Date: 6 Jun 2025

Department: Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology

Full-time/Part-time: Full-time

Location: Vienna, AT, 1100

Application Deadline: July 5, 2025

The Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology at Central European University invites applications for a 22-month postdoctoral position open to Ukrainian researchers. The position is part of the international research project ‘Times in Crisis, Times of Crisis: The Temporalities of Europe in Polycrisis’, funded by the HERA–CHANSE (Humanities in the European Research Area – Collaboration of Humanities and Social Sciences in Europe) program. The successful candidate will work under the supervision of Professor Vlad Naumescu.

The postdoc will join a large research consortium, including universities in Denmark, Norway, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovenia and the UK, which collectively explore how Europe experiences and conceptualizes the temporalities of overlapping crises—war, migration, political instability, and environmental change. As part of Work Package 1: War and Conflict, the postdoctoral researcher will focus on the temporalities of crisis in Central and Eastern Europe, with particular attention to the ongoing war in Ukraine. The postdoc will examine how religion, ritual, theology, and/or law mitigate the effects of war and shape understandings of crisis across past, present, and future.

Duties and responsibilities

Primary responsibility will include conducting field research in Ukraine and/or neighboring countries, collaborating closely with the research team and international partners, publishing peer-reviewed articles, actively participating in consortium activities and contributing to the collective outputs of the HERA-CHANSE project.

Qualifications

A PhD in anthropology or related disciplines completed by the start date
Expertise in the field of religion, state and society with focus on Ukraine and the region
Experience in interdisciplinary research and international collaboration
Proficiency in written and spoken English, in addition to Ukrainian

What CEU offers

Competitive remuneration of 69,060 EUR/year (gross)
Travel and research support in line with project objectives
Opportunities for professional development and academic networking
A dynamic and supportive international academic environment

How to apply

Please submit the following documents in one PDF file:

a cover letter outlining your research interests and suitability for the position (max. one page)
a CV, including a list of publications
a brief project description and research plan outlining approach and relevance (max. 5 pages including bibliography)
a writing sample in English (e.g. published peer-reviewed article or chapter)
the names and contact details of two potential referees

For further information about the research project please contact Prof. Vlad Naumescu, e-mail: naumescuv@ceu.edu

CEU is an equal opportunity employer and values geographical and gender diversity, thus encouraging applications from women and/or other underrepresented groups. Since CEU strives to increase the share of women in professorial positions, given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female applicants. 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.

About CEU

One of the world’s most international universities, a unique founding mission positions Central European University as both an acclaimed center for the study of economic, historical, social and political challenges, and a source of support for building open and democratic societies that respect human rights and human dignity. CEU is accredited in the United States and Austria, and offers English-language bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in the social sciences, the humanities, law, environmental sciences, management and public policy. CEU enrolls more than 1,400 students from over 100 countries, with faculty from over 50 countries.

In 2019, CEU relocated from Hungary to Austria as the Hungarian government revoked its ability to issue US-accredited degrees in the country. As a result, CEU offers all of its degree programs in Vienna, Austria; and retains a non-degree, research and civic engagement presence in Budapest, Hungary, through its CEU Democracy Institute, the Institute for Advanced Study, the CEU Summer University and The Vera and Donald Blinken Open Society Archives (OSA), and its Hungarian language public educational programs and public lectures.

For more information, please visit https://www.ceu.edu/.

Requisition ID: 840

Post-doctoral Researcher (with focus on Ukraine) (f/m/d)