CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: Metropolitan University Prague - Center for Security Studies

For 2 New PostDoc Positions within the Center for Security Studies

Starting date – position 1: October 1, 2023

Starting date – position 2: January 1, 2024

Application deadline: June 12, 2023

On-line interviews with shortlisted candidates: June 23, 2023

Duration: 12+12 months. 12 months fellowship awarded upon selection, with the option for another 12 months extension of the fellowship pending successful performance of the fellow in the first 12 months.

Fellowship: 50 000 CZK per month. The selected fellow will be offered a regular employment agreement for 12 months in accordance with the law of the Czech Republic.

The fellow must be in residence in Prague for the entire duration of the fellowship. Office space will be provided at the premises of Metropolitan University Prague.

Eligibility criteria: A PhD degree in a social science discipline relevant to the study of security, broadly understood. The fellow must have officially obtained the PhD degree no later than the starting date of the fellowship and no earlier than 5 years before the starting date of the fellowship.

 Terms and conditions:

·       In terms of publication outcomes, we are looking for high-quality publications that would be counted on behalf of MUP in the Czech database of scientific results of universities and research institutions. In practical terms, this means that the fellow must state the institutional affiliation to C4SS Metropolitan University Prague as the primary author affiliation in all publications produced during the fellowship.

·       In quantitative and qualitative terms, in the first 12 months, the fellow is expected to publish at least 1 article in a journal with a higher than average Web of Science impact factor for the primary discipline AND to obtain a contract for his/her revised Ph.D. thesis for a book publication with a major international publisher and/or university press. The final book manuscript has to be submitted for publication within 24 months from the beginning of the fellowship.

·       If these criteria are met, the fellowship can be extended for additional 12 months, when the fellow is expected to publish at least 2 additional articles in a journal with a higher than average Web of Science impact factor for the primary discipline.

·       In case of co-authored publications, the fellow is expected to produce additional publications so that the final count of publications produced during the fellowship would correspond to 100 percent/single authorship of 3 articles in a journal with a higher than average Web of Science impact factor for the primary discipline and a book publication with a major international publisher and/or university press.

·       In addition, we expect the fellow to present his research in at least 2 public lectures and to participate in the other public events at the C4SS and MUP. In the second year, we also expect the supervision of a small number of B.A. and/or M.A. theses and teaching of one one-semester elective course in the area of his/her research.

Selection criteria: The selection of applicants who are eligible for a fellowship is competitive and merit-based. It will be conducted through an internal review process by senior faculty members of MUP. The results of the selection process will be announced in the first half of July.

How to apply: In order to provide our evaluators with relevant information to perform their work efficiently, please submit your application via e-mail to the Centre of Research, Development and Accreditations at jakub.marek@mup.cz, containing all of the following documents (in English exclusively):

·       The completed application form

·       A CV, including a list of publications

·       One sample peer-reviewed publication in a .pdf format

·       A detailed research proposal (maximum 10 pages/20,000 signs (spaces included) and a bibliography – maximum 1 additional page)

·       Two letters of recommendation. Candidates are requested to instruct the referees to e-mail their letter of recommendation directly to jakub.marek@mup.cz by the application deadline. Applicants will not be able to access these documents. Late recommendation letters will not be considered.

Applicants are required to specify the following in their research proposals:

·       The relevance and connections of the research to a wider academic context

·       The aims and methods of research

·       The current state and schedule of their research

·       Their motivation for participating in the fellowship program

·       The planned publications

·       Copy of the Ph.D. diploma. If the writing system/script used in the diploma is not Latin (but, for example, Cyrillic, Chinese, Arabic or some other) it must be coupled with a Latin script university certificate or an official translation in English.

Additional information:

·       Paper applications via post are not accepted.

·       Incomplete applications will not be considered.

·       Late applications will not be considered.

·       Only one project per applicant per year.

·       Only individual projects.

·       For Prague, the fellowship provides a decent amount of money for a single fellow. However, it is not enough to support a spouse and/or family.

·       Full medical insurance of the fellow is included as part of the employment agreement.

·       We are unable to offer any additional funds to cover either accommodation or relocation costs.

If you have any questions, please contact jakub.marek@mup.cz