Category: Postdocs

Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies Postdoctoral Fellowship (Japan)

Postdocs

Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies postdoctoral fellowship, Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan. Deadline: 24 October 2026.

The Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies (KCJS) invites applications for the KCJS Postdoctoral Fellowship for the academic year 2027-28, with the possibility of extension. Based at Doshisha University in Kyoto, KCJS is an undergraduate study abroad program governed by a consortium of twelve American universities and administered by the Center for Undergraduate Global Engagement at Columbia University.

The KCJS Fellow is expected to engage in their own research and teach one course each semester in Kyoto. One course should be in the fellow’s own field of interest, while the second should be a broad introductory survey of Japanese civilization. Such a survey may be provided with a particular disciplinary emphasis, such as art, religion, literature or cultural studies. Both courses should be designed to appeal to a wide range of majors and take full advantage of KCJS’s location, preferably encompassing local excursions, hands-on demonstrations, and/or observations. Preference will be given to candidates with the capacity to deliver such courses and those who can demonstrate a commitment to delivering engaging, immersive learning experiences that are both rigorous and accessible.

Additional responsibilities include: assisting the resident director with academic planning and semester orientations; mentoring students on academic matters, career planning, and life in Japan; assisting the resident director in reviewing independent study proposals and summer research proposals; supervising independent studies; presenting their research regularly; and attending KCJS-sponsored curricular and extra-curricular events. These responsibilities and other professional development opportunities provide the Fellow with strong teaching experience and a broad overview into undergraduate global education. The Fellow is also expected to engage in the academic life of Kyoto through involvement in research study groups at Doshisha and other local institutions.

Candidates should hold a Ph.D. in a Japan-related field by the start of the fellowship. It is preferred that the candidate has relevant undergraduate teaching experience, previous experience living or studying in Japan, and Japanese language and cultural fluency.

European U Institute: Max Weber Postdoctoral Fellowships (Italy)

Postdocs

Max Weber postdoctoral fellowships, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute, Florence, Italy. Deadline: 16 October 2026.

The Max Weber Programme (MWP) at the European University Institute (EUI) is a unique postdoctoral programme in the historical, humanities and social sciences. It is open to applicants who are within 5 years from the completion of their PhD, from anywhere in the world, regardless of nationality. The Programme is highly selective, with an annual acceptance rate of <2%. A cohort consists typically of around 65 Fellows across the different academic units of the EUI (Economics, History, Law, Political and Social Sciences, the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies or the Florence School of Transnational Governance). Preference is given to applicants who have only just completed their doctorate and have not had a postdoctoral fellowship before. Selected Fellows will benefit from the stimulating combination of a global programme located in the heart of Europe offering a broad menu of multidisciplinary and disciplinary activities.

The Programme awards 1- and 2-year fellowships according to the hosting academic units. Only in exceptional cases, support is extended for a third year (e.g. Fellows in the Department of Economics may be eligible, as well as Fellows selected for the CIVICA exchange (see section on Special Fellowships)).

U Agder: Post-doctoral Research Fellow in European Languages in Post-Colonial Africa (Norway)

PostdocsPost-doctoral Research Fellow in European Languages in Post-Colonial Africa,  University of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway. Deadline: 15 September 2026.

A fixed-term 100% position is available at the University of Agder, Faculty of Humanities and Education as a Post-doctoral Research Fellow in European Languages in Post-Colonial Africa: Historical Perspectives (1950-1990), affiliated to the Department of Religion, Philosophy and History, for a period of 3 years. The position is located at Campus Kristiansand. The preferred starting date is the beginning of 2027.

The position is linked to UiA’s research groups “Claimed Pasts: Critical Knowledge and Heritage Production” and “Language and Power.”

Applicants are invited to suggest an empirically and theoretically sound research project which conceptualizes language, and specifically the role of European languages, as an historical object, heuristic device, and analytical lens for understanding African decolonization as a historical process. Their research project might, for example, address

  • the role language played for anticolonial mobilization or post-colonial nation- and state-building processes
  • the late- or post-colonial connections between language, education, and development
  • the role language played for inter- and transnational collaboration and institutions
  • language in relation to African subjectivities, collective identities, and social distinction

Ideally, gender should be a central analytical category rather than an add-on variable in the research project. If convincingly conceptualized, any geographic or linguistic area within Africa and its diaspora is pertinent. Projects that place their research topic in a comparative and connective context and converse with discussions in global history will be particularly relevant.

