The Institute of Political Science of Leiden University invites applications for appointment as Professor of International Relations with specialisation in International Conflict and Conflict Resolution. The position is fulltime, starting in August 2021. This new professorship is linked to the significant expansion of the institute’s teaching programme in international relations, and to the recruitment in recent years of many outstanding young scholars researching and teaching on issues of international conflict and cooperation.

The new professor’s research and teaching will address a range of questions on international conflict and conflict resolution, including the evolving sources of conflict, the links between intra-state and inter-state conflict, the relationship between conflict and collective identities, and the dynamics of conflict management and resolution at local, national and international levels.

The new professor will be expected to conduct and publish advanced research on international conflict and conflict resolution, to mentor junior colleagues, to teach BSc and MSc students and supervise PhDs in this and related areas of political science, and to play a leading role in applying for external research funding and in the intellectual and administrative life of the Institute.

Candidates for this position must possess a PhD in political science, a strong record of publications in leading journals and/or scholarly presses, a clear agenda for future research, and a proven track record of winning research grants, leading research projects, supervising PhDs to completion, and mentoring junior colleagues. They must be experienced in designing and delivering high-quality education at undergraduate and graduate levels, including lectures, seminars and thesis supervision. They must have the maturity and experience to provide organizational leadership within the Institute of Political Science. They must be fluent in English and ideally have a working knowledge of Dutch; if not, the readiness to learn Dutch within several years is required. Experience in linking research to public debates and societal needs is a plus.

The Chair will have an appointment in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities for an initial duration of five years leading to tenure on condition of good performance. The salary will range from a minimum of € 5,749.- to a maximum of € 8,371.- gross per month for a full-time appointment. The exact salary will depend on experience (payscale HL2).

Leiden University offers an attractive benefits package with additional holiday (8%) and end-of-year bonuses (8.3 %), training and career development and sabbatical leave. Our individual choices model gives you some freedom to assemble your own set of terms and conditions. For international spouses we have set up a dual career programme. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break. For more information, see the website.

Leiden University attaches great importance to the quality of its teaching. It therefore requires all academic staff with teaching duties to possess the University Teaching Qualification or be prepared to earn this within two years.

Diversity
Leiden University is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from members of underrepresented groups.

Leiden University

Leiden University was the first university in the world to appoint a Professor of Politics (Daniel Hensius in 1612) and its Institute of Political Science is today a broad disciplinary unit with approximately 80 lecturers, assistant professors, associate professors and full professors, plus PhDs and post-doc researchers based in Leiden and in The Hague, where a large part of the teaching is done. The institute’s academic staff and its student body are each approximately half Dutch and half international.

The Institute is well known for pioneering research on parliamentary governance, political parties, electoral behavior, and Dutch politics, and is increasingly recognized for its significant expertise in international relations and European politics. The institute’s research staff publish regularly in top journals and academic presses and are consistently successful in attracting national and European research grants. The Institute houses a number of editorships of international refereed journals and book series.

The institute’s research programme ‘Institutions, Decisions and Collective Behaviour’ encompasses six clusters with overlapping membership: Conflict, Conflict Resolution and Crisis Management; Globalisation and the State; Identity, Ethnicity and Political Community; International Organisation and European Integration; Politics in The Netherlands; Representation, Public Opinion and Communication. Members of the institute are also involved in a number of the university’s multi-disciplinary research centres, including Central and East European Studies, International Relations, Parties and Representation, and Political Philosophy.

The Institute’s offers a range of taught programmes at the Bachelor and Master levels and also trains PhD students in political science. The BSc programme includes general Political Science (in Dutch & English, in Leiden), International Politics (in Dutch & English, in Leiden), and International Relations and Organisations (in English, in The Hague). The one-year MSc programme includes five specialisations in Leiden and one in The Hague and is taught mostly in English. The introduction of the IRO specialisation in 2017 led to a substantial increase in the total number of BSc students, including many from other countries. This in turn led to a significant expansion of our teaching staff in the area of international relations. PhD students are typically supported by the staff’s research grants.

The Institute of Political Science belongs to Leiden University’s Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, which also includes the Institute of Cultural Anthropology & Development Sociology, the Institute of Education and Child Studies, the Institute of Psychology, and the Centre for Science and Technology Studies. In total, the Faculty is home to 5,000 students and 600 members of staff based in Leiden and The Hague. Members of the institute also work closely with colleagues in the Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs, the Faculty of Humanities, and the Faculty of Law, among others. For more information on the faculty’s teaching and research programmes, see the website.