Postdoctoral Research Associate - Relational Harm Project - Gender and IR

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.

The project examines ‘relational harm’, defined as harm that individuals and communities experience through the targeting and control of their intimate relationships. The project will focus on the forced separation of families as a significant form of relational harm, particularly in the context of state enforced disappearances. It will examine the impact of forced separation on families and communities and will assess why states carry out forced separation during war and counterinsurgency. The project will focus on lived experiences and the wider ongoing political, social, economic, and psychological legacies of relational harm and ambiguous loss. It will look at gendered and intergenerational dimensions and will examine family and family life as fundamental to the waging and experience of war. The project is interdisciplinary and will utilize mixed methods. The project will have three contemporary case studies: Sri Lanka, Peru, and the Rohingya community (in Bangladesh). The project will also involve archival research into family separation and reunification in the World War Two period.

We welcome applications for a Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) in Gender and IR to work on the project Relational Harm: Targeting the Family in War and Oppression. The PI is Dr Rebekka Friedman, and the project is an ERC-funded Consolidator Grant. The PDRA position is for a 30-month duration starting in January 2026 and will be based in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London. The PDRA in Gender and IR will contribute to the project’s conceptual pillars and to its field research. The PDRA will take a feminist and critical lens to examine gendered dimensions of forced separation and its legacies. The project will engage with rich interdisciplinary research on family separation in other fields, e.g. victimology, refugee studies, social reproduction, reproductive politics, and work on mass violence and genocide. The PDRA in Gender and IR theory will help with the project’s archival research (e.g. looking at the archives of the International Committee of the Red Cross or the United States Holocaust Museum). Each PDRA will also oversee and conduct field research in one of the project’s contemporary case studies. PDRAs will use qualitative methods to conduct fieldwork, and to analyse and write up research outputs. PDRAs will write research papers for peer reviewed journals, and/or edited collections, attend conferences, and contribute to the project’s online content. PDRAs will also work in a team, with the PI, the other PDRAs, partner NGOs in the project’s case study countries, and with the project’s legal consultant. They will attend team and individual meetings and will contribute to the project’s administration and events. PDRAs should have a commitment to ethical safeguarding and to trauma-informed research. PDRAs will gain the opportunity for career development and mentorship. This will be one of several PDRA positions advertised for the project. Applicants are welcome to apply to more than one position if they meet the application criteria. In this case, they should apply to the other advert separately and focus their applications on that post’s selection criteria.

The Faculty of Social Science and Public Policy and its constituent Schools and Departments together support a culture of diversity and inclusion for our staff and students. Applications from overseas applicants are welcome – however, the successful candidate will be expected to reside in the UK and visa sponsorship is available. This is a full-time post, and you will be offered a fixed term contract from January 2026 for 2.5 years.

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

• A PhD specializing in gender or feminist studies and IR (applicants from other social science backgrounds or the arts and humanities may also apply provided that their PhD research has a gender focus).
• Skills and experience in qualitative research methods.
• Research experience and knowledge in either South Asia or South America.
• An interest in historical, cultural and socio-political contexts.
• A proven capacity to write and present conference papers and publish peer reviewed articles.
• Field research experience.
• Knowledge of and familiarity with research ethics, particularly around trauma, and a commitment to socially impactful research.
• Attention to detail and strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Good time management and organisational skills.
• Language skills in Tamil, Spanish or Rohingya.
• Archival research experience.
• Knowledge of any other research methods, e.g. documentary analysis; visual, participatory, and arts-based methods; ethnographic research; participant observation; and discourse and institutional analysis.
• Knowledge of data protection procedures.

Full details of the role and the skills and experience required can be found in the attached job description. Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate, and the salary will increase to Grade 6.

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community. We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's. We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible. Applicants should also indicate which case(s) they would be qualified to oversee (based on case-specific or relevant regional experience). To find out how our managers review your application, please look at our ‘How we Recruit’ pages. Interviews are due to be held in July 2025. This role does meet the requirements of the Home Office and therefore we are able to offer sponsorship for candidates who require the right to work in the UK.

Grade and Salary: £44,355 - £51,735 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance.