Postdoc Position: Women’s Groups and Post-Conflict Development in Southeast Asia

The Centre for International Conflict Analysis and Management (CICAM), part of the Department of Political Science at Radboud University, is looking for a postdoctoral researcher to work on the ’Women’s Groups and Post-Conflict Development’ project led by Dr Shelli Israelsen, the project's principal investigator (PI).

The project investigates how women's groups navigate the challenges of conflict/post-conflict environments to promote women's political and economic development. The project seeks to: (1) identify the conditions under which women's groups form in the post-conflict period; (2) determine the factors that make some women's groups more effective than others in advocating for women's issues; (3) analyse how women's groups' membership profiles (e.g. former female combatants vs. civilian women), organisational structure, and goals affect group efficacy and; (4) ascertain how differences in wartime vs. peacetime dynamics affect relations among different women's groups and hinder/promote their ability to represent women's interests.

You will conduct research on the impact of women’s groups in promoting women’s participation in post-conflict society using qualitative methods to analyse data you will help collect while doing field research in any of the conflict/post-conflict countries in Southeast Asia (Myanmar/Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, etc.) and/or Sri Lanka.

You will conduct this research both independently and in collaboration with the project team, which includes Dr Shelli Israelsen as project lead/principal investigator and a PhD candidate who will start in late 2025. You will write and co-author academic publications, help organise workshops and participate in academic conferences with other project team members.

You will help with knowledge sharing and outreach in the project and help train the PhD candidate in appropriate theory and methods. You will also help create and facilitate opportunities for Master's degree research (e.g. postgraduate theses) within the project, and contribute to departmental teaching/supervision within the range of your expertise.

Ultimately, the project aims to identify best practices for women’s groups in their goal to help create politically active and economically independent women in post-conflict societies.

This postdoctoral researcher position involves 20% teaching duties (including thesis supervision).

Requirements:

Requirements:

• You have a PhD in Political Science, International Relations or Conflict Studies (or a related discipline).
• Your research interests include women and conflict, women-led peacebuilding, women and post-conflict development and/or women and political participation, as evidenced by articles published in peer-reviewed journals and/or conference presentations.
• You have a strong command of qualitative research methods, including interviews, focus groups and discourse/content analysis.
• You have experience collecting data and conducting research in post-conflict societies in Southeast Asia (Myanmar/Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, etc.) and/or Sri Lanka.
• You are fluent in English (excellent oral and written communication skills).
• You can work both independently and in a team.
• You are able to teach classes related to gender and conflict, the politics of Southeast Asia, and/or political science methods (broadly defined).

Desirables:

• You have conducted field work in countries in Southeast Asia that are experiencing or have experienced conflict, particularly Myanmar/Thailand and/or Sri Lanka.
• You are fluent in a language spoken in any of the post-conflict countries in Southeast Asia and/or Tamil/Sinhala.
• You have experience teaching and supervising undergraduate students.

Salary Benefits:

• We will give you a temporary employment contract of 2 years.
• Your salary starts at € 4,227 gross per month (salary scale 10, step 5) and progresses further within salary scale 10. The amounts in the scale are based on a 38-hour working week.
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus.
• You will be able to use our Dual Career and Family Support Service. The Dual Career Programme assists your partner via support, tools, and resources to improve their chances of independently finding employment in the Netherlands. Our Family Support Service helps you and your partner feel welcome and at home by providing customised assistance in navigating local facilities, schools, and amenities. Also take a look at our support for international staff page to discover all our services for international employees.
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20.

Work and science require good employment practices. This is reflected in Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions. You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself, for example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports subscription. And of course, we offer a good pension plan. You are given plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.

38 hours per week

Houtlaan 4