Research Fellow in Net Assessment

Job id: 137725. Salary: £53,947 - £63,350 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance.

Posted: 06 February 2026. Closing date: 22 February 2026.

Business unit: Social Science & Public Policy. Department: Department of War Studies.

Contact details:Dr Andrew Ehrhardt. andrew.ehrhardt@kcl.ac.uk

Location: Strand Campus. Category: Research.

The Centre for Statecraft & National Security (CSNS), based within the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, is seeking a Research Fellow for its new Net Assessment Programme. They will be engaged on a new multi-year research project funded by the Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnson Foundation for Public Benefit.

The Research Fellow will be responsible for directing and externally representing the Net Assessment Programme, working closely with the academic project leads and the Centre Manager to lay a strong foundation for the programme’s sustainable growth. Their responsibilities will include providing strategic academic leadership to a growing team of researchers, including multiple academics, consultants, PhD students, and administrative staff. The Research Fellow will be responsible for building and expanding the net assessment network, while maintaining broader engagement with the funder and existing partners. The Research Fellow will either produce or oversee all project research and outputs, such as reports and working papers, and deliver policy engagement by convening regular roundtables and an annual major international workshop. Given the field's ongoing development, the Research Fellow is also expected to expand the programme of work by scoping external grant funding opportunities. As such, the role includes fundraising, grant writing supervision, and actively seeking new partnerships and contracts. They are expected to contribute to wider CSNS programme activity, including the Engelsberg Applied History Programme and the Ax:son Johnson Institute for Statecraft.

The qualified applicant will have a PhD in a field related to international and diplomatic history, foreign policy, and grand strategy. They should have a strong track record of publications, and they should have demonstrated skills in net assessment, with a strong emphasis on policy engagement. Further experience in engaging with the private sector and the media is highly desirable. They must be London-based. This contract is likely to be renewed beyond the initial term, depending on funding application outcomes.

This is a full-time post, and you will be offered a fixed term contract for 24 months.

Research staff at King’s are entitled to at least 10 days per year (pro-rata) for professional development. This entitlement, from the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, applies to Postdocs, Research Assistants, Research and Teaching Technicians, Teaching Fellows and AEP equivalent up to and including grade 7. Visit the Centre for Research Staff Development for more information.

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

Essential criteria

Desirable criteria

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

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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 person specification section of the job description. 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.

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