Project research assistant position

ERC Synergy Grant: ‘Cosmological Visionaries: Shamans, Scientists, and Climate Change at the Ethnic Borderlands of China and Russia’ (COSMOVIS); Institute of Ethnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic

Call for Applications: PROJECT RESEARCH ASSISTANT POSITION, part-time or fulltime (0,5-1,0 FTE)

THE INSTITUTION

The Institute of Ethnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences (Prague, Czech Republic), invites applications for a part-time or fully funded project research assistant position. The general aim of the Department of Ecological Anthropology, where the project is based, is to foster and produce world-leading and ethnographically grounded research on human experience, practices, and communities, all of which are inextricably a part of more-than-human lives and worlds.

PROJECT

Cosmological Visionaries is a 6-year project funded by the European Research Council Synergy Grant scheme (grant agreement number 856543, acronym COSMOVIS). It is comprised of two synergistically mirrored teams, the China Team led by Katherine Swancutt, Project Lead and Principal Investigator at the Institute of Ethnology, Czech Academy of Sciences, and the Russia Team led by Olga Ulturgasheva, Principal Investigator at the University of Manchester. The project was launched in September 2020, and the project research assistant will join in its final phase, contributing to its research and research outputs as a member of the China Team. You can find more information about the project here.

POSITION

Under the supervision of Dr Katherine Swancutt and alongside members of the project team, the project research assistant will facilitate the team’s qualitative research in the anthropological and textual study of Southwest China. We expect the successful candidate to contribute to various research activities, such as literature reviews, transcribing, coding, contributing to the write-up of articles, and the facilitation of fieldwork in Southwest China. The project research assistant will work as part of a research team within the above-mentioned COSMOVIS project.

JOB OFFERS AT GLANCE

• Starting date: 1 November 2026 or as agreed
• Duration: 23-month position; an initial 12-month contract, extendable for a further 11 months to the end of the project (30 September 2028).
• FTE: part-time or full-time position, depending on your availability
• Workplace: Prague (candidates must be residents of Czechia or ready to relocate to Czechia for the whole duration of the position)
• Salary: A gross monthly salary ranging from 35,000 CZK (approx.1,440 EUR) to 55,000 CZK (approx. 2,270 EUR), depending on your qualifications.

YOUR ELIGIBILITY  

• A Bachelor’s degree or higher awarded prior to the start of the contract.
• Excellent skills in qualitative methods and ethnography.
• Excellent command of English, both written and spoken.
• Knowledge of fieldwork-related languages. Working knowledge of Mandarin Chinese (B1 to B2 level) in speaking and reading is required. Knowledge of Tibeto-Burman languages is desirable.
• Ability to work independently and as a member of an international team.

WE OFFER

• A cutting-edge research project, a vibrant and supportive research team, and the exciting broader research environment of the Institute of Ethnology and the Czech Academy of Sciences.
• Opportunities to work alongside experienced scholars within an innovative research project.
• Funding for fieldwork and conference travel.
• Fees for open access publications.
• Training seminars and workshops to further professional development.
• Institutional affiliation with the Institute of Ethnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences.
• 25 days of paid annual leave, flexible working arrangements, and a family-friendly work environment.
• Pleasant working environment in the centre of Prague.

APPLICATION PROCESS

To apply, candidate is required to submit the following as a single PDF document comprising:

• A cover letter outlining your motivation to join the project team of no more than 2 pages.
• CV

Application should be emailed as a single file to recruitment@eu.cas.cz under the subject ‘COSMOVIS Project Research Assistant position’ no later than 31 August 2026, 16:00 Central European Time.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview in late September/early October.

We currently have two openings for the position.

FURTHER INFORMATION

We strongly recommend that prospective applicants contact Dr. Swancutt at swancutt@eu.cas.cz for further information regarding the COSMOVIS project prior to submitting the application.

We are looking forward to receiving your application!