Postdoctoral Position in Southeast Asian Politics

The Department of Political Science and the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies, University of Copenhagen (UCPH), invite candidates for a postdoctoral position in Southeast Asian politics.

The position is for 24 months, from 1 October 2021 to 30 September 2023.

Introduction

University of Copenhagen (founded 1479) is a major European research university with 37,500 students and 9,400 staff, located across four campuses in the Danish capital. It is the largest educational institution in Denmark.

Located on an historic campus in the heart of downtown Copenhagen, the Department of Political Science is one of the leading departments of its kind in Europe: it currently has 60 full-time academic staff, 31 PhD researchers, and more than 2100 students.

The Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (NIAS), founded in 1968, is a well-established research centre, with a particular focus on social science and humanities research on contemporary Asia. NIAS has a broad Nordic mandate and a range of partners around the region, but is administratively part of the University of Copenhagen. NIAS runs an academic press, an online library and a very popular podcast series.

For further details, see these webpages:
https://politicalscience.ku.dk/about/
https://nias.ku.dk

Duties and Responsibilities

• Research and publishing in the field of appointment
• Teaching classes related to Southeast Asian politics in the Department of Political Science
• Collaborating on the development of relevant grant and funding applications
• Strategic communication, including podcasts, media, social media and outreach activity

Your Competencies and Opportunities

Competencies

Essential

The candidate must have:

• Obtained a PhD degree in political science or a cognate discipline
• Expertise in Asian studies demonstrated through scholarly networks and collaborations in the region.
• Experience of successfully creating, leading and teaching political science classes at university level
• Proficiency in a Southeast Asian language sufficient to conduct primary research unaided
• Track record of academic publications with well-regarded journals and/or publishers, and/or advanced plans for turning the PhD thesis into such publications
• A research agenda related to political science debates, as pertaining to the comparative or international politics of Southeast Asia
• Ability to play an active role in the extremely successful Nordic Asia Podcast Channel

Desirable

Preferably, the candidate will also have:

• Experience of presenting academic papers at international conference and seminars
• Experience in engaging with and presenting to external users of academic research
• Experience in working on research grants from international sources

Strategy of the Faculty of the Social Sciences

The Department of Political Science is part of the Faculty of the Social Sciences. The Faculty is a successful academic community that strives to put knowledge into action by:

• Engaging partners in the co-creation of knowledge, learning and social change.
• Empowering our students to become reflective and responsible citizens who have the vision, the knowledge and the competences to change society for the better.
• Energising global, European and Danish communities of knowledge by innovating research methodologies and by research findings with impact

For more on the Faculty strategy, see: https://samf.ku.dk/fakultetet/strategi/ .

The Department of Political Science has a strategic plan addressing current challenges with four main areas of focus: impact, internationalization, academic environment and revenue. You can read the Department’s strategy here https://politicalscience.ku.dk/about/strategy-plan/

Terms of Employment

The recruitment process
Further information on the recruitment process at University of Copenhagen can be found here:  https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/

An Equal Opportunity Workplace
The University of Copenhagen is committed in its pursuit of academic excellence to equality of opportunity and to creating an inclusive working environment and therefore encourages all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of personal background, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, ethnicity etc. For more on the diverse working place environment at the University and the University’s participation in the HRS4R HR Excellence in Researrch, see https://employment.ku.dk/working-at-ucph/eu-charter-for-researchers/

International applicant?
The University of Copenhagen offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including support before and during your relocation and career counselling to expat partners. Please find more information about these services as well as information on entering and working in Denmark here: https://ism.ku.dk/

Contact information
Additional information about the position can be obtained from Duncan McCargo, e-mail: [email protected] , phone +45 353-24628.

Further information about the application procedure is available from HR, e-mail: [email protected] . Please refer to ID number 211-0830/21-2I #1.

How to apply
Submit a complete application at our online portal. Click on the “Apply now” icon at the bottom of the page to apply. The documents must be in Adobe PDF or Word. 

Your application must be written in English and include the following documents:

• Cover letter explaining your motives for applying
• Curriculum vitae
• Diplomas (Phd, master and bachelor)
• Two sample publications or conference papers

The closing date for applications is July 29,  2021, 23:59 CEST.

Applications or enclosures received thereafter will not be considered.

Part of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), and among Europe’s top-ranking universities, the University of Copenhagen promotes research and teaching of the highest international standard. Rich in tradition and modern in outlook, the University gives students and staff the opportunity to cultivate their talent in an ambitious and informal environment. An effective organisation – with good working conditions and a collaborative work culture – creates the ideal framework for a successful academic career.