Post-doctorate on the ‘revolving doors’ of European and national political elites

Organisation/Company Université de Strasbourg Department Direction des ressources humaines Research Field Sociology Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Positions Postdoc Positions Application Deadline 9 Oct 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Paris) Country France Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Offer Starting Date 1 Dec 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Position identification

Title of post : Post-doctorate on the 'revolving doors' of European and national political elites

Type of contract : postdoctorate

Category (A,B or C) : A

Contract/project period : 24 months Expected date of employment : 1 December 2026

Proportion of work : 100%

Workplace : SAGE center (CNRS, University of Strasbourg)

Desired level of education : PhD in sociology or political science

Experience required : PhD (obtained less than 3 years ago)

Contact(s) for information on the position (identity, position, e-mail address, telephone) : Sébastien Michon, CNRS Research Professor, Project Leader smichon@unistra.fr

Date of publication : 11 September 2026

Closing date for the receipt of applications : 9 october 2026

Research project or operation

The contract forms part of the 'Infiltrates' project (Influence of Financial Elites: Trajectories, Socialisation, Values and Repercussions of Wealth in Germany, France and the UK), funded by the Volkswagen Foundation. Infiltrates brings together researchers from five partner teams: the Centre Marc Bloch, IRISSO at Paris Dauphine University, the SAGE laboratory at the University of Strasbourg, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg and the Business School at Queen Mary University of London. The project aims to study recruitment practices in the finance and strategic consultancy sectors, the values of these elites, and the influence they exert in maintaining a status quo characterised by growing wealth inequality. The project employs both qualitative and quantitative methods from a comparative perspective.

The research to be carried out by the successful candidate will form part of Work Package 5: 'Revolving doors between finance, consulting and government', which aims to examine the patterns of movement between different spheres of government on the one hand, and finance and consulting on the other.

Activities

• Description of the research activities :

The post is intended for the independent and collaborative conduct of research into the career paths of European and national political elites. The research will involve studying and analysing the subsequent careers of a group of individuals who have held high-profile positions at European Union level (European Commissioner) or at national level (member of a national government).

• Related activities :

Methodological considerations on the development of indicators designed to capture the flow of people between prominent political positions and the finance and consultancy sectors;

Data collection on professional and political career paths, and the creation of databases;

Data processing and analysis;

Drafting of summary notes and activity reports;

Writing of academic articles.

Skills

• Qualifications/knowledge :

PhD in sociology or political science

Expertise in the subject areas, issues and methods relevant to the project

Good knowledge of French and European politics

• Operational skills/expertise :

Proficiency in the use of quantitative methods (data collection, processing and analysis)

Very good command of French and English

Experience in compiling and analysing prosopographic databases would be an advantage

Ability to work independently

Good organisational, communication and teamwork skills

Environment and context of work

• Presentation of the laboratory/unity :

The successful candidate will be based at the SAGE Joint Research Unit (UMR) at the Inter-University Centre for Humanities and Social Sciences of Alsace in Strasbourg. SAGE is a joint r