2 PhD Positions - Government Responses to Internal Displacement ERC project

Are you fascinated by how governments protect — or repress — displaced people? Do you have strong training in research methods and want to build a PhD on one of the most urgent questions in the study of political violence? Join a new ERC-funded project on government responses to internal displacement, in a vibrant, international team at the University of Amsterdam.

Two PhD positions on the politics of displacement
How and why do governments respond to the people displaced within their own borders — with protection, or with repression? Internally displaced people (IDPs) are the largest displaced population in the world, more than twice the number of refugees, yet they remain understudied. The ERC-funded project Protect and Repress: The Logic of Government Responses to Internal Displacement (GRID), led by Dr. Abbey Steele (2026–2031), argues that the political alignment between national governments, local authorities, and displaced people shapes where states offer protection — humanitarian resources, public services, and guarantees of rights — and where they turn to repression instead.

GRID combines a new cross-national dataset coding governments’ de jure and de facto responses since 1989 (built in partnership with UNHCR’s Global Protection Cluster) with in-depth, mixed-methods case studies in Colombia, Burundi, and Iraq, and will produce a series of journal articles and a comparative monograph.

The two positions. We are recruiting two PhD candidates within GRID:

• Position 1 — comparative cross-national: developing and analysing the cross-national dataset to test the project’s theory across countries, with the possibility of qualitative fieldwork for an in-depth study.
• Position 2 — Burundi sub-national: an in-depth, mixed-methods study of government responses to displacement, and displaced responses to government, in Burundi.

Each candidate develops an independent doctoral thesis that contributes to the project. This is a single vacancy for both positions, to keep things simple for applicants: in your cover letter, please indicate which position you are applying for — Position 1, Position 2, or both.

What are you going to do

• Develop and carry out an independent doctoral project within GRID, resulting in a PhD thesis.
• Collect and analyse quantitative and qualitative data, and co-author publications.
• Present at international conferences and take active part in the team and the Amsterdam Conflict Research Network.
• Support open and ethical research practices (data management, ethics, dissemination)
• Teach classes within the political science department (10% of the contract time)

What do you have to offer
Two essential requirements (checked via the selection questions):

• A (research) master’s degree in political science or a closely related field — completed by the start date — with strong training in research methods and research design.
• Demonstrated quantitative data-analysis skills (for example, in R or Stata).

We are looking for someone with a demonstrated interest in studying the politics of violence, displacement, and the state, who also:

• Is eager to keep developing their research skills and is committed to the substantive research area of the project.
• Thinks independently and analytically, and follows through to finish what they start.
• Communicates clearly in English, in writing and in person.
• Works well independently and as part of an international team.

For Position 1, comparative and quantitative experience is especially welcome.
For Position 2, regional expertise and languages relevant to Burundi (e.g. French) are an asset.

What else do we offer you

• A four-year, fully funded PhD position in a leading European research environment.
• We offer a temporary employment contract of 38 hours per week for a maximum term of four years. The initial employment is for one year. Following a positive assessment, this term will be extended by a maximum of three years, which should result in the conferral of a doctorate.
• Based on a full-time appointment (38 hours per week) the gross monthly salary will range from €3,204 in the first year to €4,051 (scale P) in the last year. The UFO profile PhD candidate is applicable.
• Salary and conditions in line with the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities
• Structured training, a conference and fieldwork budget, and close mentoring within a well-resourced ERC project.
• A collegial, international team and the vibrant Amsterdam conflict-studies community.

In this department, you will work
The GRID project is based in the Political Institutions and Identities group in the Political Science department, and the Amsterdam Center for Conflict Studies, within the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR). You will work closely with the Principal Investigator, the project’s postdoctoral researcher and research assistants, and international partners — including UNHCR’s Global Protection Cluster — and take part in the monthly Amsterdam Conflict Research Network, a supportive community of conflict scholars from across the Netherlands and Europe.

Please submit the following as one single PDF:

• A cover letter, indicating which position you are applying for (Position 1, Position 2, or both) and your motivation.
• A CV.
• Transcripts of your academic record. Unofficial records are accepted.
• A research proposal of at most 1,000 words (excluding references), describing what you would research within GRID and how it would contribute to the project.
• A sole-authored writing sample (for example a master’s thesis chapter or seminar paper).

Please compile all of these documents into a single PDF for submission.
The closing date is 1 October 2026. Shortlisted candidates will be asked to provide reference letters and will be interviewed online in the week of 26 October 2026 — where they will also be asked to discuss their submitted materials in detail — with decisions the following week. For questions, contact Abbey Steele (abbey.steele@uva.nl). In case of equal qualifications, internal candidates are given preference over external candidates.