Research Assistant

About us:

The School of Security Studies at King‘s College London is dedicated to the understanding of security issues in an increasingly complex and uncertain world. Harnessing the depth and breadth of expertise across the War Studies and Defence Studies Departments, and the King’s Institute for Applied Security Studies, we are one of the largest multi-disciplinary communities of scholars in the world engaged in the teaching and research of all aspects of conflict, war, security and defence.   

About the role:

Kings´s College London, Department of War Studies, is recruiting a Grade 5 Research Assistant in a 40% position to support the Deterrence Challenges in the High North project (led by Professor Målfrid Braut-Hegghammer and Professor Mats Berdal). The candidate will have a leading role in collecting and systematizing a digital corpus of sources from Nordic countries; conducting a range of research tasks using R on this corpus; assist with organization of seminars and a workshop; and will have the opportunity to co-author working papers with the PI team. The majority of tasks will focus on digital source collection and analysis, working closely with the P.I. team, with some additional support on organizing events and outreach.

The candidate must be able to work independently as well as with the core PI team, be detail-oriented and rigorous. A working level of knowledge and experience using R is essential; interest in deterrence and international security challenges is desirable. Scandinavian language skills are an asset.

The candidate must have the right to live and work in the United Kingdom, and will be expected to meet with the PI team at the Strand campus in London on a weekly basis.

The Department of War Studies  is part of the School of Security Studies and the Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy. Together, we support an inclusive culture and diversity for our staff and students. We are committed to encourage further growth from a diversity of groups, and we look forward to welcoming applicants of all abilities 

This is a part-time post (0.4 FTE/ 15 Hours per week), and you will be offered an a fixed-term contract from 1 Jun 2025 - 31 Mar 2027.

About you:

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

• A working level knowledge of R and/or Python
• Some experience in independently designing a research project (e.g. a PhD or MA thesis)
• Strong analytical skills (as evidenced in research projects and/or methodological training)
• Strong writing skills (as evidenced in a short writing sample)

Desirable criteria

• A demonstrated interest in applying digital humanities methods to the field of national or international security or another related field
• Some working knowledge of Scandinavian languages is desirable
• Basic administrative skills and some experience is desirable
• Interest in nuclear weapons, deterrence and the High North is desirable
• Experience with working in digital or physical archives is desirable

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the next page after you click the “Apply” button, above. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

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