The Chair International Development Studies (IDS) is one of the core Chairs at the Department of Human Geography, Planning and International Development Studies in the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences of the University of Amsterdam. The position of full professor in International Development Studies will become available July 2021.

 The Chair International Development Studies will be located in the Governance and Inclusive Development (GID) programme group which is currently led by Joyeeta Gupta, Professor on Environment and Development in the Global South. International Development Studies at the UVA has recently been ranked as 17th worldwide (QS World University Rankings). The new professor will be expected to bring in additional expertise in International Development Studies and preferably experience in Africa and/or Asia. The professor needs to be well versed in mixed methods, combining quantitative, qualitative, and spatial analysis. In particular, we are looking for a professor who is skilled in quantitative methods. The candidate’s work should fit in a social science environment and a department where IDS interacts closely with Geography and Planning.

 We are looking for a professor who is willing to further develop the research and teaching ambitions of the group while also having a specific niche of expertise. We are looking for someone who is willing to actively, critically and constructively engage with the Sustainable Development Goals as they pertain to both the Global North and Global South, with the concept of inclusive development and has a specific niche area in which he or she is a globally recognized scholar. We are looking for both an academic leader and a team player. We are also looking for someone with a proven track record of project acquisition from a network of funding agencies, and who has an impressive set of PhD supervisions successfully completed.

The professor will also have to spend a substantial proportion of his/her time in teaching. In the department, professors have to teach a minimum of 30 percent of their time. Teaching skills are thus critical.

 For a full description of the position see our website.

The full professor has:

• internationally recognized expertise in multi-level development transformation processes that affect social, political and economic transitions;
• a clear vision about the future direction of international development studies;
• knowledge of the IDS field ranging from local to international issues; of the different theories of development, alternative development and sustainable development; of the role of government and governance; with an understanding of the relevant social, economic, political, cultural and spatial aspects; and of the contributions of the different actors – public, non-state, private industry and community actors – to development;
• affinity with the research themes of the group;
• research experience in the Global South but preferably in Africa and/or Asia;
• solid experience in interdisciplinary research combining the different Social Sciences, demonstrated skills in mixed methods research combining qualitative and quantitative analysis (and preferably also knowledge of GIS and remote sensing analysis, analysis of big data, affinity with spatial analysis); extensive experience in and appreciation for field research connecting local realities with global issues;
• proven experience in acquisition of research funding at national, European and international levels, as well as project management skills;
• published extensively in internationally refereed journals;
• an excellent teaching and supervision record at Bachelor’s and (Research) Master’s level;
• experience in initiating and managing teaching and research programmes, including supervision of PhD candidates;
• proven academic leadership and management qualities, capable of inspiring and managing an interdisciplinary team; and
• a strong position in international research, development policy and practice networks.

Our offer

The position concerns a full-time employment for 38 hours per week. Depending on qualifications and experience, the gross monthly salary will range from € 5.749 to € 8.371 based on full-time employment for a 38-hour working week (in keeping with scale H2, as per the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities. Secondary benefits at Dutch universities are attractive and include an 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end of year bonus.

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.

The Faculty and the Department of Human Geography, Planning and International Development Studies

The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences (FMG) is the largest social science education and research institution in the Netherlands. The Faculty serves approximately 9,000 students in numerous Bachelor's and Master's programmes in Political Science, Sociology, Anthropology, Communication Science, Psychology, Human Geography, Urban and Regional Planning, International Development Studies and Educational Sciences. The academic staff is employed in education as well as in research. There are over 1,200 employees at the Faculty, located in a number of buildings in the centre of Amsterdam.

The Department of Human Geography, Planning and International Development Studies is one of the seven departments in the FMG. Research and education are carried out by special institutes. The Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR) is responsible for research in the Social Sciences. The College of Social Sciences (CSS) and the Graduate School of Social Sciences (GSSS) are responsible for undergraduate and graduate teaching programmes in the Social Sciences.

Research and teaching in the Department of Human Geography, Planning and International Development Studies is organized in four thematic programme groups: Governance and Inclusive Development (GID), Geographies of Globalizations (GOG), Urban Geographies (UG) and Urban Planning (UP).