Konfliktforsker Østafrika - DIIS Etnografi

The Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) is recruiting a time limited, fully funded postdoc on the research project ‘Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire: Uncovering Scorched Earth Tactics Through Remote Sensing (FIRES)’, starting on March 1, 2027, or shortly thereafter.

About the position

The task of the postdoc is to propose and conduct a well-defined, ethnographically grounded case study through which to examine the deliberate destruction of settlements, livelihoods and/or cropland in internal wars up close: not only where and when it occurs, but what it is embedded in, what it is meant to accomplish, and how it is understood both by those who carry it out and by those who live through it. We are particularly interested in candidates who can situate such intentional burning within wider repertoires of raiding and predation in civil wars — the seizure of livestock, people and labor; the displacement of, and assertion of claims over, peripheral populations — and who can develop, conceptually, what such tactics reveal about how political authority is made, resisted and evaded in situations of conflict at the margins of states. As examples of well-suited cases, northern Nigeria, Sudan, Ethiopia or South Sudan come to mind.

The qualitative case study is one of two pillars of the project, and the candidate is expected to collaborate closely on joint activities with the project team, which includes familiarization with the project’s remote-sensing stream.

In addition to the postdoc, the team will consist of senior researcher Peer Schouten and researcher Mikael Naghizadeh, who leads the project’s remote-sensing stream, as well as local research partners in case countries. The position is based in Copenhagen, but the candidate is expected to conduct fieldwork, fully funded by the project.

You may expect some travel activity during the postdoc. There are no language requirements besides English.

Who can apply

DIIS as a workplace

We prioritize a high degree of presence but want our employees to have a good work-life balance. Therefore, we offer flexible working hours and some possibility of working from home. We are located in Copenhagen’s museum quarter, approximately 1 km from the city center with excellent public transportation.

Contract and renumeration

• The position corresponds to 19 months of full-time work and is offered as a 24-month appointment at 80% of full time, starting 1 March 2027.
• We are open to alternative arrangements — full-time over a correspondingly shorter period, or a lower rate of employment over a longer one — depending on the candidate’s other commitments, provided the appointment concludes before the project ends on 30 June 2029. Please indicate any preference in your application; this will not form part of the assessment of your candidacy.

Renumeration and other job conditions follow the general agreement between the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC) and the Danish Ministry of Finance as well as local collective agreements at DIIS. The normal starting salary for a postdoc at DIIS is between DKK 35.494,83 – DKK 42.108,16 excl. pensions (The stated salary is for full-time employment and is adjusted pro rata for part-time appointments). In addition, it is possible to negotiate a personal supplement depending on your qualifications. A pension contribution of 18.07 % is added to the above-mentioned salary.

Candidates from abroad may under certain conditions be eligible for a special researcher tax scheme. The scheme offers a gross tax rate at 27 % plus labor market contributions, totaling 32.84 %, for a period of seven years. Read more about the tax scheme at https://skat.dk/skat.aspx?oid=2244911.

The application

DIIS is a diverse workplace, and we encourage all qualified candidates to apply for this position regardless of age, gender, disabilities, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, or political beliefs.

Your application must include all the following documents:

• A short motivation letter
• Curriculum Vitae
• Master’s and PhD diplomas (or proof that Ph.D. will be obtained before March 2027)
• Documentation of academic qualifications, including a complete list of publications
• Documentation of any policy work and scientific dissemination (media participation, etc.)
• A two-page reflection setting out (a) the case you would propose and why, (b) the theoretical problem you would use it to address, and (c) how this would speak to the project’s overarching question about the logic of destruction in conflict
• A maximum of 3 relevant research publications that you want included in the assessment. If any of the publications that you want included in the assessment are the result of a joint effort, the extent and the nature of your contribution to each individual work must then be clarified in a co-author statement.

Applications go through a shortlisting process before being sent for external assessment. The assessment process may take up to several months depending on the number of applications.

Do you want to know more?

DIIS is an independent public research institution for international studies. We conduct and communicate multidisciplinary research on globalisation, security, development and foreign policy and within these areas we aim to be agenda-setting in research, policy and public debate.

DIIS participates in academic networks and publish in high-ranking academic journals, always striving to excel in academic scholarship.

We continuously assess Denmark’s foreign and political situation and inform the Danish media, politicians and the public about our work.

Denne stilling er publiceret af DIIS via jobnet.dk