Full Professor of International Relations

Employment 0.8 - 1.0 FTE

Gross monthly salary € 7,202 - € 10,441

Required background PhD

Organizational unit Nijmegen School of Management

Application deadline 16 August 2026

The Department of Political Science at the Nijmegen School of Management seeks an inspiring Professor of International Relations who combines academic excellence with visionary leadership. You will drive impactful research and education, foster collaboration across disciplines and strengthen our contribution to addressing major societal and global challenges.

First and foremost, we seek a highly motivated, committed and collaborative candidate to further strengthen our department. As a professor, you will be expected to actively foster collaboration across the groups and contribute to a cohesive, supportive departmental culture in which colleagues feel connected and valued. You will play an important leadership role in the IR group. You must have a convincing and feasible vision on impact and be able to play an active role in enhancing the external visibility of both group and department.

Within the context of the Nijmegen School of Management (NSM) and its multidisciplinary research groups, you will take a leading role in educational and research projects aimed at making impact by explaining and solving contemporary collective action problems. This is part of NSM’s mission to contribute to responsible governance for sustainable societies. You will engage with scholars from economics, environmental studies, human geography, planning, public administration, and business administration.

As Professor of International Relations, you will actively take on a leadership role based on your vision on the development of the field of IR and the contribution the IR group aims to make in research, education and impact. A leadership role also implies taking responsibility for your own tasks, supervising students and assisting/supporting colleagues and participating in managerial tasks of the department, faculty and university. In addition, you will contribute to the multidisciplinary research of the Institute for Management Research (IMR) through joint projects with other IMR researchers, and undertake efforts to acquire new research projects and resources.

You will play a vital role in the visibility of your own research and/or education for science and society. You will create and maintain an extensive network with key players inside and outside academia, thus giving it a pivotal role in stimulating the exchange of experience and ideas between science and society. You will play a coaching and facilitating role enabling staff members to make their own impact.

You will be expected to strengthen education in the Department of Political Science in important ways. You will be responsible for courses on international relations at the Bachelor’s and Master’s levels and also take an active role in programme and course development and in initiating interdisciplinary programmes.

You will perform outstanding research on international relations with colleagues from the Department of Political Science, Nijmegen School of Management, Radboud University and other research institutes/partners in the Netherlands and abroad. Within this context, a major task will be to actively forge and sustain collaborations with other research groups within and outside the multidisciplinary setting or IMR to initiate grant proposals and obtain external funding.

A full job description is available here.

Does this sound like you?

• You are an ambitious and enthusiastic academic, as well as a strong team player, passionate about research, education and impact.
• You have a PhD degree in political science or an adjacent discipline.
• You have a clear understanding of the current and future challenges to the IR field, especially in the domain of security, as well as a clear idea of how to take on these challenges in research, education and impact strategies.
• You have shown your commitment to academic citizenship, both within and outside your previous roles.
• You have outstanding English language skills; if you have not yet mastered the Dutch language, you must be able to teach in Dutch within one to three years.
• You have an excellent academic reputation in International Relations research, evidenced by a strong publication record in internationally recognised high-quality journals, edited volumes and/or as the author of academic monographs.
• You have proven experience in attracting research funding from research councils and other external parties.
• You have an affinity for working in an environment where international relations is an integral part of education and research in a department deriving its strength from combining Comparative Politics, Conflict and Peace Studies, International Relations, and Political Theory.
• You have ample experience with teaching in the field of international relations at university level, as well as with curriculum development and the organisational dimensions of teaching in academia.
• You have excellent teaching qualities, enthusiasm for teaching and working with students and the capacity to develop and implement innovative teaching methods, as well as the ability to steer, coordinate and innovate educational programmes. You are in possession of a senior teaching qualification (UKO) or equivalent.
• You have proven ability to motivate and lead a team of junior and senior scholars and to supervise and inspire PhD candidates.
• You are able and willing to cooperate across disciplinary boundaries and to take a responsible role in the academic organisation at all levels.
• You are actively involved in international collaborative networks and have strong connections with groups and organisations in academia, society and government relevant to our alumni, researchers and societal stakeholders. 

What we offer you

• We will give you a temporary employment contract of one year with the prospect of an indefinite contract after positive evaluation.
• Your salary within salary scale H2 depends on your previous education and number of years of (relevant) work experience. 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. 
• For permanent scientific staff positions, there may be an opportunity for Dual Career Coaching. Dual Career Coaching assists your partner via support, tools, and resources to improve their chances of independently finding employment in the Netherlands. 
• 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. 

