Research assistant for the project “Political Change and Local Governance in Emerging Cities”

The Department of Government belongs to the Faculty of Social Sciences at Uppsala University and has about 100 teachers, researchers, doctoral students, and administrative staff. Its activities consist mainly of teaching at undergraduate and graduate levels and in postgraduate education. In addition, the department conducts extensive research at national and international levels.

Read more about the department's activities on our website: www.statsvet.uu.se.

Responsibilities

The work will be carried out within the VR-funded research project “Political Change and Local Governance in Emerging Cities.” The overarching aim of the project is to examine inclusive governance, political participation, and equitable development in small urban centers across the world, specifically on cities in Brazil, Ghana, and Tunisia. Specifically, it combines interviews, focus groups, and original household surveys to shed light on government responsiveness, political accountability and service delivery.

Working with researcher Jeffrey Paller, the assistant is expected to implement analysis plans to support various academic articles. The main tasks include data cleaning, data summary, visualization, and statistical modeling and inference. Other administrative tasks might be added.

Requirements

Current enrollment in or completion of a Master’s degree in Political Science or equivalent social science degree. The work requires demonstrated proficiency in programming in the statistical software R, specifically for data cleaning, visualization, modeling, and statistical inference. Accuracy, reliability, independence, good analytical skills, and a very good ability to understand and express oneself in English, are all prerequisites for the position.

Additional qualifications

• Previous experience providing data support to research projects
• Prior experience collaborating with international research teams
• Prior experience writing data summary reports for research teams
• Demonstrated ability to work independently in QGIS to create maps
• Previous research experience in the three contexts of study (Brazil, Ghana, Tunisia)
• Familiarity with the data landscape of the three contexts of study (what data is available, how to access it, etc.)
• Previous experience with the following collaboration tools: Microsoft Teams, SharePoint

Application  

The application should include the following:

• Cover letter (max 2 pages), in English: describe your motivation for applying, why you fit the posting, and your possible start date and time availability. In case you have a writing sample (e.g., thesis or empirical analysis) feel free to attach a copy.
• Curriculum Vitae, in English
• Transcript of grades (unofficial is sufficient)

 Deadline for application: September 25th, 2026.

About the employment

The employment is a part-time (50%) temporary position as a Research Assistant for 4 months. Start date: as soon as possible, on October 1st 2026 or as per mutual agreement.

For further information about the position, please contact Jeffrey Paller: jeffrey.paller@statvet.uu.se