Postdoctoral Researcher

The Department for Migration and Globalisation of the University for Continuing Education Krems is looking for a postdoctoral researcher to undertake research in two projects led by Dr. Lea Müller-Funk: to a larger degree (85%) you will contribute to the new project ‘RESTATE: Refugees’ Political Participation and State-(Re)Making in Displacement’ (2025-2030) and to a minor degree (15%) to the project ‘SYREALITY: Syrian Imaginations of Europe meet Reality’ (2022-2027).

RESTATE investigates how refugees perceive and engage with the state throughout their displacement journeys, and how these perceptions shape their roles as political actors. Centring refugees’ political agency, the project aims to: (1) provide a dynamic understanding of refugees’ experiences and interactions with the state; (2) discern which forms of state violence erode trust in state institutions and potentially incite political resistance; (3) theorise the conditions of refugees’ political participation throughout their displacement trajectories; and (4) theorise the implications of refugees’ political participation in both origin and host states for processes of ‘state-making’ – attempts to fulfil key government functions such as protection, justice, and the provision of services. Employing a comparative mixed-methods and multi-sited approach, the project studies displacement from three civil-war states (Afghanistan, South Sudan and Syria) in four major host states (Iran, Turkey, Uganda, and Germany). The project will collect a cross-national survey, life histories, online interviews, and a compilation of humorous representations of the state. The team consists of the Principal Investigator (PI), two postdoctoral researchers, a PhD researcher, a project manager, and local research assistants. The qualitative postdoctoral researcher will co-lead the qualitative data collection and lead the Afghan case study.

The postdoctoral researcher will also be involved in the analysis of the qualitative data of the SYREALITY project. Taking on a longitudinal perspective, SYREALITY focuses on Syrians who have settled in four cities across Europe since 2011. It investigates (i) how broader life aspirations influence migration decision-making in a context of forced displacement; (ii) which influences war and displacement have on life aspirations and social class; and (iii) how the context of reception in four different European cities impacts their life aspirations and well-being.

Your tasks:

• Contributing to the analysis of the SYREALITY qualitative dataset and co-authoring one journal article together with the PI;
• Contributing to the conceptual framework of the RESTATE project through reading groups and working on a joint conceptual paper;
• Developing the RESTATE qualitative interview guides together with the team;
• Leading the qualitative data collection in Istanbul (Afghan case study), Berlin (Afghan case study), and Adjumani (South Sudanese case study) together with local research assistants;
• Co-leading the remote qualitative fieldwork in conflict countries together with the PI (follow-up interviews with family members of previous interviewees per phone in Afghanistan, Iran, and South Sudan);
• Authoring two journal articles based on the RESTATE qualitative data and contributing to two other co-authored project publications (e.g., working paper, Methodological Handbook chapter, journal article);
• Participating in project team meetings and research cluster meetings and contributing to the organization of events and workshops;
• Presenting work-in-progress at international workshops, conference panels, and to colleagues within the department and the university.

We look forward to receiving your online application by 16 September 2025.

Your application should include:

• Your CV
• Motivation letter (max. 3 pages) clearly addressing the following questions:
  • What are your motivations for joining the RESTATE project?
  • How do the two projects fit in with your previous experience and your future research agenda?
  • How would you tailor your contribution to the RESTATE project to your specific interests, networks, and skills?
• A writing sample (journal article or a chapter of your PhD thesis)
• Contact information of 2 referees