(Part of the EU Horizon CATALYSE Project funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research, and Innovation)
The Department of Political Science at the University of Zurich invites applications for a Postdoc position in the research group of Lucas Leemann (https://lucasleemann.ch/research/). We offer excellent research support in a vibrant research community and are committed to advancing young scholars’ careers. The department aims to increase the diversity of its members and thus explicitly invites applications from women and other traditionally underrepresented groups.
The Project
The post-doctoral researcher will work within the CATALYSE Horizon project (https://catalysehorizon.eu/). CATALYSE seeks to provide new knowledge, data, and tools to close the knowledge-to-action gap to accelerate climate change action and protect public health in Europe. The project provides a fascinating interdisciplinary environment consisting of physicians, meteorologists, data scientists, engineers, and political scientists.
The future post holder’s responsibility is to work on various challenges in statistical modeling that arise in two specific sub-projects within work package 3 (social-media based public health surveillance tool & early warning system to manage allergic rhinitis symptoms). The main challenge is to work with various data sources that exhibit (severe) self-selection and are not well structured. The future post holder will work mostly on the development of the core prediction model and collaborate frequently with researchers from other institutions that work within the same work package: Slava Jankin (Data Science), Bernardo Sousa-Pinto (Public Health), and Joan Bousquet (Medicine).
Your profile
- A PhD in a social science discipline (e.g., political science, economics, sociology) or a related field with a clear connection to social sciences.
- A strong interest in academic research, ideally proven through internationally visible publications, third-party funding, or related research activities.
- Dedication, ability to work in a team, and ability to work independently.
- Strong command of English.
- Essential skills:
- Strong methodological skills and willingness to keep learning how to use new tools.
- Experience with machine learning and/or data engineering.
- Desired skills:
- Experience with small-area estimation or non-representative data (e.g., using MRP models).
- Experience with geo-spatial data.
- Experience in dealing with missing data and strategies to overcome this
problem.
- Integration in a leading department of political science with highly motivated and engaged members.
- Possibility to co-author within the project and beyond.
- Possibility to independently develop a research agenda.
- Financial and academic support from the research group and department.
- The appointment is for three years.
- Salary is according to cantonal guidelines and approximately 73’300 CHF per year (gross salary, 0.72 FTE).
- There is a possibility to teach classes in the department which are paid additionally depending on post holder’s expertise and departmental teaching needs.
Place of work: Zurich
Start of employment: September 1, 2024 (or by arrangement)
Closing date for applications: April 5, 2024
Further information
Further inquiries can be directed to Lucas Leemann (leemann@ipz.uzh.ch).
Please apply through our application page (https://www.ipz.uzh.ch/de/ueber-uns/offene-stellen/2024-
Postdoc-Leemann.html) where you can upload your letter of interest, a current CV, a writing sample (i.e., job market paper), and the contact details of two people willing to serve as a reference.