The LIFETRACK project is a comparative project on the lifelong effects of tracking in education. It is funded under the Norface collaborative partnership of some European national research agencies and involves scholars from Germany, France, Great Britain, Finland and Denmark.

The French team based at the Observatoire Sociologique du Changement (OSC) of Sciences Po intends to appoint a doctoral student to contribute to the analyses and publications concerning the lifelong effects of educational tracking in France and in Italy.

The doctoral grant involves a dissertation on the lifelong effects of educational tracking in France and in Italy.

Eligibility: candidates should have completed or be close to completing, a master degree in Sociology, Statistics or Economics. A background in quantitative methods and in social stratification research is highly appreciated.

The position involves a three-years grant, starting with January 1st, 2018 or as soon as possible thereafter. The doctoral student will be affiliated to the OSC.

The application must follow the standard admission procedure for doctoral students at Sciences Po. Therefore, you must include the following documents in your application:

1. a motivation letter, explaining how you meet the selection criteria and describing your research interests (1-2 pages)
2. a curriculum vitae
3. the name and e-mail address of one academic referee to whom we may write to request references in support of your application
4. a sample of your written work (for example, a research paper or thesis chapter)
5. a copy of your diploma and transcript of records
6. a copy of your ID
7. a thesis project (2-10 pages) describing your research strategy to analyze the lifelong effects of educational tracking in France and/or Italy, and an abstract of the thesis project
8. a signed letter from professor Barone (coordinator of the French unit of the project) indicating that he is willing to supervise your thesis 
9. a signed letter from professor Oberti, director of the Observatoire Sociologique du Changement, indicating that he accepts to host you in the laboratory

Recruitment procedure: candidates must first contact professor Barone (carlo.barone@sciencespo.fr) to obtain the two above-mentioned signed letters (points 8 and 9) and to validate their application. Then, candidates must apply at the following website where they will upload the documents: https://admission.sciencespo.fr/applicants/login?lng=en

The deadline for submitting the applications is November 30, 2017. A short list of candidates will be invited for a Skype interview in early December. Any request for additional information must be adressed to: carlo.barone@sciencespo.fr