The Faculty of Political and Social Sciences at Ghent University is hiring a tenure track Assistant Professor in the field of the European Union in global politics, starting on September 1, 2026. This is a tenure track position with the prospect of a permanent appointment, subject to a positive evaluation of research, teaching, and service performance after the tenure track period.
The new colleague will be affiliated with the Ghent Institute for International and European Studies (GIES) research group in the Department of Political Science.
The Department of Political Science at Ghent University studies the political organisation of societies, how societal decisions are made and, above all, how power is distributed, applied and legitimated in the governance of, and between, societies. The Department investigates politics at multiple levels of governance (local, national, European, global) and through a variety of theoretical lenses and methodological approaches.
The Department organises a Bachelor’s Programme in Political Science and three Master’s Programmes (Political Science: National Politics, Political Science: International Politics, and EU Studies).
The new colleague will become a member of the GIES research group. GIES has built a research profile that encompasses six interrelated research themes, namely:
While these research themes are interlinked, the research group aims to expand its expertise in research theme 5: the EU and the world. The new Assistant Professor will contribute to GIES’ research on the soft dimensions of the EU’s external relations.
Thematically, this research can focus on (contestations of) the EU’s external development, economic, climate, energy and environmental, gender or human rights policies.
At GIES, we embrace the challenge of tackling big questions with societal relevance, such as the global justice implications of the EU’s external actions. Our research and education pays close attention to historical dynamics and is grounded in a commitment to theoretical pluralism, including critical, decolonial and feminist approaches.
The new colleague is expected to contribute to GIES’ expertise in qualitative and/or quantitative research methods, as well as to the research group’s capabilities in attracting external research funding from fundamental scientific and/or applied, policy-relevant funding sources.
The new Assistant Professor is expected to actively contribute to ongoing research, teaching, and service activities in the Department and research group. The position offers an opportunity to strengthen existing initiatives and to develop innovative directions in both research and education.
We are looking for candidates with a proven track record of high-quality and innovative research in the soft dimensions of the EU’s external actions. Candidates should have experience publishing in leading international, peer-reviewed journals and/or with prestigious academic book publishers.
Experience in securing external research funding and in (co-)supervising PhD students, as well as in mentoring early-career researchers and building international and/or interdisciplinary collaborations, will be considered an asset. International academic mobility, whether through study, research stays, lecturing and/or professional collaboration, will also be considered an advantage.
In addition to strong individual research performance, we highly value collegiality and collaboration. The ideal candidate is a team player who supports and inspires both junior and senior colleagues, and who contributes to a respectful, inclusive, and stimulating academic environment.
Candidates should have substantial experience in delivering high-quality academic teaching, as demonstrated by strong teaching evaluations. They should be able to contribute to courses at both the bachelor's and master's levels, for example (but not limited to):
The standard teaching load consists of three courses, alongside the supervision of bachelor’s and master’s theses. Beyond being an excellent teacher, the successful candidate is expected to be an effective educational organizer and an innovative contributor to curriculum development, capable of inspiring both small and large groups of students.
The new colleague will also be expected to actively contribute to internal service tasks, such as participation in the governance of the research group and in departmental, faculty, and university councils and committees. In addition, we expect active engagement in the societal and scientific valorisation of research, for example, by engaging in public debates and contributing to policy advice.