Research assistant, Department of Government

The Department of Government belongs to the Faculty of Social Sciences at Uppsala University and comprises approximately 100 employees, including faculty, researchers, doctoral students, and administrative staff. The department’s activities primarily consist of undergraduate and graduate teaching, as well as doctoral education. In addition, extensive research is conducted at both national and international levels.

Duties
The position is based within the research environment on sexual corruption (PI: Elin Bjarnegård, funded by the Swedish Research Council) and the research project Gender as Tactic in Autocratic Politics (PI: Pär Zetterberg, funded by the Swedish Research Council). The Sexual Corruption research environment contributes knowledge on how sexual corruption—abuse of power for personal gain in the form of sex—can best be conceptualized, measured, and prevented. The project Gender as Tactic in Autocratic Politics examines how authoritarian regimes strategically deploy gender equality.

Primary responsibilities include assistance with literature reviews; collection, coding, processing, and analysis of data; and external communication within the scope of the two research projects. A significant portion of the work involves independently seeking out relevant information, alongside analyzing and coding pre-existing data in close collaboration with other project members. The position also includes collaboration with Transparency International and the preparation of materials for, and participation in, policy processes related to sexual corruption and gender and corruption, especially those linked to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).

Requirements
A Master’s degree in Political Science or an equivalent field is required. The position demands accuracy, independence, strong analytical skills, and excellent command of English. It is further required that the applicant has experience in conducting and documenting data collection, as well as analyzing data, within the research areas of the projects—sexual corruption, gender and corruption, and gender and politics.

Additional qualifications
Particularly valuable qualifications include documented knowledge and experience of international policy work on gender and corruption/politics, including collaboration with Transparency International and engagement in UN processes, especially those related to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).

Application Procedure
Applications must be submitted through Uppsala University's recruitment system and include:

• Cover letter (1 page)
• Curriculum Vitae
• Master’s thesis or another publication
• Names of two referees (contact details will only be requested at the final stage of the recruitment process).

About the employment
The position is a temporary full-time role (100% employment) until 31 December 2025, for a duration of 5 months. The expected start date is 1 August 2025, or as agreed. Placement: Uppsala.

For further information, please contact: Elin Bjarnegård, elin.bjarnegard@statsvet.uu.se

Please submit your application by 30 June 2025, UFV-PA 2025/2016.

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