A postdoctoral research position in Kumasi puts you on the team behind the largest empirical study of political parties ever attempted. The deadline is June 1, 2026.
About the PPADEM Project:
The Political Parties in Africa and Democracy project, PPADEM, is funded by the European Research Council and spans four universities: Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana, the University of Strathclyde, the University of Bristol, and the University of Reading. The KNUST contact for the project is Prof. George Bob-Milliar.
PPADEM asks three questions: What role do political parties play in Africa’s democratisation processes? Under what conditions do parties help or hurt democratic progress? And how can parties be better supported to resist democratic backsliding? To answer them, the project is building a cross-national dataset that the researchers describe as the largest study of political parties carried out anywhere in the world, not a regional claim but a global one.
The postdoctoral position sits within the Department of History, Political Science, and Public Administration at KNUST’s Kumasi campus. The start date is in July or August 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter.
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What You Actually Get
The listing does not disclose a salary figure. Contact Prof. Bob-Milliar at gbobmilliar.cass@knust.edu.gh for compensation details before you invest significant time in an application.
What is confirmed:
- A two-year fixed-term contract, reviewed annually against agreed tasks
- Membership of an international research team across four universities in Africa and the UK
- The aim is to co-author or be the sole author of publications targeting leading peer-reviewed journals. This is stated as an aim, not a guarantee.
- Presentations at local and international workshops and conferences: confirm whether travel costs are covered by the project.
- Limited teaching at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, framed in the listing as a professional development benefit for the postdoc.
- Directly contributing to a cross-national dataset, the project is described as unprecedented in scale.
For an early-career researcher, the publication pipeline and conference access matter more than most listings admit. Projects funded at this level, with four universities and a multi-year cross-national dataset, are not common in African academic job markets. That carries real weight on a CV.
Who Can Apply
Essentially, you must meet all of these:
- A PhD in Political Science or a closely related social science discipline, awarded no later than the date the appointment decision is made.
- Demonstrated skills in survey design
- Demonstrated skills in survey data analysis
- Demonstrated expertise in comparative politics
- Not currently employed full-time at KNUST or any other public university or institution, this is a hard disqualifying condition.
Desirable — strengthens your application but is not required:
- A publication record appropriate to your career stage
- Research coordination, management, or liaison experience
- Expertise in elections, public opinion, party politics, or African politics specifically
- Experience in qualitative research methods, such as archival work or interviews
- Strong organisational skills and attention to detail
- Excellent written and spoken English.
The listing does not specify nationality or citizenship requirements. Applicants from outside Ghana should confirm eligibility with the department before applying.
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Documents Required
Submit everything as a single PDF to ppadem@knust.edu.gh. Required documents:
- Covering letter, maximum two pages. Explain which specific skills and experiences make you the right person for this role. Be concrete about survey design and analysis; those are the two essential technical requirements.
- Curriculum vitae
- Research plan: maximum two pages. Outline your research strategy for the next two years and explain how it connects to the PPADEM project’s three core questions. Read the project description before writing this. Generic plans read as generic.
- Writing sample: a working paper, recently published journal article, or book chapter. Choose something that demonstrates your quantitative or survey skills where possible.
- Two recommendation letters: the listing does not specify whether referees must be academic.
Allow time before the deadline. Recommendation letters can take two to four weeks to arrange if you haven’t already approached your referees. Read the PPADEM project materials before drafting your research plan, allowing at least a week for that. Write your covering letter last, after the research plan, so the two documents reinforce each other.
The listing explicitly warns against over-reliance on AI tools. They want to assess your genuine communication style and your specific knowledge of the role. Generic AI-polished applications will not progress to interviewing; their words, not ours.
Is This Open to Nigerians?
The listing does not specify nationality restrictions, which suggests it may be open to applicants across Africa and potentially globally. The position is on-site in Kumasi, Ghana. Nigerian applicants would need to obtain a work permit and relocate. The listing does not confirm whether KNUST provides immigration support or relocation assistance. Clarify this with the department before committing to a full application.
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How to Apply
- Read the PPADEM project description.
- Contact Prof. George Bob-Milliar (gbobmilliar.cass@knust.edu.gh) with any questions about the project or eligibility.
- Request your two recommendation letters now. Do not wait.
- Write your research plan first. Two pages, focused on the project’s three research questions, grounded in your own methodological experience.
- Write your covering letter. Two pages maximum. Lead with your survey design and analysis experience.
- Compile all documents into a single PDF and email them to ppadem@knust.edu.gh before June 1, 2026.
Late applications are not considered. The department confirms that amendments to a submitted application are allowed until the deadline.
GizPulse Verdict
A strong call for a recently completed PhD in political science with quantitative and survey skills. The ERC affiliation is real and carries visible weight; it signals peer-reviewed funding credibility to any future hiring committee that reads your CV.
The caveats are real, too. Salary is undisclosed. The on-site requirement in Kumasi is firm. Two years with an annual review offers no guarantee of extension. Anyone weighing this against a permanent position elsewhere should get the compensation figure from Prof. Bob-Milliar before building a full application.
Who this suits: A postdoc or late-stage PhD candidate in comparative politics or survey methodology who wants publications from a funded international project and is ready to base themselves in Ghana for two years.
One tip: Read the three PPADEM research questions and write a plan that engages with at least one of them using your specific methods. The committee is looking for someone who has already thought about this project, not someone generally interested in African politics.
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