Position
- You will work actively on the preparation and defence of a PhD thesis in the field of political sciences, working on a project on the link between political representation and political disinformation;
- You will conduct empirical research and publish scientific articles related to the research project;
- You will collaborate with other project members (PhDs, postdocs, principal and co-investigators);
- You will participate actively in internal seminars of the Department as well as international conferences and workshops;
- You will carry out a limited number of teaching and research support tasks for the Department of Political Science.
Project description
The two PhD positions are part of the DEMO-LIES project, “Deception in Democracy: Political Lying Accusations and Their Effects on Democratic Citizenship”, led by Prof. Dr. Maurits Meijers. Funded by a European Research Council Starting Grant, this five-year project (2025–2030) investigates how political elites use accusations of lying and disinformation, how citizens perceive such accusations, and what effects these dynamics have on democratic attitudes and behaviours.
DEMO-LIES addresses urgent questions about political communication and democratic integrity. It seeks to understand when and why political actors engage in disinformation accusations, how these accusations influence public perceptions, and what this means for democratic participation and trust. The project aims to generate insights that can strengthen democratic resilience in the face of manipulative political discourse.
The research employs a mixed-method approach. Elite discourse will be studied using advanced quantitative text analysis techniques, including natural language processing (NLP) and large language models (LLMs). To examine citizens' responses, the project will combine qualitative focus groups, cross-sectional surveys, and survey experiments. This integrated design allows for a comprehensive analysis of both top-down (elite-driven) and bottom-up (citizen) dynamics of political disinformation.
DEMO-LIES offers an intellectually rich and methodologically diverse environment. The project contributes to current debates on the role of truth in politics and will provide evidence-based insights for academics, policymakers, and civil society actors concerned with safeguarding democratic norms. An outline of the project can be found here.
Want to apply?
- You can apply for this vacancy through the University of Antwerp’s online job application platform up to and including 21 August 2025 (by midnight Brussels time, CET). Click on the 'Apply' button and complete the online application form. Be sure to include the following attachments:
- a motivation letter, outlining your previous experience and your interest in the position.
- a one-page “PhD proposal outline” presenting a concise overview of a potential PhD project (e.g. research question, relevance, theoretical expectations, first ideas for data collection and empirical analysis).
- your academic CV.
- your academic transcripts from your bachelor’s (undergraduate) and master’s (postgraduate) studies.
- contact details for two potential referees.
- a copy of your master’s thesis/dissertation.
- The selection committee reviews all applications as soon as possible after the application deadline. As soon as a decision is made, we will notify you. If you are still eligible after the pre-selection, you will be informed about the possible next step(s) in the selection procedure. Selection interviews are scheduled to take place online in the second week of September 2025.
- If you have any questions about the online application form, please check the frequently asked questions or send an email to jobs@uantwerpen.be. If you have any questions about the job itself, please contact Prof. Dr. Maurits Meijers, Research Professor of Political Science and Principal Investigator of DEMO-LIES, at maurits.meijers@uantwerpen.be.
