As an Assistant Professor you will be employed in the Department of Education & Pedagogy, sub department CMO at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Utrecht University.

Our department researches issues relating to the optimal development and participation of children and young people in diverse societies. In our research, we link fundamental development en learning tasks of children and young people to social issues such as equity, cultural diversity, social participation and digitalization. We examine how pedagogical contexts and facilities can be optimized in order to improve the development and participation opportunities for all children and young people. Our department strives to integrate scientific research in the design of innovative social arrangements, technology, interventions and tools in the pedagogical arena. Together with other departments we contribute to various degree programmes at Bachelor's, Master's and Research Master's level, such as the Bachelor Pedagogical Sciences, the Masters programs CCFES and YES as well as research masterprograms EDSCI.

The department's research is positioned in the UU research programme on Education and Learning and is embedded in several central strategic themes and focus areas of Utrecht University: Education for Learning Societies (in Dutch), Dynamics of Youth and Institutions for Open Societies.

Your research will be embedded in the department CMO which has a strong research tradition in research-based design and the evaluation of preventive and community based interventions in the area of e.g. child care, early and pre-school teaching, parenting, digitalization of the life world of youth, parenting and care for children with a disability and linguistic diversity.

Your research will be in particular based in the research domain of Intercultural Education (in Dutch: Sociale en Interculturele Pedagogiek), while you will work in collaboration with the other research domains in the department CMO. Intercultural Education in this context stands for the study of pedagogical and educational issues in the context of social and cultural diversity and processes of diversification, social equity and inclusion. With your teaching you will contribute to our the various degree programmes the department contributes to, in particular to the YES Masters’ programme and related courses in our Bachelor.

We are looking in particular for an assistant professor who can strengthen the expertise on cultural diversity and inclusion, migration and globalization relevant for issues of education and pedagogy, as well as the political and societal dynamism around these issues, while expertise on digitalization is an asset. The assistant professor will work in line with the research tradition in the department that seeks to contribute to relevant societal issues related to our research domain.

We are looking for a candidate that brings in relevant knowledge, experience and networks, related to the development of societal relevant perspectives and valorization of research, and is able to work across research domains in the department, and apply this knowledge in both research and the current degree programmes.

Tasks
The position involves 60% teaching activities and 40% research time. The core tasks will include contributing to:

• the Bachelor and Master’s degree programmes within the curriculum of Pedagogical Sciences, in particular the Master’s degree program YES and related courses in the Bachelor Pedagogical Sciences.
• the acquisition of (substantial) research funding for the benefit of the research programme;
• supervision and conducting of research within the scope of the research programme;
• the disseminating of research results and its applications to the research community as well as the general public.

We are looking for someone who:

• holds a PhD degree in the field of the Pedagogical Sciences, or a similar field that covers the domain of youth and education as described above;
• writes and speaks fluently Dutch;
• is able to independently initiate, develop, and carry out high quality research;
• has recently published in major, peer-reviewed scientific journals;
• is able to acquire external research funding;
• has proven to be able to develop research that has social relevance;
• has excellent and proven skills in teaching Bachelor and Master’s degree programmes;
• has experience in co-developing and co-coordinating academic courses;
• is able to provide inspiring lectures, has an eye for the innovation of teaching methods and can apply own research expertise to teaching, as evidenced by positive teaching assessments;
• holds a Basic Teaching Qualification (BKO) from Utrecht University or another Dutch or foreign university, or is willing to acquire this qualification in the near future;
• is fluent in English;
• has excellent interpersonal and communication skills and is able to work independently as well as within a team.

The appointment will initially be for 2 years. After a good evaluation of the initial appointment, the position becomes permanent. The salary, depending on qualifications and work experience, will range from a minimum of € 3,637 (salary scale 11) to a maximum of € 5,656 (scale 12) gross per month for a full-time position. 
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 about working at Utrecht University can be found here.

Utrecht University has great ambitions for its teaching quality and study success rates. This also applies to its clear research profiles that are centred on four themes: Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Pathways to Sustainability. Utrecht University plays a prominent role in our society and contributes to finding the answers to topical and future societal issues.

The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences is one of the leading faculties in Europe providing research and academic teaching in cultural anthropology, educational sciences, interdisciplinary social science, methods and statistics, pedagogical sciences, psychology, and sociology. Research and teaching activities are concentrated in five areas: Behaviour in Social Contexts; Child and Adolescent Studies; Cognitive and Clinical Psychology; Education and Learning; and Methodology and Statistics.

More than 5,600 students are enrolled in a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programmes. The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences has some 850 faculty and staff members, all providing their individual contribution to the training and education of young talent and to the research into and finding solutions for scientific and societal issues.