Two Postdoctoral Researcher positions - Emotions and bodies in journalism and documentary-making

Are you looking for an inspiring academic position within an enthusiastic and professional research team? Would you like the rare opportunity to combine media research with a love of nature and outdoor activities? The Amsterdam School for Heritage, Memory and Material Culture opens two positions for Postdoctoral Researchers as part of the ERC-funded project ‘Emotions and bodies in fact-based media production: Integrating affective and embodied knowledge into journalism and documentary filmmaking’, led by Dr. Johana Kotišová. The two research positions involve ethnographic fieldwork in Hungary and Slovakia (Postdoc 1) and in Poland and the Czech Republic (Postdoc 2). Therefore, knowledge of relevant languages is an advantage.

Join us!
We are looking for two independent, result-oriented, and ethically minded Postdoctoral Researchers who care about journalism and documentary-making, have strong expertise in qualitative research methods, and are interested in investigating the emotional and bodily dimensions of media work.

As a Postdoctoral Researcher, you will conduct research within a larger project examining the epistemic value of emotions and bodies in journalism and documentary-making. The project seeks to empirically, theoretically, and practically integrate emotions and bodies in journalism and documentary work, and involves ethnographic research across Central and Eastern Europe and an experiment with nature retreats for media professionals.
You will be responsible for conducting ethnographic research among media professionals covering politics, conflict, or culture – in particular, either investigative journalists and documentary makers, or artists-journalists and cultural journalists – in two countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Postdoc 1 will focus on investigative journalists and documentary makers in Slovakia and Hungary, Postdoc 2 will focus on cultural and artistic journalists in Czechia and Poland. You will closely collaborate with Johana Kotišová as the principal investigator, and two other doctoral and postdoctoral researchers working on the other CEE countries, Ukraine, and Georgia.

Your daily work will include theoretical and methodological preparation, independent ethnographic fieldwork in the two countries (including observations, digital ethnography, interviewing, and shadowing) under the supervision of the Principal Investigator, data management and data analysis, participation in theory-building, and (co-)authoring academic articles for leading journals in the field of Communication.

Additionally, if you are a nature lover, the project offers a unique opportunity: in the final phase, you can help design nature retreats in Czechia and Poland for small groups of journalists and documentary makers.

This is what you will be doing

• co-designing and conducting research under the supervision of the project leader, resulting in at least three peer-reviewed academic publications in international scientific journals;
• conducting fieldwork in the two respective countries under the supervision of the PI;
• co-presenting intermediate research results at workshops and conferences;
• participating in knowledge dissemination activities, such as writing popular research-based texts;
• participating in meetings of the project research group;
• participation in the Research School and Faculty of Humanities PhD training programmes;
• co-organizing expert meetings;
• helping to design nature retreats for media professionals.

This is what we ask of you

• PhD in a relevant field;
• Expertise in research on investigative journalism or cultural and artistic journalism;
• Experience in publishing in leading international scientific journals;
• Good command of English and preferably also knowledge of at least one of the following languages: Slovak (Postdoc 1), Hungarian (Postdoc 1), Czech (Postdoc 2), or Polish (Postdoc 2);
• Experience in presenting scientific results at international conferences;
• Good knowledge of qualitative research methods;
• A strong cooperative attitude and willingness to engage in collaborative research;
• Enthusiasm for communicating academic research to non-academic audiences;
• Good social, communication, and organizational skills;
• Knowledge of Central and Eastern European media landscape.

This is what we offer you

• The employment will be for one year. Contingent on a positive performance evaluation, the contract will be extended for 18 months. The preferred starting date is 1 September 2026;
• An enthusiastic and professional academic team;
• An inspiring academic and international work environment in the heart of Amsterdam;
• The opportunity to collaborate with leading interdisciplinary researchers at world-renowned research institutes;
• The rare opportunity to combine media research with love for nature and outdoor activities.

This is where you'll be working
The work is located in Amsterdam, with fieldwork conducted in other EU countries (Hungary and Slovakia for Postdoc 1, Czechia and Poland for Postdoc 2).

You will be a part of the journalism team at the Media Studies department at UvA and of the Amsterdam School for Heritage, Memory and Material Culture (AHM). You can participate in academic events of the Media Studies department and the research school.The Media Studies department is a leading international institute in media archaeology, the creative industries, datafication, digital methods, and information analysis.

AHM, as a thematic research school, fosters a dynamic, interdisciplinary and transnational approach across various disciplines. AHM’s mission and profile integrate all branches of research that focus on the material and intangible remains of the past, the reciprocal relations between objects, meanings and representations, and the dynamics of memory. AHM’s research is carried out from diverse theoretical and methodological perspectives: in concept-oriented, object-oriented and user-oriented approaches. AHM’s research agenda is streamed into five Research Themes that cross and connect the fields of heritage, memory studies and material culture: Museums & Memorials, Heritage & Conflict, Transnational Memory Narratives, Digitality & E-Memories, Materiality & Material Culture. AHM is one of the five research schools within the Amsterdam Institute for Humanities Research (AIHR).

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

Questions?
For questions about the position, you can contact us at:

Johana Kotišová
j.kotisova@uva.nl

Application
If you recognize yourself in the profile and are interested in the position, we look forward to receiving your application. Your application should include the following information:

• A cover letter (max. 1 A4);
• Full academic CV, including a list of publications;
• a short project proposal (max. 2 pages plus references), including how you would approach the project, possible case studies, theoretical framing, and methodology;
• The names and email addresses of two academic referees who may be approached by the selection committee.

Please submit the required information as one PDF by uploading it to the required field ‘CV’.

The vacancy closes on 16-04-2026. The first round of interviews will take place online, in the last week of April 2026.