Postdoctoral researcher "The Weaponisation of Ideas: US-China Competition in the Symbolic Field"

Working at the VUB

For more than 50 years, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel has stood for freedom, equality and solidarity, and this is very much alive on our campuses among students and staff alike. 

At the VUB, you will find a diverse collection of personalities: innovators pur sang, but above all people who are 100% their authentic selves. With some 4,000 employees, we are the largest Dutch-speaking employer, in the private sector, in Brussels; an international city with which we are only too happy to connect and where (around) our 4 campuses are located. 

Add to this our principle of free research - in which self-reflection, a critical attitude and an open, creative mind around scientific and social issues are central - and you have a university that is fundamentally groundbreaking and pioneering in education and research. In short: the VUB all over again. 

Moreover, the VUB is a member of EUTOPIA, an alliance of like-minded European universities, all ready to reinvent themselves.

Position description

The Brussels School of Governance, Department Institute for European Studies, Research Group European security in the Indo-Pacific age is looking for a postdoctoral researcher with a grant. 

More concretely your work package, for the validation of your doctoral research, contains: 

While International Relations scholarship has extensively examined the military, economic and technological dimensions of US–China rivalry, this project focuses on its ideational and symbolic dimensions. It investigates how ideological, cultural and civilisational narratives are mobilised as instruments of power and how they contribute to the construction of adversarial collective identities.

Grounded in International Relations theory and discourse theory, the project analyses US and Chinese narratives between 2000 and 2024 across multiple symbolic fields, including official political discourse, academic debates and selected cultural outputs. Methodologically, it adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining machine-learning–enhanced text-as-data analysis with qualitative discourse analysis.

The project aims to produce a set of high-quality scholarly outputs, including peer-reviewed journal articles, a research monograph and an edited volume, alongside policy-oriented publications and expert workshops. You will contribute to the collection, organisation and analysis of large textual corpora (English- and Chinese-language), the development of analytical categories and indicators and the interpretation of discursive patterns related to identity, ideology and strategic rivalry. The project places strong emphasis on collaborative research, methodological pluralism and publication-oriented teamwork, and is particularly suited to candidates interested in combining theoretical work in International Relations and discourse theory with hands-on empirical analysis using qualitative and computational methods.

You will devote most of your working time to research. Additional tasks may include limited teaching activities, event organisation, and contributions to the broader activities of CSDS. You are expected to publish in peer-reviewed journals and actively contribute to the project’s collective outputs.

For this function, our Brussels Humanities, Sciences & Engineering Campus (Elsene) will serve as your home base. 

Profile

What do we expect from you?

• You hold a PhD in International Relations, Political Science or a closely related discipline.
• You demonstrate an excellent academic track record;
• You are fluent in English (knowledge of additional languages is an asset);
• You have a strong interest in great power competition, strategic narratives, discourse or identity politics.

The following will be considered strong assets:

• Experience with text-as-data, computational social science or mixed-methods research;
• Familiarity with discourse analysis or qualitative textual analysis;
• Substantive expertise on China, the United States or ideational approaches to power in international politics;
• Proficiency in Mandarin (especially reading skills), enabling engagement with Chinese-language sources.
• You stayed abroad for at least 12 months of the 3 years preceding the start date, and during this period you did not work or study in Belgium. However, during these 12 months, short-term stays in Belgium are allowed such as holidays, participation in conferences or a short stay to prepare your stay as a postdoctoral researcher.
• As a (non-)EEA national, meet the conditions for obtaining a valid permit for VUB and comply with the VUB residence requirements. More info here.

The VUB wants to be a reflection of the society where everyone's talent is valued, regardless of gender, age, religion, skin color, migration background, disability and neurodiversity.

Offer

Are you going to be our new colleague?

You’ll be offered a full-time postdoctoral scholarship, for 12 months (extendable up to max. 36 months, on condition of the positive evaluation of the research activities), with planned starting date 01/09/2026. 

You’ll receive a grant linked to one of the scales set by the government.

At the VUB, you’re guaranteed an open, involved and diverse workplace where you are offered opportunities to (further) build on your career.

As well as this, you will also enjoy various other benefits:

• Extensive homeworking options, a telework allowance of 50 euros per month OR an internet fee of 20 euros per month;
• An open and informal working environment where attention is paid to work-life balance, and exceptional holiday arrangements with 35 days of leave (based on a fulltime contract), closure between Christmas and New Year and 3 extra leave days;
• Cost-free hospitalisation insurance;
• Full reimbursement of your home-to-work commute with public transport according to VUB-policy, and/or compensation if you come by bike; 
• A wide selection of meals in our campus restaurants at attractive prices;
• Excellent and affordable facilities for sport and exercise, a range of discounts via Benefits@Work (in  all kinds of shops, on flights, in petrol stations, amusement parks...) and Ecocheques; 
• Nursery near campus, discount on holiday camps; 
• The space to form your job content and to continuously learn through our VUB learning platforms and training courses;
• And finally: great colleagues with a healthy drive.

Interested?

Is this the job you’ve been dreaming of?

Then apply, at the latest on 15/03/2026, via jobs.vub.be, and upload the following documents:

• your CV;
• your motivation letter;
• your diploma (not applicable for VUB alumni).

Our application process is as follows (subject to change):

• step 1: an initial selection based on your application file; 
• step 2: a job interview.

Do you have questions about the job content? Contact Caterina Carta at Caterina.Carta@vub.be or on +32 2 614 80 01.

Would you like to know what it’s like to work at the VUB? Go to jobs.vub.be, and find all there is to know about our campuses, benefits, strategic goals and your future colleagues.

Would you like more information about EUTOPIA? Go to eutopia-university.eu, and read more about the role of the VUB in the development of the EUTOPIA alliance.