Assistant Professor (Universitair Docent) in Social and Cultural Anthropology

Are you an anthropologist dedicated to excellent research, teaching and making an impact both within and outside academia? Do you operate well in teams and feel committed to your colleagues, students and the people with whom you do research? Then please apply for this vacancy at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam!

Location: AMSTERDAM
FTE: 0.8 - 1

The Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology of Vrije University Amsterdam is searching for an assistant professor to expand its team. We are a research group focused on making a scientific impact within and outside academia. We practice anthropology and ethnography with the direct participation of the people we work with and in the interest of non-academic audiences, from the general public to specific professional groups. We also teach our students ways to apply anthropology in their future careers.

We aim to create a transformative and emancipatory impact on research participants, stakeholders, and society. Research engagement starts by addressing societal demands, challenges, and questions about inequality and injustice. We do not claim instant solutions but try to ask better questions. We are committed to long-term engagement. 

As an assistant professor, you will teach, research, and aim at societal impact. You will play a significant role in our Ethnographic Impact Lab. You are expected to apply for external research funds within the scope of the departmental research program. The standard time allocation is 65% for teaching, 30% for research, and 5% for administrative tasks; external funding might increase research time or time to engage with societal stakeholders. We value outstanding teaching as much as exceptional research.

The department is responsible for a bachelor and master programme in anthropology and contributes to courses taught to students of all disciplines within the Faculty of Social Sciences, as well as the interdisciplinary research master Social Sciences for a Digital Society and to the teaching of the Graduate School of Social Sciences. The bachelor programme is offered in English and Dutch, and the Master's in English. The Master's also offers an innovative Professional Anthropology track. You will teach undergraduate and graduate courses and supervise bachelor's, master's, and PhD research projects and theses.

We seek applicants trained in critical areas of social and cultural anthropology. Candidates with a strong curriculum in qualitative research methods, such as multimodal methodologies, are encouraged to apply. To complete our team, we particularly welcome candidates with expertise in critical studies of decoloniality and indigeneity; climate change, natural resources, and environment; digital society and technology; and anthropologists working on conflicts, borders, and identities. You will have considerable autonomy to develop your line of research. However, we expect you to broadly engage one of two research themes from the national Sectorplan for Social Sciences: "Inequality & diversity" or "Human impact and new technology".

Alongside our teaching and research, we are establishing the Ethnographic Impact Lab to frame and reinforce our research group's engagement outside academia. You will help build the Lab and explore what impact we could have and how to give substance to our work's collaborative, engaged nature.

The Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology is an international community. It maintains a relatively flat hierarchy in which the views and ideas of assistant professors are taken into consideration just as much as those of full professors. All staff members play an active role in creating a safe and stimulating academic environment. We seek a colleague who can balance personal ambition with a willingness to take on communal work within the academic collective. We are particularly interested in applicants who will enrich our departmental staff's diversity. Being a good team player is necessary.

Ideally, you can assume your duties by April 1 2024, or soon after that date.

Your duties

• Teach courses in social and cultural anthropology at the bachelor's and master's levels in Dutch and English.
• Supervise bachelor and master students and co-supervise PhD students.
• Conduct research, both alone and in teams, resulting in internationally recognized, peer-reviewed publications.
• Apply for external research funding.
• Contribute to efforts of our department to make anthropology matter and have an impact on society.
• Contribute actively to the scholarly community of the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, including taking on administrative tasks.

• You hold a PhD in anthropology or a related discipline with substantial work experience.
• You have an attractive research agenda and an excellent publication record, assessed against the time since completing your PhD.
• You have demonstrable skills in writing competitive external research grant applications.
• You have experience with high-quality teaching, and you have a well-informed opinion about appropriate and innovative teaching styles and techniques.
• You hold a Basic Teaching Qualification (BKO) or are willing to acquire this within two years from appointment.
• You have made demonstrable efforts to impact science and society positively.
• You have an excellent command of English and Dutch, or, for non-Dutch speakers, you are willing to acquire a working knowledge of the language within two years from appointment.
• You are willing and able to reside in the Netherlands.

We offer an inspiring position in a highly committed team within a societally engaged university and a vibrant international city. The job profile is based on the university job ranking system Universitair Docent 2 (UFO) and is vacant for 0.8-1.0 FTE. Full-time remuneration amounts to a minimum gross monthly salary of €4.332 (scale 11) and a maximum of €5.929 (scale 11), depending on your education and experience. The initial employment contract is for 18 months and will be changed into a permanent contract if you perform well.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam additionally offers excellent fringe benefits and various schemes and regulations to promote a good work/life balance, such as:

• A maximum of 41 days of annual leave, based on full-time employment.
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
• A solid pension scheme (ABP), contribution to commuting expenses.
• An optional model for designing a personalized benefits package.

The ambition of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is clear: to contribute to a better world through outstanding education and ground-breaking research. We strive to be a university where personal development and commitment to society play a leading role. A university where people from different disciplines and backgrounds collaborate to achieve innovations and to generate new knowledge. Our teaching and research encompass the entire spectrum of academic endeavor – from the humanities, the social sciences and the natural sciences through to the life sciences and the medical sciences.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is home to more than 31,000 students. We employ over 5,000 individuals. The VU campus is easily accessible and located in the heart of Amsterdam’s Zuidas district, a truly inspiring environment for teaching and research.

Diversity
We are an inclusive university community. Diversity is one of our most important values. We believe that engaging in international activities and welcoming students and staff from a wide variety of backgrounds enhances the quality of our education and research. We are always looking for people who can enrich our world with their own unique perspectives and experiences.

Faculty of Social Sciences
The Faculty of Social Sciences examines the major social problems of our time from multiple perspectives. From bullying at school to dealing with transnational immigration, from the rise of populist politicians to creating a self-reliant society. Only at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam you will find all the academic disciplines needed to understand these 'wicked problems': alongside the traditional disciplines such as sociology, anthropology and politics, we also research and teach the new social sciences such as communication science and management & organization science. We do not settle for easy answers in our teaching and research. Our researchers and students are critical thinkers and doers who work together to devise surprising solutions to the problems of today.

Working at the Faculty of Social Sciences means working with colleagues from a range of academic disciplines in an inspiring and personal work and study environment with excellent research facilities. We employ more than 350 staff members, and we are home to around 3,000 students.

Are you interested in this position? Please apply via the application button and upload your cover letter and curriculum vitae before

. Job interviews are scheduled on February 6 and 7; a second round is scheduled on February 15, 2023.

Applications received by e-mail will not be processed.

Vacancy questions
If you have any questions regarding this vacancy, you may contact:

Name: Professor Marjo de Theije
Position: Head of the Department SCA
E-mail: [email protected]

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