Postdoctoral Researcher Position, Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen

The Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen, is hiring a postdoctoral researcher for the project “The Transformative Impact of High Ambition Commitments” led by Professor Michele Betsill. The expected starting date is 1 April 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter. The selected candidate will be hired for 2.5 years and is expected to form part of the daily academic environment at the Department of Political Science.

Job description
“The Transformative Impact of High Ambition Commitments” project is funded by the Grundfos Foundation. The project focuses on C40’s Water Safe Cities Accelerator (WCSA), where 17 global cities have committed themselves to ambitious goals to improve urban resilience to water-related risks. Ninety percent of global disasters are accounted for by water-related climate hazards, and cities in low- and middle-income countries are disproportionately affected. These negative impacts will only be exacerbated further by the continuous unfolding of the climate crisis.

Through in-depth case studies in five selected cities, the project will investigate the process of translating WCSA’s high ambition commitments to local policies and on the ground action in different geographical contexts. The case studies will analyze the barriers and opportunities that cities face in the implementation process and how network support from C40 affects cities' ability to achieve their goals. In parallel, the project will explore the potential of the C40 accelerator model, including its partnership with the Grundfos Foundation, to generate catalytic effects that lead to replication and scaling of action through the development of new coalitions, practices, and investments in signatory cities as well as the broader cohort of C40 cities and beyond. Through the project, we strive to inform and inspire cities globally to raise their ambitions and contribute new knowledge on how transnational networks can facilitate implementation of high ambition commitments and generate catalytic effects on the ground in specific cities. The project is a collaboration with the Queen Mary Center at the University of Copenhagen. The postdoctoral researcher will work closely with a new hired project manager who will lead the project’s knowledge co-production approach throughout the research process.

More information about the project can be found here: https://marycenter.ku.dk/nyheder/research-practice-collaboration-to-tackle-immediate-and-future-urban-water-challenges/.

Your tasks
Core tasks will include:

• Designing the case studies, including case selection;
• Collecting and analyzing data, including one-week of fieldwork in each selected city and attending C40 webinars and technical workshops;
• Participating in knowledge co-production activities with the selected cities, C40, and the Grundfos Foundation;
• Writing case study reports and academic articles based on the case studies;
• Contributing to the production and dissemination of practice-oriented deliverables (e.g. webinars and policy briefs);
• Teaching, supervision and examination of undergraduate and post-graduate students at the Department of Political Science. 

In addition to these core tasks, you will have the autonomy to pursue independent research related to the project themes and your own interests.

Your qualifications
The candidate must have obtained or is about to obtain a PhD degree in political science, international relations, geography, urban studies, or related fields.

Beyond this, the preferred candidate will have interdisciplinary competencies that cut across one of more of the following core areas:

• Urban water governance and resilience;
• Transnational environmental governance;
• Knowledge co-production/transdisciplinary sustainability research

The candidate will have strong methodological skills relevant to case study research, a record of academic publications, and an ability to work independently as well as in teams. The position requires excellent English-language oral and written communication skills. Proficiency in French, Spanish or Portuguese is also valued.

Your opportunities
The position offers a range of attractive opportunities for the candidate, including:

• Being part of a vibrant and ambitious international and transdisciplinary team;
• Travelling for fieldwork and working with local partners in selected cities;
• Developing an independent research agenda within the overall project;
• Being part of a leading political science department and its daily activities;
• Engaging in an inter-disciplinary sustainability research environment at UCPH;
• Funding for conferences, additional training, etc.

The Department of Political Science
The Department is a top-ranked European Political Science department, which offers a vibrant, collegial, and pluralist academic working environment for ambitious scholars. The pluralism of Political Science in Copenhagen is evidenced in the various epistemological and methodological approaches as well as subfields adopted by faculty, and in a wide range of core subjects in the MSc programme. The Department’s dynamic environment within international relations and environmental politics is particularly relevant for the announced position.

The Department consists of some 75 faculty members, which currently includes more than 10 tenure-track assistant professors, as well as some 25 PhD students, organized in four main research groups and a few centres.

For more on the Department, please consult our webpage: http://politicalscience.ku.dk/about/.

Strategy of the Faculty of the Social Sciences
The Faculty is a successful academic community that strives to put knowledge into action by:

• Engaging partners in the co-creation of knowledge, learning and social change.
• Empowering our students to become reflective and responsible citizens who have the vision, the knowledge and the competences to change society for the better.
• Energising global, European and Danish communities of knowledge by innovating research methodologies and by research findings with impact

For more on the Faculty strategy, see: https://socialsciences.ku.dk/faculty/strategy/.

Terms of Employment

• Further information on qualification requirements as postdoc can be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities 2019 here: https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/criteria-for-recognising-merit/dokumenter/Ministerial_Order_no._1443_of_11_December_2019_on_Job_Structure_for_Academic_Staff_at_Universities.pdf.
• Terms of appointment and salary is in accordance with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (Akademikerne).
• The salary range starts at DKK 38,576 per month + a 17.1 % contribution to the pension scheme. It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis.

The recruitment process
Further information on the recruitment process at University of Copenhagen can be found here: https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/.

An Equal Opportunity Workplace
The University of Copenhagen is committed in its pursuit of academic excellence to equality of opportunity and to creating an inclusive working environment and therefore encourages all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of personal background, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, ethnicity etc. For more on the diverse working place environment at the University and the University’s participation in the HRS4R HR Excellence in Research, see: https://employment.ku.dk/working-at-ucph/eu-charter-for-researchers/.

The Code of Conduct of the Department of Political Science is available here: https://politicalscience.ku.dk/about/news/2022/code-of-conduct-announced/Plakat_8T_uncoated.pdf.

International applicant?
The University of Copenhagen offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including support before and during your relocation and career counselling to expat partners. Please find more information about the services of International Staff Mobility (ISM) as well as information on entering and working in Denmark here: https://ism.ku.dk/.

Contact information
Information about the recruitment process is available from HR, e-mail: [email protected]. Please refer to ID number: 211-2012/24-2I #1.

Additional information about the position can be obtained from Professor Michele Betsill, e-mail: [email protected].

How to apply
Submit a complete application at our online portal. Click on the “Apply now” icon at the bottom of this page to apply. The documents must be in Adobe PDF or Word. 

Your application must be written in English and include the following documents:

• Motivated application
• Curriculum vitae
• Publication list. The enclosed publications must be marked with *
• Up to three publications or working papers
• Diplomas (PhD, Master, and Bachelor)

Should any material submitted consist of work with named co-authors, or work that is otherwise the result of collective academic endeavors, the extent of the applicant’s contribution to the work must be clearly stipulated. The faculty may ask for a signed statement from the co-authors stipulating the extent and nature of each individual’s contribution.

The closing date for applications is 5 January 2025 at 23:59 CET.

Applications or enclosures received thereafter will not be considered.