"Postdoctoral Research Fellow"

The Center for Political Studies (CPS) in the Institute for Social Research (ISR) at the University of Michigan invites applications for a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in American politics. This full-time position has no teaching or service obligations. In addition to carrying out their own research agenda, the Fellow will be expected to conduct research on executive politics, and be actively engaged in the intellectual life of the Center.

Research interests in American political institutions, especially the presidency and bureaucracy, are preferred but not required. We invite applicants with complementary research interests, including (but not limited to): public opinion, judicial politics, state and local politics, mass media, representation, and elections.

Responsibilities:

• Curate and build their own research portfolio with collaborators, technical staff, and other Center, Institute and University resources;
• Working on research at the direction of the project PI;
• Managing and working with research assistants;
• Grant development and writing, as needed.

Required Qualifications:

• A Ph.D. by September 1, 2026 in a related area (e.g., political science, economics, public policy, etc.)
• Demonstrated interest in one or more of the following: American politics, political institutions, the American presidency, or bureaucratic politics.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Strong project management skills with exceptional attention to detail;
• Strong time management skills with a proven ability to multitask and work successfully with little supervision;
• Mastery of one or more programming languages commonly used for computational social science (e.g., R or Python);
• Ability to work with and analyze administrative data.

This is a one-year position with potential for renewal based on available funding and performance.

Applicants must submit a research statement, curriculum vitae, writing sample, and two letters of recommendation. The review process will begin February 16, 2026 and continue until the position is filled.

Interested applicants may direct inquiries to the project PI, Associate Professor Kenneth Lowande, lowande@umich.edu.

Please apply here: apply.interfolio.com/178829. IMPORTANT: All applications for this Post-doctoral Research Fellow opportunity must be submitted through Interfolio and not initially through the UM job portal. This is important since additional documents (CV, Research Statement, Letters of Recommendation and Writing Sample) are required for a complete application to be submitted. Individuals who do not apply through Interfolio will not be considered for the position.