JOB DESCRIPTION
Status: Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) – private law contract with Sciences Po
Discipline: Political Science
Profile: Political Institutions and Democratic Transformations
The Centre for Political Research at Sciences Po (CEVIPOF), in collaboration with the Department of Political Science at Sciences Po, is recruiting an Assistant Professor in Political Science to strengthen its research and teaching capacity in the field of political institutions and contemporary transformations of democracy.
Research
The successful candidate will develop their research programme within CEVIPOF (UMR 7048 CNRS/Sciences Po) and will be integrated into the "Political Institutions" research cluster. They must demonstrate a sustained scientific activity, evidenced by regular publications in peer-reviewed international journals. They will be encouraged to:
- Actively contribute to the center’s collective research projects
- Participate in international scientific networks
- Apply for national and international research funding
We are seeking candidates whose work focuses on political institutions examined through the lens of major contemporary challenges (ecological, health, digital, economic, or geopolitical) and the reconfigurations they induce within democracies. In this perspective, institutions are understood in a broad sense as evolving configurations of rules, norms, and procedures that structure the exercise of political authority, organise collective decision-making, and define the conditions of legitimacy for public action in contexts of accelerated transformation.
Particular attention will be given to research analysing how institutions adapt, transform, or are strained by these different dynamics. This scope includes both established institutions – such as parliaments, executives, electoral systems, administrations, and regulatory bodies – facing new constraints, and emerging or redefined institutional forms: digital and AI governance mechanisms, institutions for ecological transition and living systems, or regulatory instruments designed to address cross-cutting and often transnational challenges.
Candidates must be able to combine rigorous empirical analysis (qualitative and/or quantitative) with theoretical reflection on the conditions of stability, legitimacy, and capacity for action of democratic institutions.
Given CEVIPOF’s sustained collaborations with public authorities, media, and civil society organisations, applications from candidates wishing to contribute to the study of French politics and engage in these institutional partnerships and outreach activities will be particularly welcome.
Teaching
Annual obligations include teaching and academic service duties:
- The first three years: 88 hours per academic year
- 2 classes of 24 hours each
- 40 hours of others academic duties (e.g. selection and admission interviews; supervision of Master theses; end-of-studies jury)
- From the fourth year: 128 hours per academic year
- 3 classes of 24 hours each
- 56 hours of others academic duties.
Applicants will specify in their application at which level(s) and on which topics they intend to teach. The successful candidate is expected to teach at any of the three levels: BA, Master and PhD, and within programmes of a variety of Schools (e.g. Public Affairs, Media and Journalism, School of Research). At least one large-lecture course in either Comparative Politics or Introduction to Political Science must be delivered at one of Sciences Po’s regional campuses (in Dijon, Le Havre, Nancy, Menton, Poitiers or Reims) at BA level. Beyond their specific research fields, the Assistant Professor could also teach general BA’s and Master’s courses in Political Science.
The specific workload in teaching will be agreed with the Head of the Department of Political Science and the Director of CEVIPOF, in consultation with Sciences Po’s Learning and Teaching Directorate.
RECRUITMENT PROCESS
Assessment Criteria
Candidates should demonstrate:
- their ability to conduct high-quality, innovative research within the scope of the “Political Institutions” profile, as shown by their publication record and an original, credible research project for the 5 coming years;
- their ability to teach at different levels and to a variety of student audiences;
- their willingness to participate in joint activities within the CEVIPOF, the Department of Political Science and Sciences Po;
- their involvement in national and/or international scientific networks.
A proven active participation in national and/or international collaborative research projects will be an asset. The successful candidate will be expected to teach and publish in English and eventually, if possible, in French.
Application
The application (in English and/or French) must include the following documents:
- a cover letter (max. 2 pages);
- a detailed CV with the list of publications;
- one (1) to three (3) publication(s) or working paper(s);
- a research statement (3,000 words max.), briefly presenting the research project the candidate intends to carry on if recruited at Sciences Po and indicating how this project will fit into the "Political Institutions" focus and the larger scientific project of CEVIPOF;
- 2 course syllabi that could be taught at 1) the BA’s level and 2) the Master’s level. Candidates selected to be interviewed will be asked to develop a syllabus for a large-lecture course in either Comparative Politics or Introduction to Political Science.
- if available, student evaluations of courses already taught;
- photocopy of PhD diploma.
Applications should be submitted via email [email protected] before 18 September 2026. Position starting in September 2027.
The selection committee will examine all applications and proceed to a short list of a limited number of candidates. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to present their research project to the members of the Sciences Po faculty, at a “Job Talk” in Paris.
Sciences Po is an equal opportunity employer, and is committed to balanced gender, geographical, and minority representation. Applications from women and other under-represented groups are particularly encouraged.
REPORTING UNIT & CONTACTS
This Assistant Professor position will be based at the Centre for Political Research at Sciences Po (CEVIPOF), a joint research unit (UMR 7048) with the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). Founded in 1960, CEVIPOF is a multidisciplinary research center that studies political institutions, political behavior, and the ideas and theories that shape political life,
The chair of the selection committee: Kevin Arceneaux, [email protected]
For questions about the procedure, please contact Gessica Jean, [email protected]