U Birmingham: Cadbury Postdoctoral Fellowship in African Studies (UK)

PostdocsCadbury Postdoctoral Fellowship in African Studies,  School of History and Cultures, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK. Deadline: 1 September 2026.

The School of History and Cultures seeks to appoint a Postdoctoral Fellow in African History for an 18-month fellowship contributing to the University’s research environment and teaching provision. The Fellow will engage in a programme of research agreed with their mentor. They will also support the delivery of African Studies and History programmes in the School of History and Cultures. This post is funded by an endowment that enables members of staff at sub-Saharan African Universities to spend a period of time at the University of Birmingham. The post is therefore limited to applicants currently based on the African continent and affiliated with an African Higher Education Institution

U Edinburgh: Postdoctoral Research Associate: Muslim Societies in Latin America and the Caribbean (UK)

Postdocs

Postdoctoral research associate: Muslim Societies in Latin America and the Caribbean, School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures – Alwaleed Centre, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. Deadline: 26 August 2026.

They are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate (0.8 FTE, fixed term for 24 months) to join the internationally funded research project ‘The Global Landscapes of Muslim Lives: Latin American and Caribbean Intersections’, led by Dr Kholoud Al-Ajarma (University of Edinburgh) and Dr Kenneth Chitwood (University of Bayreuth), and funded by the AHRC and DFG.

This is an exciting opportunity to develop and deliver an independent programme of ethnographic and qualitative research on contemporary Muslim communities in Latin America and/or the Caribbean. Working within the Alwaleed Centre for the Study of Islam in the Contemporary World, you will undertake original fieldwork, contribute to high-quality publications, collaborate with an international research team, and play a key role in shaping new understandings of Muslim lives, networks and institutions in an under-researched global context.

The postholder will also contribute to knowledge exchange and public engagement activities, and help organise international workshops and symposia that bring together scholars and stakeholders from across the globe.

This post is part-time (28 hours per week); however, they are open to considering alternative part-time or flexible working patterns. They are also open to considering requests for hybrid working (on a non-contractual basis) that combines a mix of remote and regular on-campus working.

Charles U: Researcher in Comparative Area Studies, Focus on Africa (Czech Republic)

Postdocs

Postdoctoral researcher in Comparative Area Studies, with a Focus on Africa, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic. Deadline: 14 September 2026.

The Faculty of Arts, Charles University (Prague, Czech Republic) is seeking a postdoctoral researcher in comparative area studies, with a focus on Sub-Saharan Africa. As part of the project funded by Horizon Europe (ERA Chair in Multidisciplinary Area Studies, ERA-AREAS), this post holder will participate in the international research group under the newly established Center for Multidisciplinary Area Studies (CenMAS). The applicant will work closely with the ERA Chair Holder, Prof Mariana Llanos, and the research group leader, Dr. Mahmoud Farag.

The Faculty of Arts belongs among the largest and longest-established centers for area studies research and instruction in Central and Eastern Europe, covering all global regions in its research. By engaging in the ERA-AREAS project, the Faculty seeks to strengthen its area studies programs focused on non-European global regions and Eastern Europe. They invite applications from scholars within area studies whose research demonstrates strong regional expertise and a commitment to addressing globally significant issues through a social science lens. The ideal candidate will employ comparative methodologies and actively engage in disciplinary debates within area studies on critical current events from a comparative perspective. While the specific disciplinary focus of the applicants is secondary (gravitating towards the loosely defined core of sociology, political science, economics, contemporary history or anthropology), the researcher is expected to engage in research of the causes and consequences of contemporary crises in Sub-Saharan Africa which include, in particular, political crises, economic shocks, coups, democratic breakdowns, social protests, early government terminations, threats to democracies, and outbursts of political violence.

UC Louvain: FSR Postdocs 2027 (Belgium)

Postdocs
15 FSR Postdocs, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium. Deadlines: 23 September 2026.

