California Institute of Technology

Position Title/Short Description

Full Text of JOE Listing:

The Caltech Applied Political Theory Lab (APTL) in the Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) seeks a Postdoctoral Scholar Teaching Fellow in Political Science and Political Economy. The APTL is a working group of Caltech HSS faculty, students, and alums who share the goal of furthering theory-driven research in political science. Our group focuses on developing mathematical models of politics, using those models to analyze real-world political phenomena, and assessing the models' predictions and assumptions with empirical analyses. Substantively, our areas of study include electoral politics, legislative organization, bureaucratic relations, legal institutions, and civil conflict. Methodologically we use a range of tools from game theory, decision theory, statistics, and structural estimation.

We aim to recruit an energetic postdoctoral scholar who is excited to contribute to this enterprise and collaborate with our faculty and students. The postdoc is expected to be an active participant in the Division’s intellectual life and teach one course per year on a topic at the intersection of their research interests and the Lab’s mission. The initial postdoc appointment will be for two years, unless a shorter term is mutually agreeable.

Requirements: Position is contingent upon completion of the PhD. Interested candidates should submit a CV, cover letter, research statement, job market paper (or example publication), and 2 letters of recommendation to pspe_pdsaptl@caltech.edu.

Hiring Salary: $72,723

Deadline: January 16, 2026

As one of the largest employers in Pasadena, CA, Caltech is committed to providing comprehensive benefits to eligible employees and their eligible dependents. Our benefits package includes competitive compensation, health, dental, and vision insurance, retirement savings plans, generous paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick time, parental leave, bereavement, etc.), tuition reimbursement, and more. Learn more about our benefits and staff perks.

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.