Assistant Professor in Political Science, Specialization in International Relations

Are you an enthusiastic international relations scholar with a passion for education Do you conduct research at and on the intersections of militarism war and technology Are you interested in what such intersections mean for the emergence of new types of conflict and political orders Then we have the perfect challenge for you! Come join our team at the University of Amsterdam.

The Department of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor (Universitair Docent) position in Political Science with a specialization in critical approaches to international relations and conflict. We are particularly interested in candidates with a research focus on the interrelation between state and non-state actors such as corporations and commercial actors.

In addition candidates require academic teaching experience in introductory and advanced courses in international relations and ideally (qualitative) political science methods so that they can contribute to our international diverse and broad political science (under-)graduate programmes within the College and Graduate School Social Sciences.

The core tasks of the successful candidate will be teaching (0.6 fte) and research (0.4 fte). You will occasionally fulfil organizational tasks and committee work in the wider context of the Department of Political Science.

You are asked to teach introductory and advanced courses in international relations and conflict in the BA and MA programmes of the Department of Political Science. Occasionally you may also teach courses that are part of the core curriculum of the BA program. You may also be asked to teach in an interdisciplinary BA or (Res)MA-programme associated with the Department of Political Science.

For research we are interested in candidates who can offer innovative and critical theoretical and empirical contributions to literatures and debates on the intersections of militarism war and technology the changing nature of conflict emergent political orders and relations between state and non-state actors such as corporations. Your research will be affiliated with the Programme Group Transnational Configurations Conflict and Governance (TCCG) housed in the Department of Political Science and the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR). For more information on the group and its interests please consult You will actively contribute to the development of the research programme of TCCG by publishing in international scholarly journals or books by co-supervising junior researchers and by submitting grant applications. The Department of Political Sciences appreciates scholarly outreach to professionals and the wider public.

Core tasks

Teaching general and specialist courses in international relations and conflict at both undergraduate and post-graduate levels and involvement in post-graduate supervision;

Developing conducting and supervising high quality academic research on the topics mentioned above;

(Participating in) acquiring external research funding;

Contributing to the research programme of the Programme Group TCCG and the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research through scholarly publications and engagement in local national and international networks.

• A completed doctoral thesis in Political Science with demonstrated expertise in the field of international relations;
• Substantial academic teaching experience on a breadth of topics within the discipline / scope of the profile and on a variety of teaching formats such as lectures seminars and supervision including (partially) independently designed courses;
• Well-developed teaching and didactic vision showing demonstrated capacity to inspire and activate students encourage in-class interaction address contemporary classroom issues such as AI sensitive or topical issues and foster bridges between academia and society;
• The ability to work both as an independent professional and as a team player with a commitment to diversity and inclusion;
• Affinity with teaching students from other tracks within political science and from interdisciplinary programmes within and beyond your own specialization;
• An ongoing research programme and publications focused on international peer reviewed journals and/or books published by internationally recognised academic presses;
• The ability to develop and submit competitive research grant proposals;
• A capacity to teach in English and/or Dutch 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.

A challenging disciplinary and interdisciplinary work environment with a variety of duties and ample scope for individual initiative and development within an inspiring organisation. To work at the University of Amsterdam 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.

We offer a temporary full-time contract (38 hours per week) of 18 months with a probationary period of two months. If the employee performs well and continues in the same job an employment contract for an indefinite period will follow. However urgent financial and/or organisational reasons may be reason not to continue the employment contract. Preferred starting date is 1 January 2027.

Salary depends on past education and relevant work experience. For this position the University Job Classification profile Universitair Docent (UD 2 or UD1) applies with a minimum salary of 4728 and a maximum salary of 7297 gross per month based on full-time employment for a 38-hour working week in keeping with salary scale 11 or 12 as per the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities. We additionally offer an extensive package of secondary benefits including a generous holiday allowance and a year-end bonus. Applicants from abroad may be eligible for the 30% tax incentive scheme over a period of five years. Parental leave is standard for 16 weeks. Because we value your continued personal development and professionalisation we also offer excellent opportunities for study and development.

On top of these renumerations we offer you a position in which initiative and input are highly valued an enthusiastic and warm team that is open to new colleagues and an inspiring academic and international working environment in the heart of Amsterdam.

The University of Amsterdam is the largest university in the Netherlands with the broadest spectrum of degree programmes. It is an intellectual hub with 39000 students 6000 employees and 3000 doctoral students who are all committed to a culture of inquiring minds. The social and behavioural sciences play a leading role in addressing the major societal challenges faced by the world the Netherlands and Amsterdam now and in the future.

The Department of Political Science is a large department part of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences (FMG). The Department of Political Science strives for thematic breadth and methodological and epistemological pluralism. Teaching is offered both in English and in Dutch in BA- and (Res)MA-programmes that offer options for thematic and methodological specialization. Research is integrated in the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research. The AISSR is one of the largest and most prolific social science research institutes in Europe. It offers ample opportunities for collaboration and exchange with scholars from other fields of political science as well as the other social sciences.

We strive for excellence in a caring institute. We wish to reflect society in all aspects as we believe that this improves the dynamics in our organization. Therefore we support and understand the need for a work/life/family balance and consequently varying working hours and places. We believe that doing good science is fun and goes hand in hand with an ambitious yet friendly culture.

If you recognize yourself in this profile and are interested in the role we look forward to receiving your motivation letter outlining your potential contribution to the education and research programmes mentioned above. Please also submit your CV including (i) past work experience and qualifications (research teaching and/or management) (ii) your research interest(s) and (iii) a list of addition we also want to ask you for a single-page teaching statement explaining your teaching experience ambition and vision.

You can apply via the red button until 25/06/2026. Interviews will take place in September 2026.

For questions about the vacancy you can contact: Polly Pallister-Wilkins ()

For technical and procedural questions you can contact Digna van der Woude department manager Political Science at the University of Amsterdam (). In case of equal suitability the internal candidate is preferred over the external candidate.