Helmut Schmidt Distinguished Visiting Chair (Associate or Full Professor)

Position description

In 2018, with funding from the German Federal Foreign Office, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) established a Distinguished Visiting Chair in honor of former German chancellor Helmut Schmidt at the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs, an international policy center at SAIS. The Chair commemorates the long and deep friendship between Kissinger and Schmidt and constitutes the core of a Germany Initiative that acts as a bridge between Germany and the US. The initiative also aims to become a focal point for German and American cooperation in addressing global challenges.

The distinguished scholar selected for the chair will partner with faculty within the Kissinger Center and other programs at SAIS. The visitor may also establish a research group, comprising several post-doctoral students. The scholar will further collaborate with other SAIS faculty (1) to build a research program capable of harnessing transatlantic cooperation to tackle geostrategic global challenges; (2) to devise a curriculum to educate and train future generations of world leaders; and (3) to conduct an active program to engage U.S., European and global policy professionals in this work. Together with Kissinger Center staff the chair will actively support two DAAD post-doctoral fellows at the Kissinger Center whose research will focus on the roles of the United States and Germany at a crucial moment in world history. Together with the postdocs the chair will work on initiatives of high visibility, such as an annual high-level German-US conference in Berlin as well as a regular summer workshop for early career academics and high-level policymakers in Washington, D.C.

Background

A division of Johns Hopkins University, the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) is a global institution that offers students an international perspective on today’s critical issues. For more than 75 years, Johns Hopkins SAIS has produced great leaders, thinkers, and practitioners of international relations. Public leaders and private sector executives alike seek the counsel of the faculty, whose ideas and research inform and shape policy. Johns Hopkins SAIS offers a global perspective across three campus locations: Bologna, Italy; Nanjing, China; and Washington, D.C. The school’s interdisciplinary curriculum is strongly rooted in the study of international economics, international relations, and regional studies, preparing students to address multifaceted challenges in the world today. For more information, visit sais.jhu.edu.

Since its founding in 1925, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has awarded funding to more than 2.7 million scholars in Germany and abroad. DAAD is a registered members’ association made up of German institutions of higher education and student bodies whose activities go far beyond simply awarding grants and scholarships. DAAD supports the internationalization of German universities, promotes German Studies and the German language abroad, provides developing countries with best practices in establishing universities and advises decision makers in the area of cultural, educational and developmental policy. Today, DAAD is one of the most important funding organizations worldwide for the international exchange of students and researchers. For more information, visit www.daad.de.
Qualifications

To occupy the Helmut Schmidt Chair, SAIS is seeking a distinguished scholar who has made (or has the potential to make) an important impact on our understanding of contemporary global challenges and whose research is innovative and policy-relevant. Scholars in fields consistent with Kissinger’s broad, eclectic approach to the analysis of international affairs, including but not limited to strategic studies and diplomatic history, are encouraged to apply. It is preferred that the scholar be well grounded in historical approaches to the understanding of global statecraft and strategy, and also be able to communicate with a broad audience. Individuals with a research agenda touching on transnational issues of global concern such as climate change, migration and immigration, regional integration and globalization, and international / transatlantic security policy will receive special consideration. Candidates should have a research focus on Germany and proven expertise concerning Germany’s international relations with Europe and the world – in particular its transatlantic relations – to forge strategic links with international policymaking circles and draw attention to Germany’s accomplishments and the lessons they hold for long-term strategic analysis. Also, candidates should be affiliated with a German university or research institution in order to build a bridge between Germany and the U.S.. Prior experience within a U.S. academic and policy environment is a plus.

The contract is flexible, comprising an initial one-year term with the possibility of renewal. The scholar will be expected to fulfill a teaching role in Kissinger Center curriculum and seminars. The preference is for a scholar at the full-professor level, but promising candidates at the associate professor level will also be considered.globa

Application instructions

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