Explore and teach at the University of Vienna, where more than 7,500 academics thrive on curiosity in continuous exploration and help us better understand our world. Does this sound like you? Then join our accomplished team!

Your personal sphere of influence:

The National Science Center (NCN) and Austrian Science Fund (FWF) co-funded project Non-Ukrainians in Revolutionary Ukraine, 1917–1921 (NURU) invites prospective candidates to join this collaborative four-years project with one research team at the Polish Academy of Sciences and another one at the University of Vienna. The Warsaw team will consist of three researchers and the Vienna team of four researchers. The following three positions will be filled, but via this job portal you can only apply for the position at the University of Vienna:
1.    Nationalities inhabiting the wider regions adjacent to the Black Sea (PhD position Vienna)
2.    Levels, degrees, and combinations of cooperation between non-Ukrainian nationalities (PostDoc or PhD position Warsaw)
3.    The disintegration of the ‘triune nation’: Belarusians and Russians in their relationship with Ukrainians (PhD or PostDoc position Warsaw)

The Project in its Entirety
NURUkraine aims to reinterpret one of the most critical periods in modern Ukrainian history – the revolutionary changes of 1917-1921 – by exploring the diverse experiences of non-Ukrainian populations living in Ukraine. At that time, Ukrainian lands were a multicultural and multiethnic space. This project comprehensively investigates the political, cultural, and socio-economic agency exerted by non-Ukrainians, both nationally and transnationally, within the revolutionary context of opportunities for emancipation and challenges for survival. The project adopts both top-down and bottom-up perspectives, analysing (1) in-group transformations among non-Ukrainians, (2) their interactions with state authorities, (3) their relations with co-national kin outside Ukraine, and (4) cooperation and (5) violence between different non-Ukrainian groupings. Through this project, we aim to rethink the history of revolution, nationalism, and imperial transformation in modern Ukraine, Russia, and East-Central Europe.
For more information on the project, please refer to our NURU project website.

Research Position on the topic of “Nationalities inhabiting the wider regions adjacent to the Black Sea” (PhD position, University of Vienna)
We offer a two-year contract, renewable for another two years after an interim evaluation. The gross salary is approx. 37,600 EUR per year, corresponding to 75% (30 h) of a full time position. Starting date is 3 February 2025.
You will have a fully equipped workspace at the Department for East European History of the University of Vienna. You are expected to reside in Vienna as NURU is an inhouse project; research visits to the Warsaw team are, however, very welcome. Funding for research missions and participation to international conferences will be provided.
You will be part of an international research team of seven scholars in an intellectually ambitious and challenging project in one of Europe’s most pleasant cities.

Your future tasks:

You will analyse the five above-mentioned fields of inquiry with regard to one of the nationalities inhabiting the wider regions adjacent to the Black Sea: Germans, Greeks, or Moldovans/Romanians. The choice of which national group you want to study depends on your interests and qualifications. You are expected to complete a PhD thesis at the University of Vienna on a topic related to your research in the project and publish preliminary results. You will furthermore participate in the weekly meetings of the project team, discuss your findings, make them accessible in our project’s database, help to organise two conferences, and assist in the maintenance of the project website.

This is part of your personality:

You must hold an MA degree (or equivalent), ideally with a scholarly background in Ukrainian or Russian history, and/or German, Greek, Moldovan, or Romanian history, and/or nationalism studies. You should demonstrate an interest in minority issues, social history, political history, history of transformation, and comparative research questions. You need a very good knowledge of English, Russian, German/Greek/Moldovan/Romanian, and some Ukrainian, and you should be familiar with reference management software like e.g. Zotero or EndNote.

What we offer:

Fair salary: The gross salary is approx. 37,600 EUR per year, corresponding to 75% (30 h) of a full position.

Inspiring working atmosphere: You are a part of an international academic team in a healthy and fair working environment.

Work-life balance: Our employees enjoy flexible working hours and can partially work remotely. 

Good public transport connections: Your workplace is easily accessible by public transport.

Internal further training & Coaching: Opportunity to deepen your skills on an ongoing basis. There are over 600 courses to choose from – free of charge.

Equal opportunities for all: We welcome every additional/new personality to the team!

It is that easy to apply:

You can apply in German or English. Please submit the following documents as a single PDF document (entitled: SURNAME, NURU, application 2024, Black Sea) to the University of Vienna job portal (link below)
1) Motivation letter (max 2 pages).
2) Curriculum vitae, including a list of publications (if applicable).
3) Name, email and telephone number of at least two referees (no recommendation letters).
4) An exposé of your planned PhD thesis. Please outline how your thesis relates to the objectives of NURU in general and how you will approach your chosen nationality (Germans, Greeks, or Moldovans/Romanians) in particular (approx. 1000 words, excluding bibliography).
5) A writing sample (e.g. an article, or a significant chapter of your MA thesis). It is not necessary that it has already been accepted for publication.
6) A certificate of your MA degree.
We plan to inform you about the outcome of the selection process by early December 2024. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interviews likely during the week of 16-20 December 2024 in Warsaw.

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