Postdoctoral researcher in War Studies with a focus on Russian military capability and warfare

The Swedish Defence University is an internationally renowned university in the area of defence, crisis management and security. We offer a unique academic environment where military and civilian researchers, teachers and students interact. We educate and train top-level executives, experts, and researchers for the task of analyzing and managing current and future crises, security issues and conflicts. The university educates all military officers in the Swedish armed forces and leads the academic progression of the military profession. We conduct research in the areas of Law with a focus on International and Operational Law, Leadership and Command & Control, Military History, Political Science, Systems Science for Defence and Security and War Studies. The Department of War Studies conducts research and education in the subject of War Studies. The department has around 160 staff members and approximately 1,000 students and participants in commissioned training programmes. The Department offers education at all levels within the framework of four programmes: the Officer Programme (undergraduate level), the Advanced Officer Programme (postgraduate level), the Master’s Programme in War and Defence (postgraduate level), and doctoral studies in Military Science (research level). In addition, commissioned education is also provided through a number of stand-alone courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. War Studies is a social science whose central object of study is war and the use of force. The discipline contains research on how military capability is created, led, organized, maintained over time and comes into effect in operations, in wars, conflicts and crises. War Studies also includes social and ethical aspects as well as critical perspectives in relation to war and warfare. The discipline has both a general theoretical and knowledge-based dimension, as well as a practical and applied dimension linked primarily to the education of officers. The Swedish Defence University is the only university in Sweden where the discipline is taught.

Project description

The postdoctoral researcher will participate in a research project on Russian warfare comprising of three pillars: Russian military capability (economy, industrial production, organization, command, personnel, materiel, and readiness); Russian military theory, strategy, and doctrine (conceptual aspects of Russian warfare); and lessons learned from the war in Ukraine.

The postdoctoral researcher will conduct research on their own specific topic within the project while also contributing to the broader research area at the Swedish Defence University.

Duties

The post-doctoral researcher is expected to contribute to the Russia studies project by planning and conducting appropriate research in contact with the project leader. The work will take the form of scientific publications in well-established journals or presses. The work should be conducted in close cooperation with other researchers in the project and in international networks.

Research is 80% of the employment and there is an opportunity to work with teaching andsupervision up to 20%.

General Requirements

To be eligible for the position of postdoctoral researcher, the candidate must hold a doctoral degree—or a foreign degree deemed equivalent to a doctoral degree—in a subject relevant to the research assignment, no later than the start date of the position. While a degree in a social science subject is preferred, other applicants are also welcome, provided they have a relevant research profile.

Priority is given to candidates who completed their doctoral degree no more than 3 years before the application deadline. The application deadline serves as the reference point for calculating this three-year period. Exceptions may be made for special circumstances, such as leave due to illness, parental leave, or positions of trust in trade unions.

Applicants must not have previously been employed as a postdoctoral researcher for more than one year within the same or a related subject area at the same employer.

Great importance is placed on personal suitability. To thrive and succeed in the role, you should be motivated, organized, and communicative, with a strong ability to take initiative and start new tasks. We expect you to actively participate in the department’s research activities and enjoy collaborating with others.

Additional assessment criteria

About the employment

This is a fixed-term, full-time position for two years under the central collective agreement, with the possibility of a one-year extension.

Employment at the Swedish Defence University may involve a security clearance in accordance with the Security Protection Act (2018:585).

The position may also involve wartime deployment. If you are already assigned to wartime duties in your current role at a government agency and your skills are required within the Swedish Defence University’s wartime organisation, negotiations will take place between the relevant agency and the Swedish Defence University regarding your placement.

Start date

As soon as possible or by agreement.

Salary and benefits

The Swedish Defence University applies individual salary setting.

Employee benefits at the Swedish Defence University - FHS/Benefits/employee.

Application

If you have not defended your PhD, please provide expected viva date.

Applications must be submitted via the Swedish Defence University’s recruitment system by clicking on the ‘Apply’ link on the job advertisement page. Please mark your application with reference number HR 192/2026. Your application must be submitted no later than 31 oktober 2026.

The complete application must be received by the Swedish Defence University no later than midnight on the closing date, CET/CEST (Central EuropeanTime/Central European Summer Time).

Contact

If you have any questions regarding the position, please contact:

Oscar Jonsson, Department of War Studies, Oscar.Jonsson@fhs.se .

Welcome with your application by 31 oktober!

To get in contact with union representatives please send an e-mail to saco@fhs.se, OFR/O@fhs.se and OFR/S@fhs.se In the event of any disagreement between the English and the Swedish versions of this announcement, the Swedish version takes precedence. Please do not send offers of recruitment or advertising services.

Kontaktpersoner

Du ansöker senast 2026-10-31 genom att klicka på knappen nedan.