Postdoctoral Position; FTE): Emotions in Regulatory Politics

Psychological sciences » Behavioural sciences

Psychological sciences » Cognitive science

Organisation/Company Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) Research Field Political sciences » Governance Political sciences » Public policy Psychological sciences » Behavioural sciences Psychological sciences » Cognitive science Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Final date to receive applications 15 Apr 2026 - 21:59 (UTC) Country Netherlands Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Not Applicable Hours Per Week 36.0 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by a EU programme Is the job related to staff position within a research infrastructure? No

This two-year postdoctoral position is part of the VIDI research project “Emotion-Infused Risk Regulation:
Rethinking the Fundamentals of Regulatory Governance for Citizen-Centric Rule making ”, funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) and led by Dr. Dovilė Rimkutė.

The VIDI project investigates the role of emotions in regulatory governance, examining how emotions shape both regulators’ formulation of rules and citizens’ reception of regulatory responses. It is structured around three interlinked objectives: (1) Emotion and Regulatory Responsiveness:
To what extent and why do regulators respond to citizens’ emotion‑laden concerns? (2) Citizens’ Emotional Responses in Regulatory Encounters:
To what extent and how are citizens’ emotions elicited during interactions with regulators? (3) Emotions and Regulatory Legitimacy:
What are the effects of citizens’ emotions on their perceptions of regulators’ legitimacy? Read more about this research agenda in the following link:
Affective regulatory governance: towards an emotion-based understanding of citizen‑regulator interactions in regulatory politics.

The postdoctoral project will contribute to the emerging research agenda on affective regulatory governance, with a particular focus on citizens’ emotions in the Regulatory State context (Objectives 2 and
3). Specifically, the project will examine emotionality in citizens’ interactions with the regulatory state and experimentally test causal effects and mechanisms through which emotions influence citizens’ perceptions of regulators’ legitimacy.

As a postdoctoral researcher, you will contribute to the implementation of three empirical studies planned within Objectives 1 and 2 of the Vidi project. In addition, you will have the opportunity to develop and pursue your own research ideas within the broader topic of the project (e.g., Emotion in Public Governance).

You will be responsible for designing and implementing experimental studies (primarily large-scale survey experiments) and applying (advanced) quantitative analysis methods. Experience with laboratory-based experiments can also be used or developed within the project.

Working closely with an interdisciplinary research team within the Regulatory Behavior Lab, led by Dr. Dovilė Rimkutė, you will play a central role in advancing the project’s scientific contributions. Your responsibilities will include refining cross‑national survey experiments, administering data collection with representative citizen samples in at least six EU countries and beyond, analysing quantitative data, and disseminating findings through conference presentations, publications in high‑quality international journals, and publicly accessible policy outputs (e.g., reports and policy briefs).

As a core member of the recently founded Regulatory Behavior Lab, you will actively contribute to shaping its scientific profile and visibility. This includes participating in lab meetings, engaging in collaborative research, and helping build connections between academic and practitioner communities (for example, by co‑organizing workshops and events that translate research findings into actionable insights for regulatory practice).

The allocation of your time will be determined in consultation with the Principal Investigator, with a typical balance of approximately 0.8 FTE dedicated to research and 0.2 FTE to teaching activities, such as supervising MA theses within the department’s teaching programmes.

If desired,…