 

The 2027 call is funded by FSR funds. This will allow to award 15 post-doctoral 3 years-fellowships. This funding aims to create favourable conditions for transnational mobility of highly qualified researchers through the award of postdoctoral fellowships. All scientific disciplines are eligible.

 

The incoming postdoctoral fellowships are intended for:

* experienced researchers with a doctorate;

* researchers with a maximum of five years’ postdoctoral experience;

* researchers who are internationally mobile, i.e. who have not lived or carried out their main activity (work, study, etc.) in Belgium for more than 24 months in the three years prior to the project start date.

* All nationalities are eligible.

British Council: U Edinburgh IAS in Humanities Postdoc 2027 (UK)

Postdocs
British Council 90th Anniversary Research Fellowships, Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities, University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Deadlines: 31 July 2026.

 

The British Council celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2024. They have announced a research partnership between the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH) at the University of Edinburgh and the British Council.

 

They are awarding up to two 12-month Fellowships starting in January 2027 – open to postdoctoral researchers based in any ODA-recipient country where the British Council operates. These Fellowships are intended to support research that is aligned with the overarching vision of the British Council (“a more peaceful and prosperous world built on trust”) and the purpose outlined in their strategy: We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide

 

Fellows will spend the first ten months of their Fellowships at IASH, followed by up to two months based in their home countries focused on knowledge exchange and dissemination in collaboration with the British Council.

 

The Fellowship provides a bursary of £2,500 per month and travel expenses as well as desk space, library access and academic mentoring as part of the vibrant scholarly community of visiting fellows at IASH. Fellows will also be expected to engage closely with the British Council throughout their Fellowships (including visits to UK offices), with the option to spend time in a British Council office in their home country as part of the knowledge exchange component of the Fellowship.

Royal Roads U: Postdoc Possibilities 2026-28 (Canada)

Postdocs

Multiple postdoc opportunities, Royal Roads University, Victoria, BC, Canada. Deadline: 3 July 2026.

Royal Roads University (RRU) invites expressions of interest from those wishing to develop a Canada Postdoctoral Research Award (CPRA) application. CPRA award amounts of $70,000 (taxable income) per year for 2 years (non-renewable) are used to fund a postdoctoral researcher position at the university and are subject to MERCs (mandatory employment related costs). RRU seeks expressions of interest specific to a series of research topics; that most likely relevant to followers of this Center is this one:

Dr. Juana Du‘s research encompasses cultural intelligence, the cross-cultural adaptation of business professionals, global virtual and hybrid teams, knowledge transfer and management, and digital innovation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Employing an empirical research approach, her recent work inquiries into human-AI interactions (HAII) within an international business context. She invites expressions of interest from postdoctoral researchers interested in studying the experiences of sojourners (e.g. business expatriates, international students and tourists) using AI-assisted language programs and dialogue systems. Key areas of interest include the impact of AI language learning applications on individuals’ overseas experiences, cognitive abilities, multilingual competence, emotional engagement, social relationships, as well as human- AI interactions in multicultural teams, and related ethical concerns.

U Oxford: Postdoctoral Fellowships in Politics and International Relations (UK)

Postdocs
Postdoctoral Fellowships in Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford, UK. Deadlines: 23 June 2026.

The Department of Politics and International Relations (DPIR) is one of Oxford’s largest and most internationally recognised departments, home to around 90 academic staff and a thriving community of researchers and visitors. Ranked the Number One University in the UK for Politics by The Guardian in 2024, the department delivers world‑class teaching and research supported by experienced Professional Services teams working across Courses, Research, Finance, HR and Communications. They are strongly committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, including work towards an Athena Swan Bronze Award, and are based in the Social Sciences Building on Manor Road alongside Economics, Criminology, Socio‑Legal Studies and the Social Science Library.

They are seeking to appoint up to two Postdoctoral Researchers to join the Social Media Observatory. The postholder will report to Dr Andreu Casas, PI and Director of the Social Media Observatory, funded by a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship. The post holders will be members of a research group with responsibility for carrying out research and provide guidance to other junior members of the research group including research assistants, PhD students, and/or project volunteers. The successful candidate is expected to meet at least one of two profiles described in the job description.