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.

Political science research at the Swedish Defence University analyses how security and insecurity are created, who security is for, and how crises are prevented and handled in Swedish, European, and global contexts. We explore threats, conflicts, decision-making processes, communication processes, identity construction, and ethical dilemmas concerning the state, society, and individual, with a special focus on Sweden and the Nordic countries, the European Union, the United States, Russia, and East Asia.

The aim of our research and education is to contribute a more complex and nuanced understanding of the world. Our researchers regularly share their expertise in national and international media, advising policymakers, participating in commissioned training, and informing the public on current issues.

Research in political science at the Swedish Defence University can be divided into two overarching themes - security studies and crisis management - and several specialisations, which organise researchers as well as doctoral students.

Find out more about political science at the Swedish Defence University here.

Announcement of a scholarship-funded PhD student opportunity in political science, specialising in crisis management and security (with a particular focus on Japanese security policy) based at the Department of Political Science in Stockholm.

 

The advertised PhD scholarship is linked to a research project focusing on Japanese security policy in a changing international order. The project addresses questions such as how Japan is reformulating its international role, legitimizing its security policy and developing relations with partners such as Europe, the EU and NATO. The doctoral project is carried out within an established research environment with expertise in international politics, security policy and East Asian studies, and with access to qualified supervision in Japanese security policy.

Duties

Doctoral students shall primarily devote themselves to their own education in Political Science at the postgraduate level. Postgraduate studies consist of working on your research project and following an individual study plan under supervision. Writing a doctoral thesis in Political Science is the central task (165 ECTS credits), but completing postgraduate courses is also part of it (75 ECTS credits). Postgraduate studies encompass 240 ECTS credits, i.e. four years.

Departmental duties (e.g. teaching or administration) is normally not included in a scholarship-funded doctoral position but may occur to a limited extent as part of a specific agreement.

Read more about postgraduate research programmes here.

Qualifications

General admission requirements:

• a completed master degree or equivalent, or
• completed courses equivalent to at least 240 ECTS credits, of which at least 60 ECTS credits must be at the advanced level, or
• otherwise acquired equivalent knowledge in Sweden or elsewhere.

Specific admission requirements:

• the completion of course requirements of at least 30 ECTS credits at the postgraduate level, within the primary field of Political Science with a focus on crisis management or security or an equivalent area of study,
• a passing grade on an independent thesis (degree project) in Political Science with a focus on crisis management or security or an equivalent work of at least 15 ECTS credits at the postgraduate level,
• the completion of course requirements of an additional 90 ECTS credits in subjects relevant to the course.
• An upper-secondary/high school grade equivalent to English 6 constitutes another specific admission requirement. Applicants who do not have grades from a Swedish upper-secondary school require a certificate of eligibility equivalent to English 6 from an internationally accepted language test (the TOEFL, IELTS or Cambridge ESOL).

Assessment Criteria

The selection is based on the applicant’s ability to successfully pursue and complete the doctoral research and education. Special emphasis will be placed on the relevance of the research plan to the focus of the position.

More specific criteria for the selection process (in order of priority) are:

• the scientific quality of previous work (for example master- and bachelor thesis) and relevant education,
• the quality, feasibility and relevance of the thesis subject and the research plan, and
• other merits relevant to the programme, including demonstrated ability to execute tasks within given time frames.
• documented knowledge of Japanese foreign and security policy.
• knowledge of the Japanese language.

Applications must be submitted via the Swedish Defence University’s recruitment system by clicking on the ‘Apply’ link. Read more about the admissions process here.
Please label your application with reference number Ö 368/2026.

Applications must include:

1. Degree certificates and grades from previous first and second cycle studies confirming that you meet the general and specific entry requirements for admission.
2. Curriculum vitae (maximum of two pages).
3. Contact details for two references.
4. Sample of exam work at an advanced level or other relevant independent work of a comparable level of difficulty and scope (maximum three texts)
5. Draft research proposal (no longer than 1400 words excluding references), with relevance to the focus of the call.
6. A description of how your project fits into the research environment at the Department of Political Science. This description should clearly state which of the department’s broad research areas, that is crisis management or security, the applicant’s research proposal fits into. The letter should also discuss explicitly how the proposed project relates to the department’s research.
7. If the applicant is not a Swedish citizen a copy of the passport must be included.

The 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).
Only complete applications will be considered. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the application is complete and complies with the requirements set out in the advertisement.

The application must be completed in a Scandinavian language or English. Certified translations must be provided for documents in other languages. Applicants may be invited for an interview in early autumn 2026. The aim is to complete the selection process well before the end of 2026. The doctoral programme is due to commence in the spring term of 2027 (January).

Funding for the PhD programme

The PhD position is funded by a scholarship and comprises four years of full-time study within the doctoral programme in Political Science at the Swedish Defence University. The funding consists of a tax free scholarship that covers the PhD student’s living expenses during their studies, in accordance with the terms set by the funding body. The scholarship amounts to approximately SEK 27,500 per month and is supplemented by insurance cover and funds for literature and research-related costs.

The doctoral student is admitted to third-cycle education and follows the programme structure comprising 240 higher education credits. There is no employment as a doctoral student under the Higher Education Ordinance during the scholarship period.

Departmental duties (e.g. teaching or administration) are not normally included in a scholarship-funded doctoral position, but may occur to a limited extent by special agreement.

Further information information regarding the doctoral position is available from:

• Linus Hagström, Professor and project lead, can answer questions about the project: linus.hagstrom@fhs.se
• Karl Gustafsson, Director of Studies, can answer questions about the PhD programme: karl.gustafsson@fhs.se

From Midsummer onwards, response times to enquiries regarding the PhD student opening may be longer than usual due to the summer holiday period. Enquiries received during this period may, in some cases, not be answered until after the vacation period has ended.

We look forward to receiving your application by 31 August 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.