Research Assistant

Published: 1 June 2026

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.

About the research project

The research assistant will be part of an interdisciplinary research environment in War Studies and will work within a three-year research project examining the role of women’s voluntary defence organizations in Finland and Sweden, with particular focus on Lottakåren and Naisten Valmiusliitto, in relation to war and crisis preparedness, civil defence, and the remodelling of national/total defence. The position involves active participation in research activities and includes both academic and empirical analysis.

Job duties

The tasks include conducting literature reviews and organisational mapping on women, voluntary defence organizations, and  comprehensive security in Finland and the Nordic region. This involves systematic searches in academic databases and libraries, as well as analysis of key themes, research gaps, and policy relevance. The research assistant will also collect and analyze grey literature, policy documents, government reports, and strategic documents related to comprehensive security, civil preparedness, NATO adaptation, voluntary defence, and issues concerning gender and security.

The position further includes the mapping of organizations and networks, with particular focus on how women’s voluntary defence organizations relate to other actors such as reservist networks, veterans’ organizations, youth organizations, and civil preparedness actors. The work will also involve analysis of organizational structures, institutional linkages, and funding arrangements.

In addition, the position includes social media analysis and digital ethnography. The research assistant will monitor and analyze organizational communication on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and podcasts, with particular attention to narratives surrounding patriotism, femininity and defence, preparedness, recruitment, nationalism, NATO, and resilience.

Further tasks include media analysis examining how women and voluntary defence organizations are represented in Finnish public discourse and news reporting. This includes analysis of national and regional media as well as defence-related publications, with particular focus on how women’s roles within national defence are framed and whether these narratives have changed following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Finland’s accession to NATO.

Qualifications

• Fluency in Finnish and English.
• Relevant master degree in in political science, war studies, peace research, or gender studies.
• The successful candidate should demonstrate strong qualitative research skills and experience conducting literature reviews, collecting and analyzing policy documents and grey literature, and synthesizing complex material. Familiarity with academic databases and digital research methods is required.
• Experience with research on Finnish security politics, militarisation or similar issues is an asset. 

Personal qualities

We are looking for someone who is analytical, meticulous and able to work independently with a well-organised approach. You are a good team player, contribute to a positive working environment and have strong communication skills. 

About the position

The employment is a fixed-term contract for 6 months.

Employment at the Swedish Defence University may require a security clearance assessment for classification in a security category, which involves a background check and, in some cases, a security interview with the Security Service.

The position may 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

By agreement.

Salary and benefits

The Swedish Defence University applies an individual pay scale.
Employee benefits at the Swedish Defence University - FHS/Benefits/Employees.

Application

Your application must include a CV and a cover letter and should be submitted via the Swedish Defence University’s recruitment system by clicking on the ‘Apply’ link on the job advertisement page. Please quote reference number HR 110/2026 on your application. Your application must be submitted by 2026-06-21.

A complete application must be received by the Swedish Defence University by midnight on the closing date, CET/CEST (Central European Time/Central European Summer Time).

In cases where there is an imbalance in gender representation, the Swedish Defence University may, where applicants have equal or broadly equivalent qualifications, appoint the candidate from the under-represented gender.

Welcome with your application no later than 21th of June 2026!

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.

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