What was your research at the EUI about?
I started the Max Weber Fellowship in September 2023, two months after submitting my thesis. The fellowship lasted two years for me, which was enough time to continue publishing work that I had started during my PhD, finish some projects, and start new ones.
Most of my work was on housing and politics. One project was on the role of social housing and the vote for the incumbent, which I had started during my time as a visiting fellow in Denmark. I also worked on a project on housing and anti-immigration attitudes as well as other projects on the potential overestimation of affective polarization by political surveys and crowdsourced metascience projects. Since I was part of Professor Filip Kostelka's research group, I was also involved in research projects with his bright PhD researchers, which was a great addition to my time at the EUI.
How has the Max Weber programme prepared you for the job market?
In a lot of ways. I am six months into my new position as an assistant professor, which gives enough distance to reflect on the benefits of the Max Weber Programme. First, the mentorship. I was quite lucky to have Filip Kostelka as a mentor. He was extremely available and helpful from my first day at the EUI until the end, and even after. Filip was always pro-active in terms of mentorship and oriented toward me finding a permanent position. Since I am not the best at asking for help, it was a real benefit to be able to count on a generous mentor. The only disagreement I had with Filip was on him not being willing to join my football team for Coppa Pavone, which was his loss.
Second, I would say that the resources available made a great difference. Whenever I had a job talk, I was able to ask MWP staff to organise mock talks quite quickly, with the benefit of having an interdisciplinary audience to ask questions.
Third, the casual interactions on campus were also a great benefit. This is probably perceived as a given for any member of the EUI, but it's not. The EUI community is incredibly rich and vibrant; people come and go for a PhD, a visiting fellowship, a fellowship, a conference, a sabbatical, etc. The opportunity for Max Weber Fellows to meet new scholars is almost endless. I received advice on the job market from visitors coming for a conference or a sabbatical; one who took 1h30 of his time instead of the allocated 30 minutes, before his talk, to give me an overview of the job market on different continents.
Fourth, the alumni network. You must try very hard to not find an EUI alumnus/a in a European university. This advantage is probably unique in Europe. To give an example, prior to my job talk at Warwick, I received some suggestions from an EUI alumna working there, which I think helped me to prepare for the interview. Since I secured my position a year into my fellowship and postponed my start at Warwick by a year, I had time to prepare for the UK system with discussions with MWF alumni and scholars from the UK who were at the EUI.
Finally, the MWF offers various professional training opportunities and academic development. For instance, I was appointed as a part-time assistant professor, so I had the opportunity to teach methods to PhD researchers. It was extremely useful for me on the job market because I proved that I was able to teach methods to PhD researchers, a skill that is often expected from political science departments. I also had the chance to be a teaching assistant for the SPS Summer Academy, twice, which involved directing workshops for master's students outside the EUI. Usually, they come from very diverse countries, are extremely smart and curious, so it was a really nice experience.
What advice would you give, either to current or future Max Weber fellows (or EUI:ers in general)?
For those who want to apply, just apply. Do not restrain yourself just because there is no "perfect fit" research-wise. I think the programme suits scholars who are already quite independent regarding research. That is the huge advantage of the programme: you will work on your own project, continue to grow as an academic with total freedom regarding your research agenda.
For those already at the EUI as a Max Weber Fellow, I will just give an anecdote. The year I started, Juho Härkönen was the director of the Max Weber programme, and, given his position, gave a toast for the start of the academic year. He said the postdoc is the best time in someone's academic life. Almost everyone laughed. Retrospectively, I think he was absolutely right. So, my simple advice would be to enjoy your time at the EUI as a Max Weber Fellow.
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The EUI Alumni Testimonials series offers a glimpse into the diverse paths and experiences of our alumni. Through their stories, we revisit meaningful moments from their time at the EUI and discover how these experiences continue to shape their personal and professional journeys.
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Disclaimer: All information reported in this article reflects solely the perspective of EUI alumni and former EUI members. In no case does this article represent the view of the organisations the interviewees are affiliated with.