Junior Researcher in Educational Inequality

The School of Governance, Law and Society at Tallinn University invites applications for a Junior Researcher (PhD candidate) position in the ERC Starting Grant project EDUMERIT, led by Professor Triin Lauri (PI).

RESEARCH FOCUS 

Educational inequality, school choice policies, and their impact on fairness perceptions, social mobility, and the legitimacy of the welfare state. The EDUMERIT project examines the links between school choice and political choice, focusing on how the implementation of school choice policies shapes parents’ perceptions of fairness and meritocracy, and how these, in turn, influence political attitudes. We encourage you to get in touch as early as possible to discuss the fit of your research direction with the EDUMERIT project. The PhD proposal should be developed independently by the candidate, while taking into account the project framework and feedback from the supervisors. 

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Develop an independent PhD research project within the EDUMERIT framework;
• Conduct quantitative and experimental research;
• Work with survey and/or register data;
• Contribute to data collection, survey implementation, and data preparation;
• Collaborate closely with the international research team;
• Co-author scientific publications and present results at international conferences;
• You will have the opportunity to gain teaching experience (assisting in courses or supervising theses). 

WHAT WE OFFER

• Work in a high-level international ERC-funded research project;
• Opportunity to contribute to an ambitious and policy-relevant research agenda;
• Opportunity to develop and conduct quantitative, experimental, and register-based analyses;
• Close collaboration within an international research network;
• Support for publishing and academic career development.

WE ARE LOOKING FOR CANDIDATES WITH

A Master’s degree in social sciences (e.g. political science, economics, sociology);
A strong quantitative background and experience with data analysis software (e.g. R, Stata);
Interest in experimental and causal methods;
Motivation to conduct research at an international level;
Excellent command of English.

ADDITIONAL ASSETS

• Experience with survey or experimental design;
• Interest in education and welfare policy;
• Experience with large-scale or register data;
• Estonian language skills.