Postdoctoral appointments in political science – AI and the welfare state

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The Department of Political, Historical, Religious and Cultural Studies at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences is now accepting applications for a postdoctoral appointment in political science. Due to the postdoctoral appointment’s nature as a career-development position for junior researchers, we are looking for candidates who have completed their PhD no more than three years before the application deadline. The purpose of the appointment is to conduct research that contributes to the emerging field concerning the democratic and political implications of AI, with a particular focus on the development of the welfare state. The research centres on vulnerabilities arising from the implementation of AI technologies and the dynamics between public and private actors in the governance of AI in the public sector.

The position is part of the research cluster The AI Welfare State, which aims to develop new knowledge about emerging AI-related vulnerabilities, including false information, dependence on foreign infrastructures and bias in automated decision-making, and how these vulnerabilities affect the governance and organisation of public welfare. The cluster brings together researchers from several universities in Sweden as well as international guest researchers. As a postdoctoral fellow, you will take part in a range of different activities within the framework of the research cluster. The research is interdisciplinary, allowing for multiple analytical perspectives.

The cluster is part of the national research programme The Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program – Humanity and Society (WASP-HS), funded by the Wallenberg Foundations. The vision of WASP-HS is to foster novel interdisciplinary knowledge in the humanities and social sciences about AI and autonomous systems and their impact on human and social development. WASP-HS enables cutting-edge research, expertise, and competence building in the humanities and social sciences. More information about WASP-HS: https://wasp-hs.org

As a postdoctoral fellow, you are primarily expected to independently formulate, conduct and publish research within the framework of the research cluster The AI Welfare State, as well as present your findings at national and international conferences. You are also expected to actively contribute to the research environment at Karlstad University by participating in seminars, worskhops and other activities with colleagues, as well as taking part in the joint work within the research cluster.

The position is also connected to the research group PPG (Research group on Power, Politics and Governing, https://sola.kau.se/ppg /), which includes participation in meetings and activities. There will be funds to cover costs of conferences and similar events. Duties may include teaching and administrative tasks of up to 20 per cent of working hours.

To contribute to a positive work environment and further the department’s activities, we expect you to be a present and active part of the day-to-day operations and workplace community.

To be eligible for the postdoctoral appointment, applicants are required to hold a PhD in political science, or another related subject, or have equivalent qualifications from abroad. The PhD must be completed before a decision to appoint an applicant is made. The candidate must have completed the degree no more than three years before the application deadline.

Qualifications obtained earlier may be considered if there are special grounds, such as sick leave, parental leave, clinical service, service as a union representative, military service or similar, or service/assignment of relevance to the appointment.

Applicants are assessed based on their academic qualifications and documented ability to successfully conduct high-quality research.

Special weight will be given to:

• Experience in conducting research on AI, algorithmic governance, automation, digitalisation and the implications for the public sector
• Experience applying analytical and methodological research approaches, such as discourse analysis, feminist studies, critical policy studies, or post-structuralist analyses of governance
• High level of proficiency in Swedish and English, both in speech and writing
• Excellent teamwork skills
• Strong ability to work independently and show initiative and flexibility

Weight will be given to:

• International work experience (employment, projects, etc.) and experience of national and/or international collaborations
• Experience in collaborating with the wider community and disseminating research findings and development work

Valuable qualifications

• Previous experience in interdisciplinary research
• Recognised or distinguished teaching skills
• Completed training in higher education pedagogy

Fixed-term full-time employment of 2 years, starting on 1 October 2026 or as agreed upon by both parties. An extension may be granted under special circumstances

Submit the application via the University’s web-based recruitment tool, Varbi. Applicants are responsible for submitting a complete application in accordance with the advertisement, for providing translations of any documents written in a language other than Swedish, Norwegian, Danish or English, and for ensuring that the documentation allows for objective and qualitative assessments. A complete application should be submitted by the application deadline. An incomplete application may jeopardise a fair assessment of qualifications.

The application should include:

• CV
• A personal statement describing your qualifications and your reasons for applying for this position (maximum 2 A4 pages)
• A research proposal describing the specific project you intend to carry out (maximum 5 A4 pages)
• List of publications (in multi-authored publications, the role of the applicant must be specified)
• Copy of PhD degree or information on when it is expected to be completed
• Copy of doctoral thesis and other relevant publications
• An account of language skills
• Two references, at least one of which is a current or former supervisor

Attach all the documents and publications you wish to be considered to the electronic application (do not just provide links). Name each uploaded document to clearly indicate its content.

Documents that cannot be submitted electronically, such as books or publications, should be sent to:

Karlstads universitet
HR-administratör
651 88 Karlstad

Application deadline: May 17, 2026                       

State the reference number: REK2025/248

We look forward to your application!

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