Call for applications for a PhD Fellowship – ACINTEA

The Centre for International Studies at Sciences Po invites applications for a PhD fellowship on the international activity of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), as part of the ANR-funded project on "the external action of authoritarian states" (ACINTEA). 

The fellowship is for a period of 3 years. There are no teaching obligations. Yet, involvement in the project’s and research centre’s activities is expected. The starting date for the fellowship is September 2024. 

Research Environment 

The PhD student will be co-supervised by Jérôme Doyon, Junior Professor, CERI/Sciences Po, in tandem with another member of the Sciences Po faculty (TBD based on the proposed dissertation project). 

The PhD student will be based at the Center for International Studies (CERI) at Sciences Po.  A stimulating research environment, the CERI brings together scholars from several social science disciplines (political science but also sociology, anthropology, history, and economics) working on a wide range of regional areas (in particular North Africa and the Middle East, Latin America, Asia, West Africa and the African Great Lakes Region). The CERI puts an emphasis on PhD students’ training and supervision. 

The admitted doctoral student will sign a doctoral contract granting 2044 euros gross per month for a period of three years, from September 2024 to August 2027. The student will benefit from all the facilities at Sciences Po, including a workplace, access to the library and its electronic resources, and scientific support within the research centre.  

The ACINTEA Project  

As part of an ANR-funded “Junior Professor Chair” held by Jérôme Doyon, the ACINTEA project explores the external actions of authoritarian states. It focuses more specifically on the international activity of the Chinese Communist Party, through a variety of perspectives at the crossroads between international relations and comparative politics.

Under this overall framework, the PhD fellowship can support a wide range of potential research projects, in terms of methods (qualitative, quantitative) and sub-disciplines (international relations, comparative politics, political sociology, etc). The proposed topics can be related to various aspects of the CCP’s role in international politics, including (but not limited to):

• The role of CCP structures in foreign policy making in the People’s Republic of China.
• The role played by CCP structures in the socialisation, recruitment, and training of individuals involved in the making and implementation of Chinese foreign policy.
• The role of CCP structures in the development and diffusion of political narratives abroad, including through the training of foreign elites. 
• The CCP’s United Front strategy and practices, as well as transnational repression and mobilisation, towards foreign and Chinese actors based outside mainland China (including through a variety of party-affiliated organizations).
• The internationalisation of the CCP’s structure, for instance through the development of CCP’s branches outside the Chinese territory.
• The CCP’s actions towards multilateral institutions.

In addition to focusing on the research project they put forward, the student will be expected to participate in the coordination of ACINTEA. 

Profile

• Please see the minimum requirements for the PhD programme in political science at Sciences Po: https://www.sciencespo.fr/ecole-recherche/en/admissions/phd
• A pre-existing academic background in the domestic and/or international politics of China is required.
• Fluency in Chinese is a plus as well as having a previous research fieldwork experience.

Application procedure

Applications must be submitted by 17 May 2024:  
Online Admission: The application must be submitted online.

The application must include the following documents:

• Two academic recommendations (an optional professional recommendation may be added)
• CV/resume
• Dissertation project (PDF or Word format, 5,000 words maximum, i.e. about ten pages, excluding bibliographic references)
• Dissertation project synopsis (two pages, PDF or Word format)
• Copy of last completed academic degree (Master or equivalent)
• Master transcripts (the documents must be attached in the original language, along with an official or informal translation in English or French if necessary. Please add a sworn statement of compliance if the translation is yours)

Please make sure to mention in your application that you are applying to the funding scheme ‘ACINTEA PhD Fellowship’. As the application is completed, please send an email to Jérôme Doyon to confirm that you have applied for the ACINTEA PhD Fellowship.

Pre-selected candidates may be contacted for an interview in June.

Please feel free to reach out to Jérôme Doyon in order to express your interest in applying ahead of the deadline and/or if you have any questions.