PhD position in Statistics

Job description
The Mathematical Institute of Leiden University invites applicants for a PhD position working with dr. Dirk van der Hoeven.

We are looking for a motivated PhD candidate on machine learning, specifically statistical learning and online learning. One of the fundamental research questions in statistical learning is to identify the best possible action one can take. While an unlimited source of information would always allow for identifying the optimal action, most real-world scenarios start with little or no prior information. The question then becomes: how do I avoid making decisions based on limited information that I will come to regret? We will combine techniques from statistical learning and online learning to address this problem.

A key feature of the statistical learning setting is its ability to provide strong guarantees about how well algorithms can predict based on some given dataset. However, these guarantees come with the drawback of relying on restrictive assumptions about how the data is generated. In contrast, a notable feature of online learning is its capacity to offer strong guarantees without such restrictive assumptions, though this requires constant feedback on predictions. The goal of this PhD position is to exploit the strengths of both approaches by developing algorithms that provide strong guarantees without restrictive assumptions with as little feedback as possible.

The execution of the research will be highly participatory. You will spend time at the Faculty of Science offices. Most of the time will be spent interacting with other members of the statistics group in the Mathematical Institute. However, collaboration with other groups in the Mathematical Institute and beyond is highly encouraged.

For a good idea of the research your supervisor has done, see Dirk van der Hoeven.

Project Manager 'Leiden Buurt-Kennisstad'

What you will do
As Project Manager of the ‘Leiden Buurt-Kennisstad’ project, you will be the ‘quarter-master’ building the collaboration between the core partners (the University and City together with local societal initiatives) and local residents, community groups, students, and welfare organisations. This collaboration will take shape over a series of events in various locations across the city, which it will be your task to plan and organise. The central collaborative activity will be the grassroots Citizen Science activities, which it will be your responsibility to support and sustain with ongoing communications and/or events, and pairing those with the relevant societal partners and policy makers. The ideal candidate is someone who is organised, likes to roll up their sleeves, and can make this project run smoothly by planning effectively in advance, while also thinking creatively and bringing their own ideas and vision to the project.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Overall responsibility for executing the Project Plan under the supervision of the Coordinator of the Citizen Science Lab and co-applicant partner Leiden Kennisstad,
• Establishing contact and regular communications with the project partners, and identifying other potential external parties to invite to join the collaboration in connection with the topics identified for further investigation,
• Planning and running public ‘Knowledge Cafe’ events, discussion workshops, and active Citizen Science activities in a range of locations across Leiden, together with partners,
• Close coordination with the Leiden Biodiversity Network in planning biodiversity related events and Bioblitz activities as a core theme throughout the project, including the eDNA Citizen Science approach to engage the public in air and water sampling activities for biodiversity monitoring (in close collaboration with that project coordinator based in the Leiden University Centre for Environmental Science)
• Planning a communication campaign to raise awareness of the project and the citizen science activities, invite participation, and keep everyone informed of the latest developments and upcoming steps, also making use of partners’ communication channels,
• Drawing up plans with collaboration partners to align the project with their own activities, and expand those to include other local partners and interested parties,
• Supporting the development of citizen science instructional materials and the roll out of citizen science activities, together with other members of the Citizen Science Lab team and researchers at the local Knowledge Institutes (including information packs for societal partners),
• Leading a co-evaluation process to jointly monitor progress towards the desired outcomes of the varying partners, helping to keep the project on track, and writing a reflection report at the end of the project with recommendations for others.
• Supporting the Citizen Science Lab team in creating Guidance Documentation and other Resources for wider dissemination to other cities and citizen science practitioners.

Where you will work
The Citizen Science Lab is based in LURIS, the University knowledge transfer office and expertise centre for collaborations between Leiden researchers and public and private partners.

LURIS creates and facilitates the network between Leiden scientists and public and private partners, with a focus on generating societal impact through research, knowledge and innovation. We support scientists at Leiden University in their ambition to further develop and develop their research. To achieve this goal, we work closely with academics, companies and many other stakeholders in the Leiden ecosystem.

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:

• A tertiary education degree and minimum of two years work experience
• Fluent Dutch, and good oral and written communication skills
• An open personality and comfortable speaking in public
• An affinity for collaborative work, and a connection with the City of Leiden
• Experience with managing projects and the organisation of community-based events
• Experience planning and running workshops and facilitating open dialogue (or willing to learn)
• Experience responding flexibly to changing circumstances or partner needs, and thinking creatively on your feet
• Willingness to occasionally work in the evenings and on weekends for public events (in exchange for time off during the working week)
• Knowledge of or experience with a broad network of stakeholders and societal partners in Leiden, and an affinity with the City of Leiden
• Willingness to bring your own energy, ideas, and motivations to act on important societal topics to the project, as one of the partners key to its success!
• 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!

Assistant Professor in Security and Rule of Law

What you will do
The successful candidate will teach across several programs in the institute, including the BA Security Studies, MSc Crisis and Security Management, and ISGA’s minor programmes.

• Develop and teach courses in security studies and the rule of law
• Conduct independent research on topics related to security and the rule of law
• Generate high-quality output in both academic and non-academic outlets, with a focus on international, peer-reviewed journals.
• Actively contribute to the renewal and ongoing improvement of educational practices at Bachelor’s and Master’s level.
• Take on administrative and coordination tasks within ISGA.
• Work within a multidisciplinary team of colleagues and support the development and implementation of the research strategy of ISGA.
• Supervise theses and capstone projects.
• Contribute to the tutorial system of student mentoring and advising.
• Acquisition and project management of research and training projects of third parties.
• Preferably, the candidate demonstrates an ability to teach across a variety of security-related themes and topics so that they can contribute to other teaching programmes at the institute beyond our offerings in the rule of law.

Our priority is to hire an excellent candidate who can work across ISGA. If you recognize yourself in this profile, or do not quite meet all the requirements but believe this is the right job for you, please do apply. We look forward to your application.

Where you will work
ISGA is a scientific institute specializing in security, safety, and global challenges. These include crises, intelligence, terrorism, war, violence, and cybercrime. ISGA is characterized by high-quality, interdisciplinary education and the development of scientific knowledge with a high potential for societal impact. ISGA is part of the Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs (FGGA) and is based in the city of The Hague, the international city of peace and justice. FGGA is one of the seven faculties of Leiden University. This young, entrepreneurial, innovative organization has three scientific institutes, two centers, over 3,700 students, and 425 staff members. For more information about the faculty, click here.

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:
Applicants are expected to have:

• A PhD degree in security studies, law, cybersecurity, international relations, policy studies, political science, public administration, or a related discipline that is relevant to teaching and researching security studies;
• Demonstrable research experience in the field of security studies and an openness to other fields of inquiry.
• Outstanding research qualities manifest in an established or developing publication record.
• Demonstrable excellence in research-led teaching.
• Demonstrable passion for education, in and out of the classroom.
• Demonstrable commitment to a close-knit, interdisciplinary academic community.
• Demonstrable command of a diversity of research methods and techniques.
• Growing network of academics and professionals in the field of security and the rule of law both domestically and internationally.
• Ability to connect academic research to policy-oriented and societal impact.
• Leiden University requires teaching staff to obtain the University Teaching Qualification (UTQ).
• Excellent command of English, with the ability and willingness to work towards Dutch language proficiency. Current proficiency in Dutch is considered an asset.