Postdoctoral Research Associate

Location: Schwarzman Centre 

The Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages is seeking to recruit a Researcher to support the three-year Leverhulme Research Grant project The 101st kilometre: Soviet marginalization, migration, memory and mapping. The project will analyse and compare experiences and (re)imaginings of Soviet urban exclusion in Russia, Ukraine, Latvia, and Kazakhstan. Reporting to the Principal Investigator, Prof. Polly Jones (Slavonic/MML), the PDRA will be a member of a vibrant interdisciplinary research group, also including Co-I Dr Miriam Dobson (History, Sheffield), and a PDRA based in Sheffield and consultants in Ukraine. The PDRA will also be part of Oxford’s Slavonic sub-faculty and Humanities Division. 

The PDRA will have responsibility for key research for the project, with a particular focus on historical, cultural studies and digital humanities strands. They will also create and maintain the project website; co-author the project book with the PI and Co-I; and produce single-authored article(s) and conference presentation(s) related to the project research. 

About the Role   

The successful candidate will work alongside the PI and the other project team members. They will have responsibility for codifying and analysing a large corpus of 20th- and 21st-century memoir, literary and other cultural narratives of the 101st kilometre; research in Latvian archives; creation of collection of digital maps based on the research; writing of research papers for internationally refereed journals and presenting results at national and international conferences. They will collaborate on co-authorship of a book, and in key decisions on research directions (including offshoot impact projects) and methodologies (especially for the digital humanities strand).   

About You   

You will have a doctoral degree in a relevant field (Slavic studies, Soviet and post-Soviet cultural history), and fluency in English and Russian.  

Past experience of work in Soviet archives is desirable. Familiarity with Ukrainian and/or Latvian would be helpful, as would prior work with digital humanities tools.  

You should have peer-reviewed publications, or publication plans, commensurate with your career stage. 

Application Process   

You will be required to upload a covering letter/supporting statement, CV, writing sample (one published article/book chapter, or a PhD extract of no more than 40pp.), and the details of two referees as part of your online application.   

The closing date for applications is 12.00 noon on Friday, 15 May 2026. 

Interviews will take place during June 2026. The start-date of the role would be September 2026. 

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