The University of Groningen offers a four-year PhD student scholarship opportunity to complete a dissertation on a topic related to new challenges of collective decision-making. The PhD candidate will be co-supervised by Pr. Dr Caspar van den Berg (formal supervisor) and Dr Élise Rouméas (daily supervisor) and will be a member of the “Global and Local Governance” Flagship team at Campus Fryslân, which is composed of several PhD students and researchers, with expertise in consensual politics, theories of democracy and liberalism, regional governance, and sustainable transitions. The Chair was recently awarded the Ben Feringa Impact fund for its societal impact.

The PhD candidate will be enrolled in the Graduate School Campus Fryslân (GSCF). Broad topics of interest for the doctoral research include (but are not limited to):

● Shifting attitudes towards disagreement in democratic politics, e.g. political polarisation, fixed vs. flexible mindset, pluralism, intolerance & anger, etc.
● The ethics and politics of democratic decision-making procedures, e.g.
● Consensual vs. majoritarian politics, ethics of compromise, electoral ethics, etc.
● New challenges in democratic politics arising from global and local processes, e.g. dilemmas of inclusion/exclusion, democratic innovations, etc.

Of particular interest are proposals that are both empirically-grounded and engage with contemporary debates in analytical political theory/philosophy. A background in political theory/philosophy is required for the position.

The candidate should have the following qualifications:

● Master’s degree in political science, political philosophy, or relevant academic field
● experience with conceptual and normative approaches, in particular analytical political theory/philosophy
● interest in empirically-informed political theory/philosophy
● very good record of undergraduate and graduate studies
● very good command of spoken and written English. Proficiency in another language is an asset
● very good individual and collaborative working, presenting and writing skills, planning and organizational skills
● strong motivation to complete a PhD dissertation in four years.

Fixed-term contract: 48 months.

The position is offered within the UG PhD Scholarship Programme. This programme is issued by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science (OCW) within the framework of the national PhD Scholarship Experiment. PhD scholarship students receive a scholarship (stipend) of € 2,207 per month (gross) from the University of Groningen. PhD scholarship students are not employed by the university. The terms and conditions of the PhD Scholarship Programme are detailed on the following website:
https://www.rug.nl/education/phd-programmes/phd-scholarship-programme/conditions-application/

The PhD Scholarship contract is offered for four years. Continuation of the contract after one year is contingent on sufficient progress in the first year to indicate that a successful completion of the PhD thesis within the contract period is to be expected.

A PhD training programme is part of the agreement and the successful candidate will be enrolled in the Graduate School of the Campus Fryslân (GSCF). As part of the programme, the PhD student will take part in the Career Perspectives Series, which provides a thorough preparation on the career after the PhD, inside or outside academia. During the course of the doctorate, the student will develop research and teaching competencies as well as leadership skills. For this, the PhD students will receive a tailor-made programme from the Graduate School of Campus Fryslân.

The intended starting date is 1 September 2021. An earlier/later start is possible by mutual consent.

Campus Fryslân

Founded in 1614, the University of Groningen enjoys an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative institution of higher education offering high-quality teaching and research. Flexible study programmes and academic career opportunities in a wide variety of disciplines encourage the 35,000 students and researchers alike to develop their own individual talents. As one of the best research universities in Europe, the University of Groningen has joined forces with other top universities and networks worldwide to become a truly global centre of knowledge.

Campus Fryslân is the eleventh and newest faculty of the University of Groningen, located in Leeuwarden. Campus Fryslân is an interdisciplinary faculty that works closely together with regional, national and international partners on worldwide (sustainability) challenges and local solutions. The sustainable development goals of the United Nations thus serve as an important guideline.

We offer ambitious and exciting Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD degree programmes. The research institute covers four research domains: Governance, Sustainable Economy, Culture, Language & Technology and Sustainable Health. In the summer of 2019, Campus Fryslân moved to the new faculty building De Beurs: the first all-electric, monumental educational building in The Netherlands.