Full Professor Anthropology of Health and Health Care

Are you an outstanding scholar with an international reputation and expertise in Medical Anthropology? Do you have strong commitment to teaching and research and have the desire to contribute to academic life in a vibrant anthropology department in one of Europe’s most exciting cities?

The Department of Anthropology at the University of Amsterdam invites applications for the position of Full Professor. We are seeking candidates with an outstanding record of scholarly achievement and expertise in medical anthropology to fulfil an open professorship in the Anthropology of Health and Health Care.

Research at the department is organized in three ‘programme groups’ – Moving Matters; Exploring Diversities; and Health, Care and the Body – under the auspices of the Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR). The position is embedded in the programme group Health, Care and the Body (HCB), a center of excellence for research and teaching in Medical Anthropology that offers a unique setting for collaboration and methodological innovation on health-related topics of vital importance for both society and science. Members of the program group study core themes related to health, care, technology, global health and (bio)medicine in social, cultural and political context, while drawing on different knowledge traditions including anthropology, feminist science studies, empirical ethics, post-colonial theory, and the philosophy of science. HCB is also home to the internationally recognized master program in Medical Anthropology and Sociology and currently hosts numerous research consortia funded by the European Union and NWO among others.

What are you going to do
The successful candidate will perform a key leadership role in research, teaching and management within the department and programme group Health, Care and the Body. You will share scientific and managerial responsibility for the HCB group within the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research, eventually as the program director.

You will pursue innovative research on key contemporary health challenges, including (e.g.,) global pandemics, vaccination programs and resisting citizens, opioid addiction, mental health, disparities in health and health care, health care shortages, and/or the rapidly changing technological landscape of health and medicine. You will be expected to support and advance existing research within the department on health inequalities, global health, the anthropology of biomedicine, planetary health, reproductive health, migration and health, mental health, ethics, emerging health technologies and collaborative methodologies. In the research program of the professorship, health, care and medicine will provide the empirical field for the exploration of the ways that the pursuit of health shapes and is shaped by wider social, political and material factors. You will address questions including how (global) inequalities related to gender, sexuality, race, geopolitics, disability, and class are challenged and (re)produced in the context of medical intervention. You will incorporate a research agenda which builds on comparative ethnographic analysis to offer feminist/post-colonial theoretical insights into social aspects of health and medical practices both locally and globally. Focusing on contemporary and emerging health challenges, you will foster a critical, collaborative and interdisciplinary understanding that foregrounds perspectives and theorizing from non-Northern, non-elite settings.

Preference will be given to candidates with a demonstrated background in medical anthropology, ethnographic research experience that includes the global south, and a commitment to critically engaged anthropology. Experience in teaching multi-modal anthropology or applied anthropology to support the department’s growing visual and applied tracks will be considered a plus.

More generally, the Professorship will play a pivotal and specific function in building bridges and connections with other research groups in the department and the Amsterdam School for Social Science Research. It will foster interdisciplinary dialogue between anthropology, sociology, social geography, and political science within the Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, as well as across and beyond the University.

As a center of medical anthropological education in Europe, our students expect state of the art teaching on critical contemporary issues. As professor, you will impart knowledge to new generations of students through a variety of approaches, particularly focusing on the anthropological sub-fields of medical anthropology, anthropology of science, and critical global health studies.

In this positon, you will

• conduct high quality ethnographic research and publish on salient contemporary issues in the fields of health and illness, care, and the body;
• contribute through educational initiatives to the broad and diverse teaching and research profile of anthropology in Amsterdam;
• perform key managerial tasks at department and programme group level.

Specific responsibilities will include

• teaching, developing and coordinating courses at the Bachelor and Master level in both general anthropology and medical anthropology;
• developing, carrying out and supervising ethnographic research, including the development of own research line in collaboration with junior staff members and other researchers working at the department;
• acquiring and helping to acquire external funding for research (also on behalf of junior researchers);
• active contribution to the academic excellence of the department and to initiatives that foster collegiality, diversity and inclusivity;
• active contribution to the development of medical anthropology in a national and international context;
• disseminating knowledge to a wider audience outside of academia;
• supervising undergraduate and graduate students, including PhD candidates.

