Research Assistant at Department for Political Science (35h/month) - Köln

The Chair of Empirical Democratic Theory (Jun.-Prof. Dr. Chitralekha Basu) is looking for a

Research Assistant

The working hours are 35 hours per month (8 hours per week) for 12 months, to start at the

earliest possible date.

The research assistant will support a project on political representation and candidate

selection processes in the UK and Germany. One main task will be to complete a new database

on the social characteristics of electoral candidates in these countries.

Tasks:

• Collect, preprocess and manage political science data

• Perform basic statistical analyses

• Assist with literature surveys

Prerequisites:

• MA student in social/political science or a closely related field

• Motivation, commitment, and ability to work independently

• Basic statistical training and experience with Excel

• Experience with data management in R

• Excellent oral and written English skills

• Excellent grades

Benefits:

• Pay according to standards of the UoC for research assistants: €16,20 per hour for

students with a BA degree (€16,90 per hour from 1 April 2027)

• Chance to gain first-hand experience in current research projects

• Opportunity to improve data management and statistical skills

Application:

Please submit your application in English (letter of motivation, CV, grade transcript, and

possibly additional evidence of qualifications) as a single PDF file to basu@wiso.uni-koeln.de.

The application deadline is 15 September 2026.

Interviews will be scheduled in late September.