Postdoctoral Fellow

The Democracy in History Workgroup of the Democracy Institute at Central European University invites applications for a Postdoctoral Fellow position in the newly launched multi-disciplinary research project “Democracy in East Central European Utopianism.” The project is funded by the Gerda Henkel Foundation (https://www.gerda-henkel-stiftung.de/). The research team will be based at Central European University’s Democracy Institute in Budapest.

Qualifications
Candidates must have a PhD in hand in one of the relevant disciplines (preferably history or political science, but other disciplines, such as literature will also be considered, especially if the dissertation is related to utopianism), an outstanding research agenda, and a record of relevant and internationally recognized publications in the field, preferably with a focus on Eastern or Central Europe. Experience in working in an international, collaborative, multidisciplinary environment is an advantage.

Applicants must have excellent written and oral proficiency in English. Proficiency in an East Central European language is essential; advanced working knowledge of further project languages, including Latin, is an advantage.

Duties and responsibilities
Working from Budapest, the post-doctoral research fellow is expected to contribute to collaborative research activities and joint publications, as well as be actively involved in dissemination and outreach activities in English and in other project languages, and to develop and deliver high-quality, innovative research outcomes on the subject of the research described above, including, but not limited to, the following activities:

• Conduct research in full compliance of the ethics, data and best-practice research guidelines valid at Central European University and the Gerda Henkel Foundation, and will be supported in doing so;
• Prepare his/her first book for publication;
• Produce research publications for leading international and/or peer reviewed journals (minimum requirement: at least one paper per year accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed academic journal);
• Active participation in the regular meetings of the research group to discuss individual and collective results;
• Collaborate effectively within the research group to assist in research and outcome delivery;
• As part of your research process, to participate in and convene workshops, seminars, conferences, training sessions and other collaborative events with a range of participants;
• Participation in the organisation of workshops of the research team;
• Produce book chapters for project-specific publications, including edited volumes;
• Participate in conferences of appropriate learned societies and associations;
• Produce research dissemination materials (blog, podcast, etc.) for the project’s public-facing website and social media, as well as other channels;
• Perform editorial and critique tasks as appropriate to support other team members and the publications of the research team;
• Work with the lead scholar to ensure that he has the information and materials he needs to ensure the smooth running of project;
• Other tasks as agreed with the lead scholar;
• Travel, including international travel, where necessary and appropriat.e

Compensation
The post-doctoral research fellow position is remunerated with a scholarship of 2,300 EUR gross/month, plus a flat-rate travel bonus for those who leave the country of their principal residence.

The awardee will be directly funded by the Gerda Henkel Stiftung. As a research affiliate of the CEU Democracy Institute, they will work in the Gerda Henkel-funded research project "Democracy in East Central European Utopianism" alongside CEU faculty and the project’s Principal Investigator, Professor Zsolt Czigányik. As a recipient of the Gerda Henkel Stiftung Postdoctoral Scholarship, the awardee will not be employed by Central European University and thus will be responsible for their own health insurance in Hungary and any mandatory social security/taxation payments in their country of fiscal residence. CEU will assist with obtaining a visa and/or residency paperwork in Hungary. This position requires full-time work, and no other parallel employment is possible. Detailed information on the requirements of the Gerda Henkel Foundation is available here: https://www.gerda-henkel-stiftung.de/en/grants

How to apply

Applicants need to submit:

• Cover letter / Letter of intent (max 2 pages)
• CV (max 5 pages), including details on relevant experiences and a selection of publications
• Research plan in view of the research agenda of the project. Ideally, the applicant shall be responsible for the investigation of the utopian phenomena of a particular East Central European nation or language community.
• One recent English-language article, book chapter, paper or manuscript that best represents the applicant’s recent research
• Names and contact details of three referees who could be contacted for a recommendation letter in case of being shortlisted for the job. Please include at least one academic referee who was not involved with the supervision of the dissertation.

Please send your complete application package to as one single pdf file to: advert010@ceu.edu - including the job code in the subject line: 2022/010.

The review of applications will begin on 30 April 2022 but the call will remain open until the position is filled.

Informal inquiries can be addressed to the lead scholar of the research team, Professor Zsolt Czigányik, CziganyikZs@ceu.edu.

CEU recognizes that personal and family circumstances shape the trajectory of one’s career and working patterns. As such, and in line with CEU’s promotion of Equal Opportunities, we encourage applicants to detail periods of leave, part-time work or other such situations in their applications so that the Search Committee is able to assess an applicant’s academic record fairly in the context of their circumstances. Any declaration of personal and family circumstances is voluntary and will be handled confidentially and only considered in so far as it impacts on the academic career of an applicant. Applications from female applicants are particularly welcome, given equal qualifications, they will be prioritized.