What do you have to offer
The following criteria apply:

• PhD in Anthropology;
• a strong general knowledge in medical anthropology is a must, as is experience conducting and teaching ethnographic methods and experience in interdisciplinary research;
• a commitment to the research agenda of the AISSR in general and the Program Group, Health, Care and the Body in particular and knowledge and experience in leading research projects and teams;
• outstanding track record exemplified by a strong publication record;
• successful supervision of PhDs, evidenced by the supervision of at least two PhDs to completion;
• research experience in the global south is considered a plus as is expertise in multi-modal methods;
• proven record of high-quality teaching;
• commitment to public anthropological engagement with non-academic actors;
• a track record in management and commitment to carry out administrative tasks;
• demonstrated commitment to teamwork and collegial exchange as evidenced by a strong service record;
• in possession of Dutch Basic Teaching Qualification (BKO) (or foreign equivalents), or a willingness to acquire such a qualification within 18 months of employment;
• excellent knowledge of spoken and written English. Successful candidates who are not fluent in Dutch will be expected to reach a high level of passive understanding within two years and relative fluency within 5 years (as demonstrated by course completion/exam).

Our offer
The position concerns permanent full-time employment of 38 hours per week, of which 60 percent is to be devoted to teaching and managerial tasks and 40 percent to research. Preferred starting date is 1 August 2025. For this position, the University Job Classification profile “hoogleraar 2” applies. The starting salary depends on past education and relevant work experience, with a minimum salary of €6,648 and a maximum salary of €9.680 gross per month, based on a 38-hour working week (in keeping with scale HL2, as per the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities).

We additionally offer an extensive package of secondary employee benefits, including a generous holiday scheme and year-end bonus. Because we value your continued personal development and professionalisation, we also offer excellent opportunities for study and development.

What else can we offer you

A stimulating work environment with a variety of tasks and ample scope for individual initiative and development within an inspiring organisation. Working at the UvA means working in a critical, independent, innovative and international climate, characterised by an open atmosphere and a genuine engagement with multiple stake-holders in Amsterdam and across the world. 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.

About us
The University of Amsterdam is the largest university in the Netherlands, with the broadest range of courses. An intellectual hub with 39,000 students, 6,000 staff and 3,000 PhD students. Connected by a culture of curiosity. 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.

Curious about our organization and attractive fringe benefits such as a generous vacation plan and development opportunities? Read more about working at the University of Amsterdam here.

Questions

For questions about the position or the department please contact:

• Prof Eileen Moyer, Department Chair e.m.moyer@uva.nl

Job application
If this vacancy speaks to you, but you are uncertain whether you meet all requirements, please do get in touch with us or apply. In light of our department’s commitment to a diverse and inclusive working environment, we strongly encourage applications from qualified candidates who come from groups historically disenfranchised by and underrepresented in Dutch academia.

Do you recognize yourself in the job profile? If so, we are eager to receive:

• a concise statement of motivation (2 pages max.);
• your CV and list of publications;
• a statement outlining research plans (2 pages max.);
• a statement outlining teaching philosophy, including a section on diversity (1-page max.);
• names and addresses of three referees.

All documents should be collected and sent as a single pdf. At this stage of the procedure, please do not send letters of reference or proofs of your academic writing.

The application period closes on 26 August 2024. Applications received after the deadline, which are not sent via the link or are incomplete, will unfortunately not be considered.

Selected candidates will be invited for an interview. First round interviews will be held in October 2024, with a final selection to be made before the end of the year.

The UvA is an equal-opportunity employer. We prioritize diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for everyone. We value a spirit of enquiry and perseverance, provide the space to keep asking questions, and promote a culture of curiosity and creativity.

If you encounter Error GBB451/ GBC451, reach out to our HR Department directly. They will gladly help you continue your application.

No agencies please.

38 hours per week

Nieuwe Achtergracht 166