Enhancement of interdisciplinary research in an interdisciplinary community

The second fellow selected in the AIAS-RJ programme is political scientist Elias Götz, associate professor at the Department of Government at Uppsala University in Sweden. His research combines insights from international relations, political psychology and diplomatic history. 

At AIAS, Elias Götz will spend a year as part of an interdisciplinary, international community to work on his own research project to assess the effectiveness of tripwires in international politics. Also, Götz will collaborate with the strong political science community at the Department of Political Science in Aarhus.

Advancing deterrence theory

His project is entitled ‘Deterrence Matters: Assessing the Effectiveness of Tripwires in International Politics.’ In it, he will examine when, why and how forward-deployed tripwire forces deter a potential attacker. Combining congruence analysis (which checks whether theoretical expectations match the actual outcomes) of 21 cases with an in-depth study of the 1948 Berlin Crisis, his project develops and tests a theoretical framework that is integrating rational, psychological and regime-type factors. 

By identifying the conditions under which tripwires succeed or fail, Elias Götz´s project seeks to advance deterrence theory, a theory which explains how states try to prevent conflict by convincing potential adversaries that the costs of attacking would outweigh any possible gains. Ultimately, his study will lay the groundwork for a more integrated thinking about international security and will provide policy-relevant insights for contemporary security challenges.

About the AIAS-RJ Fellowship and how to apply

The AIAS-Riksbankens Jubileumsfond Fellowship (AIAS-RJ Fellowship) is targeted researchers from a Swedish research institution with an aim of strengthening the ties and expand collaboration across the Danish and Nordic research communities. The AIAS-RJ Fellowship programme is open to curiosity-driven scholars in the humanities and social sciences with research experience of a minimum of four years after completion of their PhD. Applicants must hold a tenured position at a Swedish research institution. 

• Opening of the next call – expected in August 2026
• Deadline for applications – expected in November 2026

Information about the fellowship programme and the next call for applications will be announced here:
https://aias.au.dk/opportunities-at-aias/aias-rj-fellowships

The Riksbankens Jubileumsfond (RJ) (https://www.rj.se/en/) is also funding similar initiatives, targeting Nordic researchers, at three of AIAS's Nordic ‘sister’ institutes, namely the Centre for Advanced Study (CAS) in Oslo, Norway; Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies (HCAS) in Finland, and the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study (SCAS) in Sweden.

Contact

Lotte Holm, AIAS deputy director
E-mail: lho@aias.au.dk
Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, AIAS
Høegh-Guldbergs Gade 6B
DK-8000 Aarhus C
Denmark