Within the Faculty of Humanities the Creative Amsterdam: An E-humanities Perspective (CREATE) program conducts research into the role of creativity in the historical development of cities, using digital sources and methods. One of the program lines focuses on the development of the Amsterdam Time Machine: an infrastructure for accessing historical information via the locations to which it relates. The development of this 'space-time machine' is part of the initiative to develop a European Time Machine for the digital disclosure and exploitation of cultural heritage. Within the CREATE program there is room for a historical researcher with expertise in the field of urban history and digital methods who plays a coordinating role in the research and development of the Amsterdam' Time Machine.

Within the Department of History, European Studies and Religious Studies (abbreviated GER), the History capacity group, divided into various chairs, provides the Bachelor's and Master's programs in History. The master's program has various programs, including the Urban History program. The complete program can be found here.

Job description

The candidate has a relevant and innovative research agenda in the field of, preferably modern, urban history and digital methods of historical research. In recent years, a growing amount of historical sources have become available in digital form. Numerous instruments have also been developed to search, analyze, visualize and present these sources. These digital sources and tools offer historians an unprecedented scope for research into the role of culture in the development of cities. They also present the historian with new challenges that require a new interpretation of historiographic approaches and methods. The candidate is expected to bring together researchers from different fields of the historical sciences and digital humanities and aims to obtain research funding for such collaborations through active participation in the Amsterdam School of Historical Studies (ASH) or one of the other research schools of the Faculty of Humanities. In addition, she/he is expected to actively participate in the CREATE faculty research program, in particular as coordinator of the Amsterdam Time Machine program under the direction of program director Julia Noordegraaf.

The candidate is also expected to be versatile in teaching History, not only in the field of urban history and digital history (digital methods for historical research), but also, for example, in more general subjects such as Introduction to history, philosophy of science and research seminars. The Assistant Professor provides inspiring lectures and seminars in the bachelor's and master's in History. Teaching duties also include supervising theses and contributing to renewal and improvement of the curriculum. Within the department and the capacity groups, programs are explicitly tailored to facilitate the reinforcement of the research interests of the staff and curriculum development. The acquisition of external research funds is seen as an important instrument in this regard.

Tasks include:

• actively contributing to the activities of the CREATE project, in particular through coordination of the Amsterdam Time Machine city history program (0.2 FTE);
• developing, coordinating and providing education within the bachelor's and master's in History in consultation with others, both in the field of (modern) Dutch History and also within more general subjects of History;
• supervising bachelor and master theses and possibly PhD research;
• conducting scientific research in the field of the research group, leading to scientific publications;
• acquiring external funds for research projects;
• integrating new research insights into education;
• making an active contribution to the development and implementation of improvements in didactics and / or content of education;
• performing administrative and management tasks.

• Relevant promotion, or a set promotion date that falls before the start of the contract, in the field of early modern and/or modern and contemporary urban history;
• experience with digital methods of historical research, in particular with software for accessing and querying data (for example SPARQL);
• experience with research and excellent research skills, as evidenced by publications in leading scientific journals and collections;
• some years of experience in university education at various levels and demonstrable didactic skills and qualities, evidenced by an education portfolio or the BKO's possession;
• experience in an academic position where research and education are combined;
• affinity with the use of ICT in academic education;
• able to function in more than one educational program;
• extensive organizational experience and skills;
• reliable team player;
• thorough command of Dutch and English.

The Assistant professor will be placed in the History, European Study and Religious Studies (GER) department, History department.

Fixed-term contract: two years.

The employment contract is initially temporary for a period of two years. If the performance is positively assessed, the employment contract is then converted into an employment contract for an indefinite period. Commencement of employment contract is as soon as possible (between 1 March and 1 August 2020).

The scope of the employment contract is 38 hours per week (1.0 FTE), of which 40% for research tasks and 60% for educational and other tasks. The UFO profile of university lecturer applies to this position (salary scale 11/12, depending on relevant work experience). The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities (Cao NU) 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.

Faculty of Humanities – Department of History, European Studies and Religious Studies

The Faculty of Humanities provides education and conducts research with a strongly international profile in a large number of disciplines in the field of language, history, and culture. Located in the heart of Amsterdam, the Faculty maintains close ties with many cultural institutions in the capital city. Almost 1,400 employees are affiliated with the Faculty, which has about 7,000 students. The Faculty of Humanities consists of eight departments.