Two Ph.D. Research Fellowships

 Universityof Amsterdam, Political Science Department
ERC Project “Diasporas and Contested Sovereignty”

Two four-year Ph.D. Fellowships are available within the Project “Diasporas and Contested Sovereignty,” sponsored by the European Research Council (ERC), and to be conducted at the University of Amsterdam under the supervision of Dr. Maria Koinova. The University of Amsterdam has an internationally acclaimed research profile and is a member of the League of European Research Universities. Its Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences is the largest in the social sciences in the Netherlands.

A team of four researchers (PI, post-doc, two Ph.D. researchers) will investigate the transnational mobilization of conflict-generated diasporas in Europe and their impact on polities experiencing contested sovereignty in the Balkans, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. The team aspires to answer an overarching question: does the mobilization of conflict-generated diasporas in liberal states have a mitigating or exacerbating effect on political conflict in the original homelands?  The overall project focuses on five levels of analysis: 1) the attitudes of elite and non-elite individuals, 2) characteristics of specific groups, 3) five nation-states with different migrant incorporation regimes (France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the UK), 4) diaspora linkages to supranational EU and global institutions, and 5) diaspora mobilization patterns specific to each of the three conflict-prone regions. Complementing the results of the comparative studies, the project will also conduct a cross-country representative survey to capture attitudes of non-elite individuals in 25 country-groups.

 Candidates with academic background in comparative politics, international relations, transnationalism, migration, foreign policy analysis, or other relevant post-graduate experience are encouraged to apply. Prior qualitative and/or quantitative methods training is highly desirable. One Ph.D. researcher will focus on the Bosnian diaspora mobilization in selected EU countries for the post-conflict reconstruction process in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The other Ph.D. researcher will focus on the Iraqi diaspora in Europe andIraq. Linguistic skills are required: Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian -  for Ph.D. researcher 1, and Arabic for Ph.D. researcher 2. Researchers will be expected to do multi-sited research both inEuropeand Bosnia-Herzegovina/Iraq, assist with the organization of project-related events, attend courses within the Ph.D. program, write a dissertation and other publications, and teach in the field of political science.

Gross monthly salary will be €2.042 in the first year and will reach € 2.612 during the fourth year based on full-time employment, in accordance with regulations for Dutch universities. The project also offers field research subsidy, and opportunities to travel to academic conferences.

Interested candidates should submit:

1)      a two page motivation letter covering why they will be a good fit, individual research experience, and team working skills;

2)      detailed CV;

3)      research proposal/essay;

4)      single-authored academic paper (max. 20 pages double space) or existing publication;

5)      two recommendation letters from academic faculty.

Applications should be sent to sollicitaties-fmg@uva.nl by March 15, 2012.
More information could be obtained from: http://www.uva.nl/vacatures/vacatures.cfm/62724DE7-62E2-444D-9A61F74BF040CFC0

Informal inquiries could be addressed to Dr. Maria Koinova at m.v.koinova@uva.nl

The starting date is September 1, 2012.

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