The Research Associate will be employed at the Department of Sociology and be part of the team responsible for the organization and implementation of several large-scale data collection projects, such as the European Social Survey (ESS) and the CRONOS panel.
Responsibilities
The ESS is a biennial, academically-driven social survey designed to chart and explain the attitudes, beliefs and behavior of European citizens. The ESS creates an international database about social and political attitudes, covering topics such as immigration, well-being, citizen involvement, justice, and climate change. To date, more than 500.000 citizens in 40 countries have taken part in the ESS, leading to a unique cross-national time series spanning eleven rounds (2002-2024). The main survey of the ESS is conducted mixing face-to-face and self-completion modes. During the ESS main survey, respondents of an online panel -CRONOS (CROss-National Online Survey panel) – are recruited.
Since the start of ESS, our research group has been responsible for organizing and implementing data collection in Flanders/Belgium. We are looking for a researcher to work on the implementation of the data collection of both the main ESS survey and the CRONOS panel.
The successful candidate is expected to work on a variety of tasks, mainly related to the practical organization of the various data collections. This involves:
- Questionnaire design: coordinating the translation of question modules and entering the questionnaires in the software tool
- Managing the panel database with CRONOS respondents
- Organizing the sending out of invitations and reminders to panelists
- Supervising the data entry of questionnaires of offline panelists
- Data checks and quality control
- Communication with the ESS Francophone team in Belgium and the ESS headquarters in London
- Assisting in preparing technical reports
The position also offers opportunities to contribute to the research agenda of the team. This research focus can be methodological (e.g., studying attrition or measurement errors) or substantive (e.g. comparative attitude research)
These tasks will be carried out in close collaboration with the other members of the Belgian ESS team (supervised by prof. Bart Meuleman and dr. Dimitri Gugushvili).
Profile
- a master’s degree in social sciences, sociology, political science, statistics or survey methodology. Candidates with a doctoral degree are welcome to apply as well.
- a strong interest in the methodology of collecting and analysing survey data; prior experience with survey data collection is not required but considered as an asset
- good command over at least one statistical software package (e.g. SPSS, SAS, STATA, R, etc.)
- fluency in Dutch is an absolute requirement in order to be able to organize the translations of the questionnaires. A good command of English is required as well (for communication within the team and with the international partners)
- excellent communicative and organizational skills
- a talent for combining personal initiative and team spirit
- interest in the research agenda of the team (research on public opinion regarding diversity, social welfare and climate policies; research on survey methodology) is considered as an asset
Offer
- a fulltime position initially for 1 year. An extension is possible after positive evaluation
- a competitive salary
- the opportunity to participate in an extensive international network and to contribute to one of Europe’s leading research infrastructures in the social sciences
- possibilities for further professional development (e.g. through additional courses, participation in workshops and seminars)
- a stimulating and demanding research environment
Interested?
For more information please contact dr. Dimitri Gugushvili: dimitri.gugushvili@kuleuven.be
You can apply for this job no later than April 01, 2025 via the online application tool
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