Postdoctoral Researcher for Project 'Political Animals'

The University of Amsterdam's Department of Human Geography, Planning and International Development Studies (GPIO) welcomes applicants for a postdoctoral research position within the research project ANIMAPOLIS ("Political Animals: A More-than-human Approach to Urban Inequalities"), funded by a European Research Council Advanced Grant. We are recruiting a postdoc specialized in multispecies methods to develop a methodological toolkit, to be tested and finetuned in collaboration with the other researchers. The position starts April 1, 2023 and will be embedded in the department's Urban Geographies programme group.

The ANIMAPOLIS project explores how animals' interactions with humans and infrastructures co-produce the unequal distribution of risks and resources across urban spaces and populations. It focuses on two critical urban domains, security and public health, that are often characterized by stark inequalities, and takes the role of key animals within these domains - dogs and rats, respectively - as an analytical entry-point. Through what mechanisms might security dogs co-produce practices of racial profiling, or distributions of rats affect public health outcomes? The project is led by Rivke Jaffe.

What are you going to do

As a postdoc specialized in multispecies research, you will develop cross-cultural multispecies methodologies. You will work closely with the PI and four PhD researchers, and liaise with external experts specialized in human-animal studies, zoology and ecology, in order to design, test and finetune an innovative toolkit that can be utilized comparatively and collaboratively, with specific attention to novel ways of researching animals' interactions with their material, infrastructural environment. This toolkit can involve combinations of multispecies ethnography including (digital) ethology methods; spatial methods such as track-plate and GPS-based animal tracking and GIS-based infrastructure and demographic mapping; and narrative/visual/material methods of cultural analysis focused on media, policy and popular culture. The methodological innovation will include embedding multispecies ethnography explicitly in sociotechnical environments, extending this increasingly popular method to consider human-animal-infrastructure relations, rather than primarily human-animal relations.

Your work will include:

• developing a multispecies methodological toolkit, drawing on literature review and consultations with methods experts across disciplines;
• collaborative field-testing and finetuning of methods with other team members during fieldwork with dogs and rats in Amsterdam and Rio de Janeiro;
• writing a multispecies methodological handbook and (single-authored and/or co-authored) articles;
• participating in conferences, workshops, seminars and other scholarly activities.

Requirements:

• PhD degree in human geography, anthropology, STS, urban studies or other relevant social science;
• Relevant multispecies (ethnographic) research experience and interest in methodological innovation;
• Excellent written and spoken English; some knowledge of one or more languages relevant to the research locations (Dutch for Amsterdam and Portuguese for Rio de Janeiro) is a plus;
• Independent work attitude and ability and interest to work in a team.

Diversity

If this vacancy speaks to you, but you are uncertain whether you meet all requirements, please do apply. In light of the department's and the PI's commitment to diversity, and since diversity and inequality are key themes in the project, we strongly encourage applications from all qualified candidates, and specifically from people of color, with a migration background, and/or with other backgrounds underrepresented in academia.

The position concerns (temporary) employment for a maximum term of three years. This position is for parttime employment (0.9 FTE); there is the possibility to complement the 0.9 FTE research position with 0.1 FTE teaching, depending on experience and budget.

For this position the University Job Classification profile Researcher applies. The preferred starting date is April 1, 2023 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Depending on your experience, the minimum salary is €3974 and the maximum salary is €5439 gross per month based on a 38-hour working week, in keeping with salary scale 11, as per the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities.

We additionally offer an extensive package of secondary benefits, including 8% holiday allowance and a year-end bonus of 8.3%. The UvA offers excellent possibilities for further professional development and education.

What else do we offer

• a position in which initiative and input are highly valued;
• an enthusiastic and warm team that is open to new colleagues;
• an inspiring academic and international working environment in the heart of Amsterdam.

The University of Amsterdam is the largest university in the Netherlands, with the broadest spectrum of degree programmes. It is an intellectual hub with 39,000 students, 6,000 employees and 3,000 doctoral students who are all committed to a culture of inquiring minds.

About the faculty

A challenging work environment with a variety of duties and ample scope for individual initiative and development within an inspiring organization. The social and behavioral sciences play a leading role in addressing the major societal challenges faced by the world, the Netherlands and Amsterdam, now and in the future.

Want to know more about our organisation? Read more about working at the University of Amsterdam.