Student Research Assistant at the Chair of International Conflict Research

Student Research Assistant at the Chair of International Conflict Research

20%-40%, Zurich, fixed-term

The Chair of International Conflict Research (ICR), within the Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences at ETH Zurich, is looking for a student research assistant to support research on nationalist movements around the world.

The starting date is in June or July, 2024, or upon mutual agreement. The position is limited until February 2025, with possible renewal, depending on other projects in the ICR group.

Project background

The main goal of the project is to collect information on majority nationalist movements around the world since WW2. For instance, this includes white supremacism in the US, Hindu nationalism in India, and Serb nationalism in Yugoslavia/Serbia. Using this data, we examine the causes and consequences of majority nationalism around the world. The ICR group is headed by Prof. Lars-Erik Cederman and the data collection is overseen by Andreas Juon.

Job description

The tasks include the following: 1. Country-wise research: reading country-wise historical overviews and secondary sources. 2. On the basis of these sources, identifying majority nationalist movements and coding variables that capture their characteristics (e.g., ideological justifications and territorial claims). 3. Documenting the coding decisions by writing short narratives (usually ~1.5 pages) for each country and majority nationalist movement identified.

The renumeration follows standard ETH guidelines for research assistants. The position is offered at an average of 20%, with the possibility to increase this during the semester holidays, depending on mutual agreement.

Your profile

• We are looking for a proactive, motivated, and well-organized person, who is studying political science or a related discipline at either the Master or advanced Bachelor level in Switzerland.
• We are looking for a commitment to work around 20% on average between June 2024 and February 2025 (~310 hours total). You would be completely flexible on how you distribute this workload within ETH guidelines. For example, you could distribute it equally and work 20% each week across this time period; or you could do all the work during the Summer/Winter semester holidays, working fulltime for 7-8 weeks total.
• Interest and previous studies or work on nationalism, populism, or ethnic conflict are an advantage.
• You should be able to speak and write clearly in English.
• You should be based in Switzerland and ideally be able to participate in person in a monthly meeting with other researchers in the project.

Your workplace

Your workplace

We offer

ETH Zurich is a family-friendly employer with excellent working conditions. You can look forward to an exciting working environment, cultural diversity and attractive offers and benefits.

We value diversity

Curious? So are we.

We look forward to receiving your online application with the following documents:

• CV
• A short introduction about you
• Academic records and/or relevant work references

Please note that we exclusively accept applications submitted through our online application portal. Applications via email or postal services will not be considered.

Questions regarding the position should be directed to Andreas Juon (E-Mail schreiben, no applications).

About ETH Zürich

Curious? So are we.

We look forward to receiving your online application with the following documents:

• CV
• A short introduction about you
• Academic records and/or relevant work references

Please note that we exclusively accept applications submitted through our online application portal. Applications via email or postal services will not be considered.

Questions regarding the position should be directed to Andreas Juon (E-Mail schreiben, no applications).