The Department of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) invites applications for two tenure-track Assistant Professor (Universitair Docent 2) positions in Political Science, starting January 2022 or as soon as possible thereafter.

What are you going to do?

Both assistant professors will be part of the research group ‘Political Economy and Transnational Governance’ (PETGOV). PETGOV explores the transnational integration of markets and economic transactions that have given rise to far-reaching transformations of governance both within and beyond the nation-state. It does so across a range of policy fields, from environmental protection and financial regulation to violent conflict. PETGOV’s exploration of transnational governance focuses on varying forms of contestation and regulation, including multi-level architectures for coordinated learning from local experimentation. For more information on the group and its interests, please consult the website.

Assistant Professor in Europe & Its External Relations

The successful candidate will teach core courses and electives in the Master in Political Science, in its track ‘European Politics and External Relations’, and in the Bachelor in Political Science, in particular in the Minor ‘European Politics and External Relations’. The Master and Minor focus on the wider history of Europe and the European integration and the various challenges Europe confronts in an increasingly globalized world. We are seeking candidates whose teaching and research focuses on the external dimensions of the EU and European policies, broadly defined, in the context of international realignments in both cooperation and competition regarding development, environmental, economic, and technical issues. The successful candidate should bring insights from contemporary debates on international relations and Europe’s place in the world. We are particularly looking for candidates who can help us expand our current geographical coverage with expertise on Europe’s relations with the post-Soviet space, with Sub-Saharan Africa, or with South or Southeast Asia or South America. The search is open with regard to theoretical approaches, including those which are underrepresented in the department, such as postcolonial theory. The search is also open with regard to methodological orientation.

Assistant Professor, Politics of the Global South

The successful candidate will teach core courses and electives in the Bachelor and Master in Political Science, and potentially in interdisciplinary programmes in which politics is a core component. We are seeking candidates whose teaching and research focuses on the international relations, political economy or comparative politics of the Global South, with a substantive focus on political economy (aid, trade, or finance), international organizations, social policy, environmental issues or regional development. The successful candidate should bring insights from contemporary debates on international relations, political economy, transnational governance, and/or postcolonial theory. In terms of regional orientation, we are particularly looking for candidates with expertise on Sub-Saharan Africa, but expertise on Central, South or Southeast Asia is also welcome, complementing the department’s existing strengths on Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and China. The search is open with regard to methodological orientation; we encourage applications from candidates employing innovative approaches ranging from ethnography and participant observation to mixed and quantitative methods.

What do we require of you?

• A PhD in Political Science or closely related field in the social sciences at the time of appointment is required;

• An ongoing research programme and publications, focused on internationally ranked, peer reviewed journals and/or books published by internationally recognized academic publishers;
• A demonstrated interest in the field of Europe’s External Relations (position 1) or in the Politics of the Global South (position 2), and a broad general knowledge of Political Economy, International Relations and/or Comparative Politics;
• Mastery of social science research methods appropriate for the candidate’s research agenda;
• We encourage applications from candidates with regional expertise in Russia and Central Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, complementing the department’s existing strengths on Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and China;
• Ability to provide excellent and inspiring teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels in the Bachelor and Master in Political Science;
• A capacity to teach in English, and a willingness to acquire passive knowledge of Dutch within three years;
• The basic qualification at Dutch universities in higher education (Basiskwalificatie Onderwijs; BKO) certificate, or a willingness to acquire such.

Fixed-term contract: 3 years.

Our offer

The positions are entry-level tenure-track positions with appointments at the level of Assistant Professor (UD2). Appointments at more senior rank are not possible. The appointment will be temporary for three years; after which, a decision on tenure will be taken.

Based on a full-time appointment (38 hours per week) the gross monthly salary will range from €3,637 to €4,978 gross per month (scale 11), depending on experience. The UvA offers an annual 8% holiday allowance and 8,3 % annual bonus. Employees moving from abroad may be eligible to receive part of their salary as a tax-free allowance for up to five years (the 30% rule). The Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities is applicable. 

University of Amsterdam

With over 6,000 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 Social and Behavioural Sciences – Political Science

The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences (FMG) is the largest educational and research institution in the social sciences in the Netherlands. The Faculty serves 7,500 students in numerous Bachelor and Master programmes in Political Science, Sociology, Anthropology, Communication Science, Psychology, Social Geography, Planning and International Development Studies, and Educational Sciences. The academic staff is employed in education as well as research. There are over 1,100 employees at the Faculty, which resides in a number of buildings in the centre of Amsterdam.