Job opportunity: Postdoc position in Geography (ULB)
Université Libre de Bruxelles (Faculty of Sciences)
Application deadline: 30/04/2026
Start date: 01/09/2026
Job Description
The CLOSER project studies the interaction between the political party system and social cleavages in the post-Ottoman Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. It focuses on present-day Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Turkey, and Tunisia, covering a period from 1908 to the present day. Bringing together political scientists, geographers, and historians, as well as experts from other disciplines, CLOSER questions the relevance and extension of the Lipset-Rokkan theory on social cleavages and the origins of political parties in Western Europe (and its updates) in a non- European context. Here, cleavages must be understood at the conceptual level (social cleavages – identity – party system) and not in their specific configurations as found in Western Europe.
In this context, the geography team at the Université Libre de Bruxelles aims to identify and understand contemporary divisions in the societies under study. The Closer project favours a quantitative approach inspired by electoral geography (and sociology), as well as a comparative approach.
The position is a two-year postdoctoral fellowship starting in September 2026. The postdoctoral fellow's main task will be to collect electoral and socioeconomic data at various territorial levels for the following countries, going back to at least 2011: Turkey, Kuwait, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, and Tunisia.
In addition to data collection, the work will focus on a comparative analysis of the relationships between the socio-economic characteristics of the territories and electoral data, in order to advance understanding of the social divisions relevant to the analysis of electoral behavior.
The work will include one or more missions in the country or countries concerned.
Required title
A PhD in geography or any other PhD in a field relevant to the research.
Skills required
- Experience in collecting and formatting territorial data
- Experience in statistical analysis of territorial data
- Fluency in English, French, and Arabic
For more information, please contact Gilles Van Hamme ([email protected])
Application files should include the following:
Start date: 01/09/2026
Job Description
The CLOSER project studies the interaction between the political party system and social cleavages in the post-Ottoman Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. It focuses on present-day Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Turkey, and Tunisia, covering a period from 1908 to the present day. Bringing together political scientists, geographers, and historians, as well as experts from other disciplines, CLOSER questions the relevance and extension of the Lipset-Rokkan theory on social cleavages and the origins of political parties in Western Europe (and its updates) in a non- European context. Here, cleavages must be understood at the conceptual level (social cleavages – identity – party system) and not in their specific configurations as found in Western Europe.
In this context, the geography team at the Université Libre de Bruxelles aims to identify and understand contemporary divisions in the societies under study. The Closer project favours a quantitative approach inspired by electoral geography (and sociology), as well as a comparative approach.
The position is a two-year postdoctoral fellowship starting in September 2026. The postdoctoral fellow's main task will be to collect electoral and socioeconomic data at various territorial levels for the following countries, going back to at least 2011: Turkey, Kuwait, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, and Tunisia.
In addition to data collection, the work will focus on a comparative analysis of the relationships between the socio-economic characteristics of the territories and electoral data, in order to advance understanding of the social divisions relevant to the analysis of electoral behavior.
The work will include one or more missions in the country or countries concerned.
Required title
A PhD in geography or any other PhD in a field relevant to the research.
Skills required
- Experience in collecting and formatting territorial data
- Experience in statistical analysis of territorial data
- Fluency in English, French, and Arabic
For more information, please contact Gilles Van Hamme ([email protected])
Application files should include the following:
- a motivation letter;
- a Curriculum vitae including a list of publications if applicable (a template can be downloaded at https://www.ulb.be/fr/organigramme/fill-in-your-cv-on-line);
- a page explaining the method that will be used to meet the objectives set out in this call.
These documents may be written in French or English.
By sending in their application, applicants acknowledge they have read and understood the additional information and regulations relevant to research staff, available at the following address http://www.ulb.ac.be/emploi/academique.html.
Equal opportunity policy
ULB's personnel management policy focuses on diversity and equal opportunities. We recruit
candidates based on their skills, regardless of their age, gender, sexual orientation, origin, nationality, beliefs, disability, etc.
Would you like to benefit from reasonable accommodations during the selection process due to a disability, disorder, or illness? Please do not hesitate to contact Marie Botty ([email protected]), our contact person in charge of diversity issues for teaching and research staff. Rest assured that this information will remain confidential.
More details on gender and diversity policies are available at https://www.ulb.be/fr/l-ulb-s-engage/diversites
You will find all the provisions relating to careers in the scientific community on our website at http://www.ulb.ac.be/emploi/academique.html
By sending in their application, applicants acknowledge they have read and understood the additional information and regulations relevant to research staff, available at the following address http://www.ulb.ac.be/emploi/academique.html.
Equal opportunity policy
ULB's personnel management policy focuses on diversity and equal opportunities. We recruit
candidates based on their skills, regardless of their age, gender, sexual orientation, origin, nationality, beliefs, disability, etc.
Would you like to benefit from reasonable accommodations during the selection process due to a disability, disorder, or illness? Please do not hesitate to contact Marie Botty ([email protected]), our contact person in charge of diversity issues for teaching and research staff. Rest assured that this information will remain confidential.
More details on gender and diversity policies are available at https://www.ulb.be/fr/l-ulb-s-engage/diversites
You will find all the provisions relating to careers in the scientific community on our website at http://www.ulb.ac.be/emploi/academique.html