Join UC’s world-leading Centre for Deliberative Democracy (CDD) as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow contributing to an Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project. UC Level B, Salary Range $116,403 pa - $137,865 pa + 17% Super. Full Time, research-focused, 2-year fixed term, based in Canberra, Australia.

Job no: 504882
Work type: Academic
Location: Bruce
Categories: Research Only

University of Canberra’s vision is that “Together we work to empower, connect and share knowledge with our people, cultures and places.” UC is engrained in the local community and we aim to challenge the status quo through the pursuit of excellence in teaching, learning and research. The University of Canberra has been ranked in the top 7 universities in the world for reducing inequalities (THE Impact Rankings 2024).

About the role:

Join the world-leading Centre for Deliberative Democracy (CDD) as a Postdoctoral Fellow on a nationally significant research project exploring how major international conflicts shape public debate, social cohesion and democratic life in Australia.

We are seeking an outstanding Postdoctoral Fellow to join the CDD within the Faculty of Business, Government and Law. This research-focused position is funded through the Australian Research Council Discovery Project, Foreign Conflicts, Domestic Divides: Advancing a Deliberative Response, led by Professor Selen Ercan, Emeritus Distinguished Professor John Dryzek and Dr Jordan McSwiney, along with project partners across other Australian universities.

The project brings research on intractable conflicts into conversation with deliberative democratic theory and public sphere research. Empirically, it examines how the Isreal-Palestine and Russia-Ukraine conflicts spill over into the Australian public sphere,



focusing on the communicative dynamics through which these conflicts are reproduced, contested or transformed. Combining normative democratic theory with large-scale computational analysis and in-depth qualitative research, the project aims to develop a deliberative approach to understanding and responding to intractable conflicts.

Key Responsibilities

- Contribute to the development of a deliberative theoretical framework for understanding and responding to intractable conflicts and their domestic spillover effects.
- Conduct empirical research (drawing on qualitative and/or mixed-methods, fieldwork) to examine how foreign conflicts influence communication dynamics across parliamentary, media, digital, civil society and everyday public sphere settings.
- Connect empirical findings to broader normative questions in the field of deliberative democracy concerning disagreement, polarisation, mutual understanding, deliberation and democratic legitimacy.
- Lead and contribute to publications in high-quality national and international journals.
- Organise research workshops, conference panels and scholarly events.
- Participate actively in the intellectual life of the Centre for Deliberative Democracy

About you:

You are an ambitious and self-directed researcher with passion in deliberative democracy and a strong publication record,



currently holding PhD in Political Science, Sociology, Media and Communication, or closely aligned discipline, or completed before the time of commencement of the position. You must be able to live and work in Australia if successful for this role.

The University offers excellent conditions and perks which can be explored on our “ Work at UC ” site which includes:

- Flexible working arrangements
- Family-friendly policies
- On campus Gym, Medical services, Cafes, Post office, Supermarket and Early Childhood Education and Care facilities.
- Professional Development offerings (study assistance, corporate programs and discounts)
- Access to Employee Assistance Program and a corporate private Health Plan (Bupa)

University of Canberra is a values based organisation and sets a goal to be the national sector leader in equity, diversity, inclusion and access via Connected – A Decadal Strategy 2023-2032 . UC encourages applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with disability and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Applications are invited from both domestic and international candidates. Applicants must be eligible to live and work in Australia for the duration of the appointment and must reside in Canberra throughout the fellowship.

For job specific information:

Jordan McSwiney, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Deliberative Democracy, [email protected].

For recruitment and application questions:

please contact the Talent Solutions team on 02 6206 3867 or email [email protected] . If you would like to request a reasonable adjustment to the selection process, please feel free to contact us.

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📌 Postdoctoral Fellow (Bruce)
🏢 University Of Canberra
📍 Bruce