[aimsl] Call - Professor of Social Sciences, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences (Univ of Amsterdam, NL)

[Karl van Meter]

Deadline: 8 July 2022


Professor of Social Sciences
University of Amsterdam Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences

Professor for the Endowed Chair of Metropolitan Challenges, with a
Particular Focus on Amsterdam

Faculty/Services: Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences
Closing date: 8 juli 2022
Vacancy number: 9170

The Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences of the University of
Amsterdam, in collaboration with the City of Amsterdam, is looking for a
professor for the endowed chair of metropolitan challenges, with a
particular focus on Amsterdam. This chair, also known as the Wibaut
chair, was established in 1991 by the Amsterdam city council and is
intended for the study of metropolitan challenges in Amsterdam. The
chair has been held successively by Willem Heinemeijer, Annemieke
Roobeek, Jan Terlouw, Geert Mak, Paul Scheffer and Zef Hemel. The
candidate is appointed for a period of five years, with the possibility
of one five-year extension. Within the thematic context of the chair,
the chair holder has freedom to develop her own research focus.

What will you do

The chair's key objective is to elaborate research on the theme of
'individual and community' and the related topics of sense of community,
shared reponsible and equal opportunities.

The municipality of Amsterdam has the ambition to strengthen connections
and trust amongst citizens, and between citizens and the government, in
the superdiverse city of Amsterdam. This ambition involves efforts to
make Amsterdam a city for and by Amsterdammers. Marginalized
Amsterdammers should feel heard and represented and see opportunities to
pursue their dreams in Amsterdam. The mayor of Amsterdam has prioritized
the state-citizen relationship theme for the coming years.

The chair holder will be asked to conduct research into relationships
between the municipality, citizens, businesses and civil society in
order to contribute to enhancing connections, trust and solidarity
between these parties. Such research can contribute to debates on
strengthening urban community and on state-citizen relationships in
Amsterdam. The chair holder is asked to focus on new forms and practices
of urban democracy in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area. The relationship
with (political, cultural, socio-economic and spatial) inequalities is
of particular importance here.

The City of Amsterdam is particularly interested in strengthening
political community on a local level as a strategy to promote equal
opportunities and prosperity. The chair holder could, for example,
conduct research into local wealth creation (community wealth building),
whereby employment and income remain within the community, or into
networked forms of collaboration through which collective facilities are
developed and managed (commoning). The chair holder’s research should
contribute to Amsterdam's ambition to develop as a human-centred
metropolis and the chair holder will be expected to provide input for
the program Amsterdam 750 years: “We make the city together” (2025).

The chair holder is asked to conduct research into the topics described
above and to disseminate this knowledge through publications and
teaching. Methodologically, quantitative, qualitative and participatory
research methods are all valued. Ideally, the research should be
conducted in a comparative perspective, comparing Amsterdam with other
metropolitan regions. The comparison could result in translating best
practices from other contexts to Amsterdam, but can also serve a broader
reflexive purpose, leading to a better understanding of the Amsterdam
situation.

The chair holder is expected to develop her own research in dialogue
with the Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences of the University of
Amsterdam and the urban strategy team of the Municipality of Amsterdam.
She is also expected to act as a critical sparring partner for city’s
Mayor and Aldermen. The chair holder is also expected to make an active
effort, in collaboration with the urban strategy team of the
Municipality of Amsterdam, to share knowledge about the city with a
broad audience and to contribute to putting urban issues on the policy
agenda of urban, national and international authorities.

Within the University of Amsterdam, the collaboration focusses on the
domain of Social Sciences and the Department of Human Geography,
Planning and International Development Studies at the Faculty of Social
and Behavioral Sciences. The chair holder is expected to collaborate
with researchers in the field of urban socio-spatial inequality and/or
urban planning, for instance through co-authoring publications and
supervising junior researchers. Collaboration with the Inequality
Knowledge Center also falls within the scope of the chair. Furthermore,
a contribution to teaching in the field of urban inequality is expected,
in the form of lectures and working groups (potentially varying from BSc
to PhD level).

