Vacancies at the NVIC

Freelance Junior Researcher

The Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Cairo (NVIC) is seeking to appoint one freelance junior researcher (m/f) to participate in research on Islamic Preaching and the New Media in Cairo, from 15 April 2010 until 15 October 2011.

We are seeking to appoint a young researcher who is interested in doing research within the areas of political and religious communication in Egypt.

 Job description

The researcher will participate in the research project ‘Islamic Actors and their Discourses in the Public Domain: Islamic Preaching and the New Media’, organised by the NVIC as part of the research programme “Strengthening knowledge of and dialogue with the Islamic/ Arab world” funded by the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The project consists of an extensive ‘mapping’ of Islamic actors, organizations, their discourses and activities, followed by a research phase focusing on the communication strategies Islamic preachers use to address issues of citizenship in the public sphere. The project will particularly focus on the use of ‘new media’. The project is organized in partnership with the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies (ACPSS) and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Cairo.

The junior researcher will be expected to:
• participate in the mapping project at ACPSS (gathering data, collecting published information, carrying out interviews, doing fieldwork, etc.)
• prepare a research work plan
• carry out research
• contribute to the academic content of preliminary and final reports
• write 1 scholarly article for presentation during the final conference
• assist with the organization of an international conference
• work closely together with Egyptian researchers The work of the junior researcher will be supervised by a Dutch and an Egyptian senior scholar.

Qualifications
Applicants must hold a Master degree in Communication Studies (preferably), or another relevant field in the social sciences (e.g. Political Science, Sociology). A strong interest in or experience with qualitative research methods and policy-oriented research is desirable. It is expected that applicants have a good command of spoken and written English and Dutch. A good working knowledge of Arabic is desirable. Experience with, or demonstrable interest in, social science research in non-western countries is desirable but not essential. Since the academic cooperation between Dutch and Egyptian scholars is one of the aims of the project, applicants should have the Dutch nationality.

Details of Employment
The candidate will be appointed by NVIC to be based in Cairo for a period of 18 months on a local freelance contract. The gross salary will be 1500 Euro per month, while the candidate will be responsible for paying his/her own salary taxes. The project will furthermore cover travel expenses from the Netherlands to Egypt at the start and finish of the project, and one mid-project home-leave ticket.

Documents Required for Application
• A motivation letter
• Curriculum vitae and list of publications
• A proof of academic writing abilities (a published paper or a paper submitted as part of university coursework)
• List of grades and a copy of the Master diploma
• The names and addresses of two potential references

How to apply
Application must be in English. Applications must be received by 20 March 2010 and should be sent electronically to Dr. Kim Duistermaat, e-mail: director@nvic.net.eg.

Enquiries about the position can be addressed to Dr. Sabine Dorpmüller, sabine.dorpmueller@nvic.net.eg.

Information about NVIC can be found on http://www.instituten.leidenuniv.nl/nvic/