Koç University Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Research Lab is a lab affiliated with Koç University Center for Asian Studies (KUASIA). KU BRI Research Lab aims to establish a database capable of real-time tracking and measurement of the Chinese investments in Central Asia, the MENA region, and Turkey based on Natural Language Processing and machine learning methods. To this end, we are developing a modern web platform, software tools, and state-of-the-art deep learning models. Dr Burak Gürel is the founder of the lab (http://www.burakgurel.com/). Dr Ali Hürriyetoğlu is leading the data science portion of the project (https://cssh.ku.edu.tr/en/people/faculty/show/ahurriyetoglu/).

We invite candidates interested in developing an MSCA PF 2023 proposal under the KU BRI Research Lab. The fellow is expected to work with Burak Gürel and Ali Hürriyetoğlu to explore the trajectory of Chinese investment in Central Asia, the MENA region, and Turkey under the BRI framework. To be considered for the position, candidates must demonstrate strong research interest in global political economy and computational social science methods. Besides carrying out collaborative research with other lab members, postdoctoral fellows are also expected to contribute to organizing workshops and conferences and writing grant applications. We encourage applications from candidates holding PhD in computer science, political science, and sociology. Interested postdoc applicants can contact Dr Gürel (bgurel@ku.edu.tr) and Dr Hürriyetoğlu (ahurriyetoglu@ku.edu.tr).

Candidates should submit:

1. A one-page cover letter briefly describing your interest and relevant research experience

2. A Curriculum Vitae

3. A writing sample, which can be a (published or forthcoming) journal article, book chapter, or a dissertation chapter

4. A statement of research interest

5. An official transcript

6. Two letters of recommendation