Post-Doctoral Researcher in Data Science & Armed Conflict

Post-Doctoral Researcher in Data Science & Armed Conflict (1.0 FTE; 24 months)

The post-doctoral researcher will have a central role in building the largest ever cross-national counterterrorism event dataset and experimenting with data-driven models to analyse patterns in terrorism and counterterrorism.

What you will do

The position is part of the European Research Council (ERC) funded project Terrorist Group Adaptation & Lessons for Counterterrorism (TERGAP). The successful candidate will support counterterrorism data collection, experiment with the applicability of ML, NLP, LLM, and/or other data analytics models to the study of armed conflict, political violence, and (counter-)terrorism, and conduct independent and collaborative research. The ultimate goal is to improve predictive analyses that could empower our ability to forecast and get “out in front of” terrorist group adaptation and changing risks of violence and threat environments. Applicants should have experience or existing knowledge of extracting (event) data from text, documents, and/or media articles or implementing large-N analytics and algorithms, preferably LLMs and/or NLP.  

• Conduct collaborative and independent research related to patterns of political violence, terrorism, counterterrorism and their effect on one another as specified in the TERGAP project;
• Develop (build, train, and test) algorithms to machine-code event data. Research assistants are currently hand-coding a training dataset;
• Apply large-N/big data methods, tools, and models to the study of political violence, armed conflict, and (counter-)terrorism;
• Conduct independent and collaborative data analyses;
• Contribute to co-authored peer-reviewed manuscripts for internationally recognized peer-review journals and other (open-) scientific outputs related to TERGAP;
• Submit independent/solo-authored manuscripts to internationally recognized peer-review academic journals;
• Participate in communication and dissemination activities related to TERGAP;
• Present their work to academic and professional audiences, both independently and with research team members (financial support for conference travel and associated costs can be provided in consultation with the PI); 
• Support the research team’s building of international networks that include academics and policymakers/practitioners working in (counter-)terrorism;
• Support the research team’s management of journal articles at various stages of review;
• Actively participate in discussions at the institute and research group level on research and teaching innovation.

Where you will work 
The mission of the Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs (FGGA)? Contributing to society. The faculty does this through high-quality interdisciplinary education and (new) scientific knowledge. Whether it is terrorism, security, artificial intelligence or a governance solution to the housing crisis, contemporary issues are comprehensively addressed at FGGA.
In the heart of The Hague, where important decisions are made, students and professionals come together to gain knowledge and skills. There is much collaboration with academic and societal partners, which ensures that students leave university with a smile and one foot in the future, ready to make a substantial contribution to society.

FGGA is one of the seven faculties of Leiden University. This young, entrepreneurial, innovative organisation has three scientific institutes, two centres, over 3,700 students and 425 staff members. For more information about the faculty, click here. 

The Institute of Security and Global Affairs (ISGA) is a scientific institute specialising in security issues. ISGA is part of the Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs of Leiden University.

ISGA analyses and studies security issues with local, national, transnational and global impact. These include crises, intelligence, terrorism, war, violence and cybercrime. The institute is characterised by a multidisciplinary research approach.

ISGA is based in the residential city of The Hague, the international city of peace, justice and security. Inspiring interactions are maintained with other knowledge institutions, regional, national and international governments, the private sector and NGOs.
 

What you bring 
In this team, we are looking for someone who can work independently. Every job is different, so in the beginning we will devote attention to your onboarding. If some of the work activities are new to you, we will look together at what you need, and draw up a development plan. This position is a good fit for you if you recognise yourself in the following:

• Completed PhD - not required at time of application but must be completed and defended no later than November 2025 (position start date is January 2026);
• PhD in political science, international relations, security studies, computer science, data analytics, data science, computational social science is preferred. PhD in other disciplines will be considered if the research is relevant for studying group adaptation/evolution, big data analytics, or computation social science;
• Enthusiasm for working at the intersection of conceptual and policy-oriented research;
• Explicit interest in terrorism, counterterrorism, political violence, and/or armed conflict;
• Experience applying quantitative research methods, ideally using LLMs, NLP, ML, and/or computational algorithms;
• Available to travel outside the Netherlands if necessary;
• Demonstrated good time-management skills;
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team in an organized and results-oriented fashion;
• Research and manuscript writing is conducted in English and therefore excellent command of English is required. Proficiency in Dutch is considered an asset;
• Academic publications are seen as a plus; 
• You have (near) native proficiency in Dutch and English (or willingness to master a C1 level of fluency in Dutch within two years);

If you immediately recognise yourself in this profile, or if do you not quite meet all the requirements, but you believe that this is the right job for you, we look forward to your application!
 

