Research project “Youth goals in Earth politics”

Full Time 3-Year Post-doc researcher grant in the framework of the research project “Youth goals in Earth politics” (FRS-FNRS funding)

Application deadline: 31-03-2021
Category: Post-doc researcher grant

L’Université Saint-Louis – Bruxelles (USL-B) opens a post-doc researcher grant of three years in the framework of the PDR FRS-FNRS research project “Youth goals in Earth politics”

Position and eligibility

The position will open on the 1st of June 2021. It is a full-time three-year research grant. Amandine Orsini, promoter of the “Youth goals in Earth politics” project will supervise the post-doc.

Candidates must have been granted, at the time of recruitment, a PhD in Political Sciences, obtained less than 6 years ago (with one-year extension for each maternity period or adoption). They will have to be in a situation of “international research mobility” and will, therefore, receive a tax-exempt grant, that gives access to social security rights. To be in a situation of “international research mobility”, the candidate will not have resided or exercised his/her main activity (job, studies) in Belgium for more than 24 months during the last 3 years that immediately precede the start of the post-doc researcher grant.

The “Youth goals in Earth politics” project and perspectives at USL-B

The FRS-FNRS project “Youth goals in Earth politics” is an innovative project of 4 years, from January 2021 to December 2024. It aims precisely at exploring beyond the limits of today’s research by uncovering, assessing and explaining the conditions under which youth become actors in their own rights and change the political game. To do so, the project revolves around three research questions: (i) How is youth represented in global environmental politics? (ii) What are the priorities of youth actors and their potential for change? (iii) Under which conditions do they turn these priorities into influence on the political game? The project will develop a comparative and empirically grounded perspective backed by innovative mixed methods, producing among others a comprehensive database of all youth actors in three global environmental politics priority domains (climate change, biodiversity and overarching architecture) and detailed case studies of their actions. By taking youth actors and their complexity and diversity as salient analysers of global crises, the project will lead to a revision of our understanding of the potential for change lying in the young generation.

The project unfolds in three steps: (i) an inventory of youth participation in the international negotiations on climate change (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), biodiversity (Convention on biological diversity), and overarching architecture (High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development) since 1992, and assessment of their autonomy (analysis of resources and network analysis); (ii) the analysis of the discourses of about 20 youth actors involved in these processes (lexicometry, interviews) ; (iii) an analysis of the influence of these actors on negotiation processes (participatory observations during the conferences of parties to the corresponding negotiations: COP28 climate; COP16 biodiversity; HLPFSD12).

The USL-B offers a stable, internationalized, research environment, recognising the importance of a good work/life balance, and is located at the heart of Brussels. The project includes a section specifically dedicated to the training of the post-doc, as well as numerous financial resources for computer facilities, software, publication costs, research stays, etc.

What the post-doc research will be about

Thanks to her/his competences and the available resources, the recruited person will:

produce a synthesis of the available scientific literature and documentation on youth as political actors and on international environmental politics;
actively participate in each of the three research steps of the project: for the construction of the database, resources’ analysis, network analysis, discourse analysis and participatory observation.
work closely together with the promotor of the project while interacting with a team of senior and junior researchers;
actively participate in and organize team meetings, seminars and workshops in the framework of the research project;
disseminate the results of the project through, among others, journal articles, communications, conferences, press/blog articles, public interventions, etc.

Profile of the candidate

Candidates for this application will demonstrate an interest and specific competences for the research steps and the topic of the project “Youth goals in Earth politics”. Candidates will also demonstrate a sensibility to interdisciplinarity and experience in integrating their research in a collective dynamic, the promotor being as attentive to the scientific quality of the project as to its human dimension, that implies a regular presence at USL-B.

Candidates will also:

have a strong scientific background, with competences in research in an international environment;
show competences to work within a team;
have experience in organizing seminars and conferences;
have experience in the research methods used for the project, i.e. social network analysis and/or discourse analyse and/or participatory observations at international meetings.
be highly proficient in spoken and written English (knowing French is an asset).

How to apply?

Applications, either in English or in French, have to be sent by email to Amandine Orsini (amandine.orsini@usaintlouis.be).

Preselected candidates will be invited for a job interview in April.

Applications will contain, in one unique file and in this order:

a cover letter detailing how the candidate meets the job description requirements, in maximum 2 pages;
one curriculum vitae (CV);
a list of publications, if not already included in the CV. The candidate will also enclose her/his publications (maximum 3) that he/she considers the most important;
the PhD thesis manuscript, with, if relevant, the PhD defence report;
the name and contact details of two academic referees to be contacted for further information on the candidate.