PhD in social sciences within the CLOSER project

Successful candidate will be part of the ERC CLOSER team at the IIR and the Area Studies PhD programme at the IMS (Charles University). His/her supervisor will be a professor at IMS, responsible for administering the studies. In addition, the Principal Investigator of the CLOSER project will be their consultant at IIR, responsible for the content of their research.

During the first year in Prague, he/she will benefit from a specific interdisciplinary training, together with the postdocs and senior researchers from the three teams of the project (in addition to Charles University’s mandatory courses). During the second year, he/she is expected to do field research in the studied country, within an interdisciplinary team of researchers belonging to the project. During the third year in Prague, he/she will participate in a series of workshops to discuss their findings in relation to the project. During the fourth year, he/she may benefit from a stipend from Charles University (25,000 Czech crowns/month) if he/she opt for the status of “full student” (in which case, he/she will have to participate in the life of the university and to teach three seminars over the course of the four years).

Theme of the research projects

The candidate’s research project should focus on contemporary phenomena, including their historical and spatial dimensions, and fit one of the following themes:

1. Social mobilisations and politics (in Turkey, the former British mandate for Palestine, Lebanon, Kuwait, Egypt or Tunisia)
2. Political and constitutional liberalism (in Turkey, the former British mandate for Palestine, Lebanon, Kuwait, Egypt or Tunisia)
3. Linguistic minorities and politics (in Turkey, Egypt or the former British mandate for Palestine)

PhD position is to be filled at the Institute of International Relations Prague (IIR), within the CLOSER project, funded by a Synergy Grant of the European Research Council (ERC).

The Institute of International Relations Prague (IIR) is an independent public research institution that conducts excellent academic research in the larger field of international relations. It is established by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. The IIR's mission is to conduct internationally recognized, excellent basic and applied research in the field of international studies, contribute to the formation and conduct of Czech foreign policy, and increase awareness of international relations issues among both professionals and the general public. The institute is an active member of several international research networks. Located in the historical centre of Prague, its venue and library provide a stimulating environment for scholars and students of international relations.

Successful candidate will conduct his/her research within the project framework. He/she will prepare PhD degree in Area Studies and defend their dissertation at the Faculty of Social Sciences of Charles University, Institute of International Studies (IMS).

The CLOSER project investigates the interplay between the political party system and social cleavages in the post-Ottoman Middle East and North Africa (MENA). It covers today’s Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Turkey, and Tunisia, from 1908 to the present. Bringing together political scientists, geographers and historians, not to mention experts from other disciplines, CLOSER inquiries into the applicability and enlargement of the Lipset-Rokkan theory on the origins of political parties in Western Europe (and its updates) via a non-European setting, challenging both the automatic imposition of Western norms as well as the exclusiveness of national exceptionalisms. In practical terms, the team of political scientists will be based at the Institute of International Relations Prague (IIR), the team of geographers at the Free University of Brussels (ULB), and the team of historians at the Oriental Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences (OI CAS) in Prague. These will overlap with territorial research units across the three institutions. The project is divided into two three-year stages.

You can find an overview of the CLOSER project here: https://www.iir.cz/en/party-systems-and-social-cleavages-in-the-post-ottoman-space-of-the-mena-region-closer-1

What We Offer

• Gross salary: 55.000 Czech crowns/month
• Start Date: September 1, 2026
• Duration: 36 months of employment + possibility of a 12-month stipend for dissertation
• Location: Prague, Czech Republic

Application Deadline: March 31, 2026

Benefits

• Funds for field research for approximately one year.
• Acquirement of new skills (interviews, surveys, data management, maps creation, archival research).
• Research of a timely topic with a high level of social relevance under a prestigious ERC label. Intellectually stimulating, fully internationalised research environment (English as a working language in the research department communication).
• Good work/life balance (flexible working hours and partial home office).
• Motivational bonuses based on researcher’s publications.
• Six weeks of vacation per year.

For any questions or inquiries regarding the position, please contact steuer@iir.cz

The Institute of International Relations is a fair opportunity employer.

Conditions of eligibility

• Completed master’s degree in political science, international relations, area studies, political sociology, public law, or a related field before September 1, 2026.
• Fluency in English (both written and spoken).
• Ability to do fieldwork and read documents in at least one of the relevant languages (i.e., Arabic, Turkish, Hebrew - possibly Kurdish or Nubian for the third topic).
• Capacity to work in a team.

Role is fully on-site in Prague.