Postdoctoral Researcher in Modeling/Natural Language Processing (NLP)/Data Science for Global Governance

Position Overview

The Science in Diplomacy Lab (SiDLab) invites applications for a postdoctoral researcher to advance cutting- edge research in one of the following areas:Computational Modeling,Natural Language Processing (NLP), orData Science. The successful candidate will develop innovative methods to analyze, simulate, and understand complex sociopolitical phenomena such asnorm diffusion,collective decision-making, andpolicy evolutionwithin the multilateral governance system.

This interdisciplinary position—at the interface between international relations/global governance and computational science—is based at the University of Geneva, co-supervised by Prof. Didier Wernli and Prof. Roland Bouffanais, and is part of theSiDLab, a joint initiative between ETH Zürich and UNIGE.

Key Responsibilities

• Some Envisioned Research Developments:
  • Design and implement NLP pipelines to extract insights from large-scale textual corpora (e.g., treaties, diplomatic communications, policy documents).
  • Apply machine learning and network science to analyze multilateral interactions and institutional dynamics.
  • Design and implement computational models (e.g., agent-based, Bayesian inference, or social contagions) to study norm emergence and decision-making dynamics in diplomatic negotiations.
• Collaboration:
  • Work closely with researchers, diplomats, and policymakers from ETHZ, UNIGE, and international organizations.
  • Translate research findings into actionable tools and frameworks for global governance.
• Dissemination:
  • Publish in peer-reviewed journals (e.g.,Nature Human Behaviour,Science Advances, Nature Communications) and present at international forums.

Qualifications

• Education: Recently completed a PhD in computer science, computational social science, data science, applied mathematics, or a related field. Prior experience in international relations (IR) and global governance is desirable but not required.
• Technical Skills:
  • Proficiency in Python or Julia for NLP, modeling, and data analysis.
  • Experience with transformer-based models, topic modeling, or semantic analysis.
  • Familiarity with network analysis, Bayesian inference, or stochastic modeling.
• Domain knowledge/interest
  • Interest in international relations, multilateral diplomacy, or global governance.
  • Understanding of policy processes and institutional dynamics is a plus, but is not required.
• Language: Fluency in English.

Offer

• Duration: Initial 1-year appointment, renewable for two years depending on progress and performance.
• Environment: Access to UNIGE’s computational resources, UNIGE Faculty of Science, and UNIGE Global Studies Institute, diplomatic networks in International Geneva.
• Professional Development: Mentorship in science-diplomacy interfaces, grant writing, and policy engagement.

Application Requirements

1. CV with publication list.
2. 2-page research statement outlining methodological approaches to norm diffusion or collective decision-making.
3. Contact information for 3 references.

Deadline: Rolling review until December 15th, 2025.

Start Date: As soon as possible.