The Department of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) invites applications for two tenure-track Assistant professor (Universitair Docent 2) positions in Political Science with a specialization in Violence and Security, starting January 2021 or as soon as possible thereafter (pending final approval).

What will you do?

The successful candidate will teach introductory and advanced courses in International Relations and/or Comparative Politics and a broad range of specific courses in Violence and Security at the graduate and undergraduate level. Special attention is given to contemporary questions around violence and security, such as civil war dynamics, non-state violent conflict, terrorism, human security, international and global security, peacekeeping and peacebuilding, among others. The successful candidate should bring insights from contemporary debates on violence and security to students in political science. The search is open with regard to methodological orientation; we encourage applications from candidates employing innovative approaches ranging from ethnography and participant observation to advanced quantitative and/or experimental methods. In terms of research, successful candidates will be affiliated with one of two research groups housed in the Department of Political Science and the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR), briefly described below:

• The research group ‘Political Economy and Transnational Governance’ (PETGOV) explores the transnational integration of markets and economic transactions that have given rise to far-reaching transformations of governance both within and beyond the nation-state. It does so across a range of policy fields, from environmental protection and financial regulation to violent conflict. PETGOV’s exploration of transnational governance focuses on varying forms of contestation and regulation, including multi-level architectures for coordinated learning from local experimentation. In the realm of violence and security, the group is especially interested in the political economy of international conflict, civil war, and political violence, as well as the possibilities of resolving conflict and providing security through governance mechanisms at various levels. For more information on the group and its interests, please consult the website.
• The research group ‘Transnational Configurations, Conflict and Governance’ (TCCG) analyses politics as transnational processes with a multitude of actors. The group’s interest in transnational transformations has given rise to research on three main themes: (1) studies of reflexivity and learning in policy development; (2) a conceptually driven interest in new security challenges, migration and border control; and (3) the study of authoritarian rule, democratic practices and contestation, with a focus on civil society and political processes beyond the state, both subnational and transnational. For more information on the group and its interests, please consult the website.

Tasks

• Developing, conducting, and supervising high quality academic research in International Relations and/or Comparative Politics, including topics of Violence and Security;
• teaching general and specialist courses in International Relations, Comparative Politics, and/or in Violence and Security at both undergraduate and post-graduate levels. Candidates will contribute to Bachelor specializations in International Relations and/or Comparative Politics and/or the interdisciplinary Minor in Conflict Studies, as well as the Master in Political Science tracks in International Relations and/or Comparative Politics, and/or the Master in Conflict Resolution and Governance;
• involvement in PhD supervision;
• (participating in) acquiring external research funding;
• contributing to the research programme of the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research, and in particular to either the AISSR research group Political Economy and Transnational Governance (PETGOV) and/or the AISSR research group Transnational Configurations of Conflict (TCCG);
• a dynamic contribution to the research programme of the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research and to the development of the field through scholarly publications and participation in international research networks.

• A PhD in Political Science or closely related field in the social sciences at the time of appointment is required;
• an ongoing research programme and publications, focused on internationally ranked, peer reviewed journals and/or books published by internationally recognized academic presses;
• a demonstrated interest in the field of Violence and Security and broad general knowledge of International Relations and/or Comparative Politics;
• mastery of social science research methods appropriate for the candidate’s research agenda;
• ability to provide excellent and inspiring teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels in the Bachelor and Master in Political Science and the Master in Conflict Resolution;
• a capacity to teach in English, and a willingness to acquire passive knowledge of Dutch within three years;
• the basic qualification at Dutch universities in higher education (Basiskwalificatie Onderwijs; BKO) certificate, or a willingness to acquire such.

We encourage applications from candidates with regional expertise in Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, complementing the department’s existing strengths on Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and China.

The positions are entry-level tenure-track positions with employment contracts at the level of Assistant professor (UD2). Employment contracts at more senior rank are not possible. The contracts will be temporary for three years, after three years, a decision on tenure will be taken.

Based on a full-time employment contract (38 hours per week) the gross monthly salary will range from €3,637 to €4,978 gross per month (scale 11), depending on experience. The UvA offers an annual 8% holiday allowance and 8,3 % annual bonus. Employees moving from abroad may be eligible to receive part of their salary as a tax-free allowance for up to five years (the 30% rule). The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities applies. 

University of Amsterdam

With over 5,000 employees, 30,000 students and a budget of more than 600 million euros, the University of Amsterdam (UvA) is an intellectual hub within the Netherlands. Teaching and research at the UvA are conducted within seven faculties: Humanities, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Economics and Business, Law, Science, Medicine and Dentistry. Housed on four city campuses in or near the heart of Amsterdam, where disciplines come together and interact, the faculties have close links with thousands of researchers and hundreds of institutions at home and abroad.  

The UvA’s students and employees are independent thinkers, competent rebels who dare to question dogmas and aren’t satisfied with easy answers and standard solutions. To work at the UvA is to work in an independent, creative, innovative and international climate characterised by an open atmosphere and a genuine engagement with the city of Amsterdam and society.