Project objectives: to examine human-plant relationships in various environmental, social and cultural contexts in lowland South America; to develop a methodology for this type of research. The post-doc will be involved in a new ethnobotanical and ethnographic research on landscape transformations in eastern Paraguay, in the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest ecoregion, among three study groups, namely Paraguayan mestizos, migrants and descendants of migrants from Japan, and Slavs (mainly Poles, Czechs and Ukrainians).

Place of employment: University of Łódź, Faculty of Philosophy and History, Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, Department of Contemporary Anthropology

Type of employment: assistant professor (post-doctoral position) in a research group, full-time (40 hours per week) for 12 months with the possibility of extending the contract for another 24 months.

Salary: approximately 9,000 PLN gross (per month)

The competition is open to persons who obtained their doctoral degree in the year of employment in the project or within 7 years prior to 1 January of the year of employment in the project.

Persons who hold a doctoral degree awarded by the University of Łódź are not eligible to participate in the competition; an exception to this rule are persons who hold a doctoral degree awarded by the University of Łódź but who, after receiving it, have completed a documented postdoctoral internship of at least ten months at a foreign academic institution.

Duties of the Post-Doc

Fieldwork: Preparation and conducting ethnographic and ethnobotanical fieldwork in the department of Itapúa, Paraguay among the Paraguayan mestizo people, the descendants of Slavonic and Japanese migrants, collecting herbarium specimens for botanical identification. If the background of the Post-doc is in natural sciences the scope of work also includes participation in identification of herbarium specimens. Bibliographic and archive queries in Paraguay and also in Poland (only when the Post-doc speaks Polish).

Deskwork: transcription of the ethnographic material; organizing and fulfilling the project database; analysis of the collected data; comparative analysis between the study groups; synthesis

Dissemination and communication of the results: dissemination of the results from the project in scientific papers submitted to international journals; communication of the results in scientific conferences, seminars and quest lectures.

Qualifications

• PhD in cultural anthropology, sociology, biology or other related discipline from the natural science
• Publications in international journals
• Very good knowledge of Spanish language enabling to conduct fieldwork in this language
• Very good knowledge of English language
• Experience in doing fieldwork (in social or natural sciences)
• Expertise in qualitative and quantitative methods of analysis
• Good communication, organisational and teamwork skills
• Desired previous experience in ethnobotany
• Meet the condition of having no criminal record for crimes specified in Chapters XIX and XXV of the Penal Code, in Art. 189a and art. 207 of the Penal Code and the Act of July 29, 2005 on counteracting drug addiction (consolidated text: Journal of Laws of 2023, item 1939) and for prohibited acts corresponding to these crimes specified in the provisions of foreign law

There is no obligation to remain in Łódź throughout the duration of the project, but periodic meetings with the project manager are required.

For more information about the position and the project, please contact: Dr hab. Monika Kujawska, monika.kujawska@uni.lodz.pl

The candidate should submit the following documents:

• Copy of the PhD degree diploma (or a confirmation of its award);
• CV documenting experience and scientific achievements, including: participation in scientific projects, fieldwork experience, list of publications;
• Documents confirming knowledge of Spanish and English, or a statement in the case of native speakers or bilingual persons;
• A cover letter in Polish or English referring to the project topic and research, the applicant's research experience and other scientific activities;
• Contact details of at least two referees, including one of pervious or current supervisors
• A copy of 1 selected publication of the candidate’s authorship (or co-authorship)

Statements:

• Information on personal data processing for a job candidate (available on the website: https://www.uni.lodz.pl/en/career)
• Annex 1 to the Standards for the Protection of Minors at the University of Łódź Declaration for the purposes of verification in the Sex Offenders Register (available on the website: https://www.uni.lodz.pl/en/career)
• Annex 2 to the Standards for the Protection of Minors at the University of Łódź Declaration of no criminal record and commitment to observe the UL Standards for the Protection of Minors (available on the website: https://www.uni.lodz.pl/en/career)

The Commission reserves the right to interview selected candidates.

The Commission reserves the right not to fill the position.

Documents should be sent electronically to the following address of the PI: monika.kujawska@uni.lodz.pl

In the email title please writhe: Opus post-doc