Offer Description
CY Cergy Paris Université (CYU) is seeking a Research Officer to join the ERC-funded project POSTCOLCIT (Postcolonial Perspectives on Citizenship and Belonging in Former European Colonial Powers), hosted at CESDIP (Centre de Recherches Sociologiques sur le Droit et les Institutions Pénales), a leading research centre specialising in sociology of law, justice, citizenship and public institutions.
POSTCOLCIT is a five-year ERC Starting Grant (2026-2031) funded under Horizon Europe. The project investigates how former European colonial powers have transformed their nationality regimes since decolonisation and examines the consequences of these transformations for citizenship, rights and belonging among populations originating from former colonial empires.
The successful candidate will contribute to Work Package 1 (WP1), which is dedicated to the development of an original comparative database covering Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Portugal and the United Kingdom. The database will document legislative and regulatory changes in nationality law, legal mechanisms governing access to, loss of and recovery of nationality, and the evolution of rights associated with legal status.
Working closely with the Principal Investigator, the Research Officer will play a key role in the methodological design, implementation and coordination of WP1.
Key responsibilities include:
- Methodological and technical structuring of the database
- Designing the architecture of the comparative database in collaboration with the Principal Investigator;
- Defining the categories of information to be recorded (legal mechanisms, time periods, populations concerned and associated rights);
- Developing a common framework for data collection and description, including formats, levels of detail and harmonisation rules;
- Setting up tools for monitoring data collection and database development.
- Organisation and monitoring of Work Package 1
- Supporting the day-to-day coordination of WP1 in close collaboration with the Principal Investigator;
- Contributing to the supervision of research assistants involved in data collection.
- Data collection and processing
- Contributing directly to data collection for one or more countries covered by the project;
- Verifying, harmonising and consolidating collected data;
- Structuring legal information in a form suitable for comparative analysis.
- Scientific validation and international collaboration
- Participating in exchanges with project partners and country specialists from the different countries studied;
- Organising data review and validation phases;
- Integrating scientific feedback into the database.
- Scientific outputs
- Drafting the WP1 methodological note;
- Contributing to country reports;
- Participating in initial comparative analyses;
- Contributing, depending on profile and interests, to publications arising from the project.
The ideal candidate will have a background in law, political science or a related discipline, with strong comparative and analytical skills. Knowledge of nationality law, migration law, citizenship and migration studies will be particularly valued.
The position can be offered on a full-time or part-time basis (80-100% FTE) for a period of 10 to 12 months, depending on the selected candidate's profile and availability.
Salary will be determined according to the salary scales of CY Cergy Paris Université. As an indication, the gross monthly salary for a candidate who has recently completed their PhD and has no postdoctoral experience is approximately €2,620 for a full-time position.
Requirements
Research Field: Juridical sciences
Education Level: Master Degree or equivalent
Research Field: Political sciences
Education Level: Master Degree or equivalent
Research Field: Juridical sciences
Education Level: PhD or equivalent
Research Field: Political sciences
Education Level: PhD or equivalent
Skills and Qualifications
- Strong legal analysis skills (nationality law and/or migration law highly desirable)
- Ability to organise, analyse and structure complex legal materials
- Proficiency in English (working language of the project)
- Familiarity with data management tools (Excel, spreadsheets, simple databases, etc.)
Personal Qualities
- Ability to work independently and strong organisational skills
- High level of methodological rigour
- Attention to detail
- Ability to work effectively in an international research environment
Languages: ENGLISH
Level: Excellent
Additional Information
Benefits
- The opportunity to contribute to an ERC Starting Grant funded under Horizon Europe;
- Active involvement in the design of an original comparative database covering nationality laws across five former European colonial powers;
- Close collaboration with international experts in citizenship, nationality and migration studies;
- Opportunities to contribute to scientific publications and comparative analyses;
- Flexible working arrangements, including partial remote working;
- A stimulating position at the intersection of law, political science and comparative historical research.
Selection process
Applications must compulsorily include the following documents:
- CV
- Cover letter
- One or two letters of recommendation from an academic supervisor or research manager
- A sample of academic work or research output
Applications must be sent no later than 30 September to Émilien Fargues, PI of the POSTCOLCIT project: emilien.fargues@cyu.fr and CY Cergy Paris Université Human Resources Department: recrutement@cyu.fr
Additional comments
CY Cergy Paris Université is committed to equal opportunities and encourages applications from all qualified candidates regardless of gender, disability, ethnic origin, nationality, religion or sexual orientation.
For any information regarding the project and the expectations of the position, please contact Émilien Fargues.