Are you an outstanding scholar with an international reputation, with a thematic profile on the sociology of Institutions, Inequalities and Life courses, and with a strong commitment to teaching and research?

The Department of Sociology is looking for a Full Professor of Sociology. The professor will focus on sociology in general and, in particular, on the study of inequalities relating to social stratification and life courses, as well as on the ways in which policies and institutions matter for stratification processes. With such a profile, the professorship continues the well-established tradition at the Department of the institutional analysis of inequality in contemporary societies.

The Department of Sociology is one of the largest and among the leading sociology departments in Europe. It has a long tradition of theoretically informed, conceptually innovative and empirically driven research. Research at the department can be characterized by its critical and publicly engaged approach to urgent societal problems and questions. The department is thematically broad and pluralistic both when it comes to theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches. Faculty focus on a wide variety of sociological fields including labour markets and policies, education, stratification, organizations, urban studies, migration and citizenship, culture, health and care, gender and sexuality. These themes also figure in the course offerings in the several teaching programmes: a BSc programme (with both English and Dutch as languages of instruction), a one-year MSc programme, and, together with the faculty's other social science departments, an interdisciplinary two-year Research Master's programme.

Research at the department is organized in three 'programme groups' - Cultural Sociology; Political Sociology; Institutions, Inequalities and Life courses(IIL) - under the auspices of the Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR).

The vacant chair will be embedded within the IIL group. This group examines institutions in a broad way as the formal and informal rules and arrangements in society that govern individual behaviour and social relationships. The programme group also examines consequences of institutions for inequality and life courses. We do this using a mixture of methods and data with a focus on quantitative research, including analyses of (longitudinal) survey data, register data, (field) experimental data, social network analysis, big data, macro data and policy documents.

Researchers in the IIL group are also members of the Interuniversity Center for Social Science Theory and Methodology (ICS); a graduate school and research centre in collaboration with the universities of Groningen (Sociology department), Nijmegen (Sociology department), and Utrecht (departments of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Science).

What are you going to do

In this position you will:

• develop and lead educational programmes in the field of sociology, tailored to meet societal demands and the needs of students;
• teach and coordinate general, specialist and methodological courses in the BSc, MSc, Research Master's- and PhD-programmes of our department and the research schools - AISSR and ICS;
• carry out core managerial tasks and make a positive contribution to the organisation and cooperation within the programme group and the department;
• carry out and supervise empirical sociological research at a high academic level, further developing international leadership in this field, developing a research line in collaboration with junior staff members and other researchers working within the programme group, department, AISSR and ICS;
• acquire and help to acquire external funding for research (also on behalf of junior researchers);
• actively contribute to the development of sociology by publishing and participating in national and international research networks, educational and policy initiatives;
• seek (knowledge) exchange and (research) cooperation with professionals in your research area and engage with organisations and groups beyond academia.

In order to qualify for the position, you have:

• strong general, empirical and theoretical knowledge in the field of sociology;
• a proven record of high-quality teaching, coordination of education and leadership in developing teaching programmes, preferably at both the Bachelor's-, Master's- and PhD-level. You are also committed to teaching general and specialist courses in the Bachelor's and Master's programmes in Sociology and in the interdisciplinary Research Master Social Sciences within the context of diverse and international classrooms;
• an outstanding track record in empirical research that pertains to the priorities of the Programme Group Institutions, Inequalities and Life Courses, as exemplified in a strong publication record in internationally peer reviewed journals and/or books published by internationally recognized press;
• thorough mastery of research methods and ability to teach methods at several levels of university teaching;
• a commitment to the research agenda of the AISSR, the ICS and the Programme Group Institutions, Inequalities and Life Courses, and commitment to enhance interdisciplinary collaborations in this specific field;
• demonstrated ability to acquire research funding from external sources (e.g. Netherlands' Organization for Scientific Research, the European Research Council, or other research councils, European Union, or other national and international funding agencies);
• a track record in administration and commitment to carry out administrative tasks in the context of a research university;
• a commitment to enhancing diversity and inclusion within the department in particular and academia more generally;
• adequate knowledge of Dutch, or a willingness to learn the Dutch language within a reasonable period;
• the Dutch Basic Teaching Qualification, or a willingness to acquire one with the first two years of your employment.

Considering the current composition of our staff, and our commitment to diversity, we prioritize hiring people from currently under-represented groups within our department. In particular, because of the current senior staff composition in terms of gender, and following the faculty diversity policy (see Working at the FMG - University of Amsterdam (uva.nl)); in case of equal suitability preference will be given to a woman.

The position concerns permanent full-time employment of 38 hours per week. The preferred starting date is 1 September 2023. For this position the University Job Classification profile "hoogleraar" applies The starting salary depends on past education and relevant work experience, with a minimum salary of €6099 and a maximum salary of €8881 gross per month, based on a 38-hour working week (in keeping with scale HL2, as per the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities).

We additionally offer an extensive package of secondary employee benefits, including a generous holiday scheme and year-end bonus. Because we value your continued personal development and professionalisation, we also offer excellent opportunities for study and development.

What else can we offer you
A stimulating work environment with a variety of tasks and ample scope for individual initiative and development within an inspiring organisation. Working at the UvA means working in a critical, independent, innovative and international climate, characterised by an open atmosphere and a genuine engagement with multiple stake-holders in Amsterdam and across the world. The social and behavioural sciences play a leading role in addressing the major societal challenges faced by the world, the Netherlands and Amsterdam, now and in the future.

Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences

The University of Amsterdam is the largest university in the Netherlands, with the broadest range of courses. An intellectual hub with 39,000 students, 6,000 staff and 3,000 PhD students. Connected by a culture of curiosity. 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.

Curious about our organization and attractive fringe benefits such as a generous vacation plan and development opportunities? Read more about working at the University of Amsterdam here.