Global challenges such as climate change, increased inequality, poverty, conflicts, breaches of human rights and citizens’ concerns about identity, cannot be solved from the perspective of a single discipline. UGlobe, the Utrecht Centre for Global Challenges, a joint initiative of the Faculty of Humanities and the Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance, brings together people from a wide range of backgrounds and disciplines to study these challenges and propose innovative solutions.

The Centre explores possible new insights at the intersections of four central research domains: Human Rights, Conflict and Security, Sustainability and Development and Equity. These strongly inter-related domains are approached within the overarching theme of global challenges and the contested global order, by means of  following disciplines: Law (international and European), Economics, History, International Relations, Philosophy and International Governance Studies.

We are looking for two designated Chairs at the heart of UGlobe:
Chair in Comparative Global History and
Chair in Global Economic Challenges

Full Professor in Comparative Global History 

The Chair in Comparative Global History will be based in the Department of History and Art History at the Faculty of Humanities. The Chair focuses on global challenges from a comparative perspective, an, emerging area of interdisciplinary research.

The Chair will connect historical expertise with insights from other disciplines in the Humanities, the Social Sciences, Law and/or Geography. The Chair investigates the role of social, political, economic and/or cultural Institutions, understood broadly as clusters of formal and informal rules shaped in and by societies. (Formal rules might include laws and regulations, but also organizational forms that steer societies informal rules may encompass norms, customs, beliefs and routines, but also social and cultural networks.)

For this Chair, interdisciplinary research means combining conceptual and theoretical analyses as well as interpretative and empirical methods. Given its comparative approach, the Chair combines local, national and/or European perspectives with a global outlook.

Successful candidates should have:

• a wide-ranging expertise and qualities in a field of history relevant to Comparative Global History, and experience in interdisciplinary research;
• excellent qualifications in research, evident from leading publications on themes relevant to the position;
• proven ability to form his/her own line of research within the framework as described above;
• supervisory skills, evidenced by the coaching of young researchers, including PhD candidates;
• a successful track record in attracting substantial research funding from external sources, or show the potential and willingness to do so;
• an international orientation, evidenced by international research networks;
• excellent didactic skills and proven experience in course and curriculum development;
• able to contribute to courses in relevant programs of the School of History and Art History;
• proven experience as leader of a research group;
• good communicative skills;
• fluency in English. Non-Dutch applicants will need to be able to teach in Dutch within two years after appointment.

We offer a position for five years in an international working environment. The salary - depending on previous qualifications and experience - ranges from € 5,334 to € 7,766 (scale H2 according to the Collective Employment Agreement of the Dutch Universities) gross per month for a full-time employment. Salaries are supplemented with a holiday bonus of 8% and and a year-end allowance of 8.3% per year. In addition, Utrecht University offers excellent secondary conditions, including an attractive retirement scheme, (partly paid) parental leave and flexible employment conditions (multiple choice model). More information: working at Utrecht University.

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major societal themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Sustainability. The faculty of Humanities aims to contribute to a better understanding of the Netherlands and Europe within a fast changing social and cultural context. The Faculty has approximately 900 employees and 7000 students, and encompasses four areas of inquiry: Philosophy and Religious Studies; History and Art History; Media and Cultural Studies; and Languages, Literature and Communication. Here you'll find further information about the History section.