Tasks

Conducting scientific research in the field of metropolitan issues and
community building, in dialogue with research carried out within the
Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences of the University of
Amsterdam;
Independently advise the Amsterdam city council, supported by the urban
strategy team of the municipality of Amsterdam;
Initiating and coordinating research projects within the thematic
context of the chair;
Initiating and supervising PhD research;
Academic teaching in relation to the special expertise in the field of
the chair and the candidate’s wider experience;
Building and maintaining an (inter)national network and participation in
(inter)national projects;
Sharing knowledge about topics relevant to the chair with a wide
audience.
What do you bring

The candidate is expected to meet the following requirements:

Ability to conduct scientific research, as evidenced by a PhD and
regular academic publications;
National and international standing within the professional field;
Competence to provide scientific education;
To act as an independent and critical sparring partner for the Amsterdam
city government;
In possession of a large (international) network;
Ability to interpret Amsterdam’s challenges within international
perspective;
Ability to communicate effectively with scientists and officials as well
as with a broad non-scientific audience;
Demonstrable experience with valorisation of knowledge both within and
outside an academic setting.

What we offer

The candidate will receive a temporary appointment at the Municipality
of Amsterdam for a period of five years (2022-2027) for 2 days a week
(0.4 FTE). (For candidates who would like to combine the chair with an
appointment abroad, we are open to an arrangement that would enable the
combination of those two positions.) The start date can be determined in
consultation. The salary is between a minimum of € 5,931 and a maximum
of € 8,552 gross per month based on a 36-hour working week (scale 16) in
keeping with the Collective Labor Agreement for municipal officials. In
addition, the municipality of Amsterdam offers an extensive package of
fringe benefits, including 8% holiday pay and an end-of-year bonus of
8.3%.

What we offer in addition

The municipality of Amsterdam assists the research of the Wibaut chair
by providing financial and practical support. This can include
organizing meetings, deploying trainees or financing specific research
projects. The appointment affords the chair holder with access to
qualitative and quantitative data about Amsterdam from the Research
Information & Statistics (OIS) department. In addition, the chair holder
will be helped to gain access to researchers at various organisations
within and outside the municipality of Amsterdam and to various
regional, national and international networks. Finally, working together
with the urban strategy team provides an opportunity to collaborate with
a passionate, multidisciplinary and independent team that works closely
together with to the board of the Mayor and Alderman and its top
advisors.

About us

The University of Amsterdam is the largest university in the
Netherlands, with the broadest spectrum of degree programmes. It is an
intellectual hub with 39,000 students, 6,000 employees and 3,000
doctoral students who are all committed to a culture of inquiring minds.

A challenging work environment with a variety of duties and ample scope
for individual initiative and development within an inspiring
organization. The social and behavioral sciences play a leading role in
addressing the major societal challenges faced by the world, the
Netherlands and Amsterdam, now and in the future.

The chair is placed within the Department of Human Geography, Planning
and International Development Studies of the Faculty of Social and
Behavioral Sciences of the University of Amsterdam. As a researcher, the
chair holder becomes a member of the Amsterdam Institute of Social
Science Research (AISSR). The department as well as the research
institute belong to the international scientific top of geography and
planning, international development studies and the social sciences. As
a member of the scientific staff, the chair holder benefits from all the
conditions – inspiring colleagues, support in the acquisition and
organization of research, various forums for scientific debate – offered
by the department, the research institute and the faculty.

Questions

For questions please contact:

Dr. Jochem de Vries, Department Chair Human Geography, Planning and
International Development Studies, j.dev...@uva.nl, tel: +31205256052

Job Application

Do you recognize yourself in the job profile? Then we look forward to
receiving your application by 8 July 2022.

Applications in .pdf should include:

a curriculum vitae;
a letter of motivation.
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, reach out to our HR Department directly.
They will gladly help you continue your application.

No agencies please.

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