadline: June 26, 2026, at 23:59 CET.
- Shortlisted candidates will be informed before July 6.
- Shortlisted candidates will be invited to give a presentation (onsite or online) followed by Q/A with the recruitment committee.
- Decision will be announced before the end of July.
- For inquiries, please contact: Prof. Aurélien Colson [colson@essec.edu].
