Postdoctoral Fellow in Cultural Anthropology

Centre for Historical Research in St Petersburg, Russia, invites applications for postdoctoral research positions in the field of cultural anthropology.

Requirements

The general requirements for the postdoctoral fellowship positions are the following:

• Candidates must hold a recent PhD in the field of cultural anthropology or related areas which was awarded over the last 5 years or received before starting work at HSE, i.e., in September of 2026, in sociocultural anthropology or related field. The PhD should be from an internationally recognized university.
• Candidates should have a strong background in cultural or social anthropology. Topical and geographical area of specialization is open. A successful applicant will have the potential to pursue research that is publishable in leading peer-reviewed anthropology journals or their equivalents in related areas, demonstrated ability to conduct research drawing on long-term ethnographic participant observation, oral history or historical sources approached in anthropological perspective, as well as engage with anthropological theory.
• Fluent English is an obligatory condition as research communication and publications of a successful candidate are conducted in English. Knowledge of Russian is not required;
  
• Relevant experience beyond anthropology PhD will be an asset although it is not required.

The position involves:

• working under the mentorship of Dr Nikolai Ssorin-Chaikov;
• participants are encouraged to pursue their own research along with working on the projects that are currently conducted at the Centre of Historical Research and the Department of History, such as:

o  The Anthropology of Household
o  History and Anthropology of Religion
o  Visual Anthropology
o  Social Transformations in the Context of Languages of Political Commination
o  Science clusters

• writing research papers for international peer-reviewed journals;
• participation in the events of the the Centre of Historical Research and the Department of History and other contribution to the development of the the Centre of Historical Research;
• public presentations of candidate’s own research to the academic community at the HSE, elsewhere in Russia and internationally;
• this is a research post; some teaching is encouraged, although not required.

Conditions

Appointments are made for one year. Postdoctoral fellows have high opportunity of renewal of the contract no more than two times in case of outstanding performance.

HSE University offers postdoctoral fellows a competitive salary, the standard medical insurance plan; a working space equipped with a computer and free Internet access at the University, library and other databases and analytical software.

Application Process

Applications must be submitted online. Please provide a CV, a statement of research interest and a recent research paper submitted via the online application form. At least two letters of recommendation should be sent by referees directly to the International Faculty Recruitment Office at fellowship@hse.ru before the application deadline. Please note that direct applications to the hiring institution, i.e.,the Centre of Historical Research, may not be reviewed.

Read more about the application process here.

The deadline for the applications is January 31, 2026

Apply now

For more information:

• about Postdoctoral Fellowship -Frequently Asked Questions
  
• about HSE university –official web-site
  
• about the Centre for Historical Research– official web-site of the Centre or contact Evgenii Egorov, evegorov@hse.ru directly
• about international specialists' life in Russia -International Faculty Support page

If you have any additional questions, feel free to contact the International Faculty Recruitment Office at fellowship@hse.ru