Student Assistant (4 Positions) 30%

Historical Institute
Start of employment: September 1, 2026
Fixed-term: up to 4 years (max. 48 months)
At the Historical Institute of the University of Bern, within the framework of the research project funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) "The Forgotten Fates of Soviet Prisoners of War and Forced Labourers in Switzerland: Escape from Extreme Violence to Swiss Internment and Repatriation to the Soviet Union," four student assistant positions (30%) are advertised. The project is led by Prof. Dr. Julia Richers and Dr. habil. Carmen Scheide.
The project systematically examines for the first time the history of the internment of around 12,000 Soviet refugees in Switzerland during World War II. A special cross-project component is subproject 4 "Documenting Fates: Digital History, Collaborative Database and 'Full-Circle' Mapping": The goal is to build an interactive documentary database that systematically records and makes visible the biographies of Soviet prisoners of war and forced laborers who fled to Switzerland across various stages. The database as well as a visualization (via Nodegoat or similar) is being developed in close cooperation with our project partners (including Data Science Lab UniBE).
The research project foresees four assistant positions for work in this subproject:

• Assistant #1 and #2: Data entry based on archival sources mainly concerning Soviet military internees and civilian forced laborers
• Language skills: German/French, possibly Italian and/or Russian

• Assistant #3: Digitization of archival material and image editing from Swiss archives, willingness to travel to archives in Switzerland
• Language skills: German/French, possibly Italian

• Assistant #4: Data entry based mainly on Russian-language archival records, data comparison with databases of the Arolsen Archives, Memorial Archives/KZ Flossenbürg, among others
• Language skills: German, Russian/Ukrainian

• Systematic data collection and data entry into the project database (including Nodegoat) based on relevant archival sources, especially from digitized lists, card files, and personal dossiers
• Compliance with internal project recording standards (metadata schema, documentation practice)
• Comparison, supplementation, and verification of personal data through cross-referencing
• Collaboration in indexing and annotating project-related documents
• Digitization of archival materials
• Ongoing close coordination with the project management and the research project's data team
• Support with other project-related tasks as needed

• Enrolled student in History or East European Studies at the University of Bern (ideally in the 1st–2nd year) with willingness for long-term collaboration over the project duration (max. 4 years)
• Ability to read handwritten sources
• High accuracy and attention to detail when working with personal and metadata
• Confident use of PC and common office applications (especially Excel); willingness to learn the database environment (including Nodegoat)
• Interest in contemporary history topics as well as archival source work, digital history, and structured data management
• Careful, reliable, structured, and independent working style
• Teamwork skills and precise communication with project management and coordination with the data team
• Presence in the office according to the agreed work schedule

• Stimulating and collegial working atmosphere in a committed team
• Participation in an SNSF-funded research project and collaboration with national and international project partners (including DSL, Dodis, BAR, MWS, DaSCH)
• Training and professional support by the project and data team (including training in the use of Nodegoat)
• Practical experience working with archival sources and digital history tools
• Well-equipped infrastructure in a project office
• Employment conditions and remuneration according to SNSF guidelines and the regulations of the University of Bern

• Motivation letter
• Curriculum vitae
• Proof of enrollment
• Current transcript of records/grade overview
• Information on the expected duration of studies
• Indication of the desired position option, e.g., Assistant #1 or Assistant #4 (multiple selections possible)

For technical inquiries about the position, please contact julia.richers@unibe.ch or carmen.scheide@unibe.ch. For administrative questions, please contact Andrea Häfeli, andrea.haefeli@unibe.ch.