About the position
Democracies are meant to settle conflict through institutions rather than force, yet many still see riots, intimidation at elections, extremist mobilisation and criminal violence, and their own responses can wear down the rule of law and civil liberties. DIViNE, a doctoral network funded by the EU's Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, studies these tensions across five universities: Amsterdam, Essex, Milan, Carlos III in Madrid and Uppsala. Ten PhD students are being recruited in total, two of them at Uppsala.
The first Uppsala post looks at how reforms made during transitions to democracy, such as transitional justice, decentralisation, land reform, new constitutions and power sharing, change the incentives for violence and for reconciliation. It includes a research stay at the University of Essex and a placement at CIDOB, the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs.
The second post looks at why people in established democracies come to support or tolerate political violence, and how violent groups, both state and non-state, build legitimacy. It includes a research stay at the University of Milan and a placement at the Clingendael Institute in the Netherlands. In both posts you define your own project within the theme.
What you will do
- Develop and carry out your own doctoral project within the theme of the post, using methods such as cross-national data analysis, case studies, survey experiments or comparative research.
- Take part in the network's training modules, PhD colloquia and workshops, and complete your research stay and policy placement.
- Spend up to 20% of your time teaching or on department work.
Who can apply
- You must be admitted to the department's PhD programme, which judges whether you can complete it and how well you fit the call. The department's PhD programme page sets out the general and subject-specific entry requirements.
- EU mobility rule: you must not have lived or had your main activity (work or study) in Sweden for more than 12 months in the 36 months before you are recruited.
- A research plan that fits the theme of the post you apply for.
What is offered
- Two full-time, fully funded doctoral posts on Uppsala's doctoral salary scale, ending in December 2030.
- Start on 1 January 2027, or as agreed.
- Research stays and policy placements abroad within the network.
- The post may involve a security check before you are hired.
How to apply
- Apply through Uppsala University's recruitment system, linked below, quoting reference UFV-PA 2026/2962. Applications should preferably be in English.
- The completed application form for doctoral studies, a personal letter of one to two pages, a CV and certified transcripts.
- A project plan of three to five pages (excluding references) on the theme of the post. If you apply for both posts you may send two plans.
- Up to two reference letters, or up to two referees who can be contacted, and one to three writing samples.
- State whether you are applying for the post on institutional reform, the post on public support for political violence, or both.