Malcolm Campbell-Verduyn

This postdoctoral project at the University of Groningen sits within the NWO-funded KNOWSEC-NL consortium, which studies how the Dutch knowledge sector can remain resilient in a geopolitical context. The research addresses the tension between international academic collaboration and knowledge security, including concerns about unwanted foreign interference, risk governance, and the balance between openness and protection in research. The successful candidate will work across two core work packages: a conceptual package that examines the key concepts shaping knowledge security discourse and practice in the Netherlands and research security in the EU, and a normative package that assesses the risks and benefits of international collaboration alongside the effects of knowledge security measures. The role includes a scoping review of literature, analysis of measures such as partner screening and risk classifications, and group model building sessions with domain experts and knowledge security professionals. The project is closely connected to a wider consortium of universities and research institutions in the Netherlands and Europe, and the postdoc will contribute to research activities and events while collaborating with other researchers in the network. The work also has a clear topical focus on four technological domains: quantum technology, AI, biotechnology, and energy transition technologies. The position is based in the Department of International Relations and International Organisation within the Faculty of Arts at the University of Groningen, and includes a secondment at Delft University of Technology in the Department of Values, Technology and Innovation. Supervision is shared between Malcolm Campbell-Verduyn at Groningen and Clare Shelley-Egan at TU Delft.