Additional employment conditions

Work and science require good employment practices. Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions reflect this. 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 membership. In addition, you receive a 34% discount on the sports and cultural activities at Radboud University as an employee. And, of course, we offer a good pension plan. We also give you plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.

Where you will be working

The Department of Political Science employs some 30 FTE staff on a tenured basis. The department is responsible for the Dutch-language BSc programme in Political Science, as well as for seven English-language specialisations within the MSc programme in Political Science. Both BSc and MSc programmes have consistently ranked highest in the country for the past 15 years. 

The Department of Political Science conducts high-quality research that addresses the complexity of 21st-century politics. This has been recognised in the 2025 external research assessment. Researchers within our department capitalise on disciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches to tackle some of the most pressing issues of our day, including democratic backlash and the rise of authoritarian politics, AI and the changing nature of warfare, and the political economy of climate change. The department has a strong commitment to teamwork and excellence in research and teaching.

The IR group presently consists of nine tenured scholars (one vacancy), comprising two full professors, three associate professors and four assistant professors. Due to the retirement of two full professors in 2027, there will be a vacancy for one full professor in International Relations.

lR staff members are committed to theory-driven empirical research but vary in theoretical and methodological outlook. It is the mutual respect for this variety and the commitment to plurality in research that have been key to our successes in teaching and research. The selected candidate will be expected to embrace this unity in variety, but also to work with the group towards identifying and tackling the future challenges to the discipline.

Nijmegen School of Management
At Nijmegen School of Management, one of the seven faculties within Radboud University in the Netherlands, we have a clear aim: we enable students, institutions and companies, social actors, and governments to play their part in the transformations towards a sustainable society through high-quality scientific research and education. With more than 4,500 curious students and more than 450 dedicated employees, we form a dynamic community.
Our mission ‘Responsible governance for sustainable societies’ is driven by the ambition to make a difference in the world. At Nijmegen School of Management, we understand management as a broad concept referring to the collective and organised pursuit (responsible governance) of a better world (sustainable societies). We study and teach management at the level of public and private organisations. In this context, we examine how to balance economic, ecological, and social values in a sustainable way. This aim is in line with Radboud University's mission to contribute through teaching and research to a ‘free, healthy world with equal opportunities for all’.
At Nijmegen School of Management, academic research and teaching are carried out in following areas: Business Administration, Economics and Business Economics, Political Science, Public Administration, Human Geography, Spatial Planning, and Environment. Our approach to teaching and research is evolving from multidisciplinarity, where we study societal challenges from different disciplinary backgrounds, to interdisciplinarity (integrating disciplinary perspectives for synergy) and transdisciplinarity (involving non-academic stakeholders).
The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an important source of inspiration for our work. Our work focuses on the themes Social economy, Resilient society and Sustainable environment. At Nijmegen School of Management, we have our eyes on the world of the future, in which sustainability and responsibility are central values. Together we are creating a better world for everyone.

Radboud University
At Radboud University, we aim to make an impact through our work. We achieve this by conducting groundbreaking research, providing high-quality education, offering excellent support, and fostering collaborations within and outside the university. In doing so, we contribute indispensably to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. To accomplish this, we need even more colleagues who, based on their expertise, are willing to search for answers. We advocate for an inclusive community and welcome employees with diverse backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives.
If you want to learn more about working at Radboud University, follow our Instagram account and read stories from our colleagues.

Is this the job for you?

You can apply only via the button below. Address your letter of application to Prof. Dr. C. van Ham. In the application form, you will find which documents you need to include with your application. We look forward to receiving your application.

The first interviews will take place in week 38 and 39. Any second interview will take place in week 42. You will preferably start your employment on 1 January 2027.  
We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure. It describes what you can expect during the application procedure and how we handle your personal data and internal and external candidates. Please note that where candidates are equally suitable, preference will be given to internal candidates.

Do you already work at Radboud University and have questions about making an internal move? Learn more about internal applications.

Job description Full Professor of International Relations

Application deadline 16 August 2026

We would like to recruit our new colleague ourselves. Acquisition in response to this vacancy will not be appreciated.

Want to know more about this position?

Prof. C.T. van Ham (Carolien)

[email protected]