What we offer 
Our goal is to work together to create a transparent and inclusive work environment in which everyone feels welcome and appreciated. Our organisation is always evolving and we need your ideas for improvement and innovation to take us further. We want to devote attention to your personal development. 

You can count on an enjoyable job within the socially relevant world of education and research. The University's challenging and international work environment is located in the bustling city centre of The Hague. We also want to work with you to devote attention to your health and vitality, for example with the fun activities we organise through Healthy University.

We also offer:

• A temporary employment contract for the duration of 2 years. This contract falls under the CLA of Dutch Universities;
• A salary of a minimum of € 3.378,- and a maximum of € 5.331,- gross per month, based on a full-time appointment (38 hours) (scale 10); 
• A holiday allowance (8%), an end-of-year bonus (8,3%), and an attractive pension scheme at ABP;
• Full reimbursement of public transport commuting costs for home-to-work travel;
• Flexible working hours: as a standard, you are entitled to a minimum of 29 leave days on the basis of a full-time working week of 38 hours; you can also save for extra leave, for example by working 40 hours a week, and in this way accrue an extra 96 leave hours, or exchange 96 leave hours for a 36-hour week.
• Lots of options when it comes to secondary employment conditions; we can, for example, discuss options for a sabbatical or paid parental leave. Within our terms of employment individual choices model, you can exchange leave days and/or salary for benefits such as an advantageous sports subscription or bicycle scheme, and we also offer child-care options;
• If your work allows it, hybrid working is possible within the Netherlands;
• A home-working allowance (day and internet allowance) and attention for good workplaces. The University will also provide you with a laptop. 

For more information about employment conditions, see https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/working-at/job-application-procedure-and-employment-conditions 
 

What we find important 
Promoting an inclusive community is central to Leiden University’s values and vision. Leiden University aims to be an inclusive community in which all students and staff members feel valued and respected, and are able to develop to their full potential. Diversity in experiences and perspectives enriches our teaching and strengthens our research. High-quality education and research means inclusive education and research.
 

Want to apply or find out more? 
If you want to apply straight away, click the application button.

If you would like more information about what the job entails, please contact Dr. Graig Klein, Assistant Professor (PI of TERGAP), at g.r.e.klein@fgga.leidenuniv.nl. You can apply until 8 August 2025; applications will be processed thereafter. The planned starting date for selected candidate is January 2026.

Please ensure that you upload the following documents in PDF format, quoting the vacancy number:

• Motivation letter, including your relevant interest and experience in the subject matter and in conducting advanced research (max 2 pages);
• Curriculum vitae (if applicable list any publications, statistical program skills, and/or other programming/coding skills); 
• A writing sample demonstrating large-N, big data, data science, and/or computation social science capabilities and expertise (dissertation chapter or publication);
• A research statement pitching your ideas on how you would approach the data collection and analysis objectives (max 1200 words, excluding any references);

The names, addresses, and contact information of two referees (no recommendation letters required at this stage).

Shortlisted candidates may be interviewed in early September 2025. Interviews could be held through an online platform.

To help us get to know each other better, we follow a number of steps in the application procedure. For more information, see https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/working-at/job-application-procedure-and-employment-conditions 

• We believe mobility is very important. That is why we are also publishing this vacancy internally. In case of equal suitability, we will give priority to the internal candidate.
• A pre-employment screening (references, diplomas) may be part of the selection procedure. 
• Acquisition in response to this vacancy is not appreciated. If you nevertheless choose to send us CVs, no rights can be derived from this.