Download Call for application-monogoroda

The Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography (IfL) in Leipzig kindly invites applications
from highly qualified and motivated individuals for
2 PhD fellowships
to commence as soon as possible. The IfL is a non-university research institute and member
of the Leibniz association with currently around 70 employees. It is institutionally financed by
the Free State of Saxony and the Federal Republic of Germany in the context of a common
research funding agreement.
The fellowships include
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a monthly stipend of 1400 Euro granted for six months;
access to the academic service infrastructure of the IfL (e.g., the Central
Geographical Library; the Geography archives; cartographic and IT services,
scientific seminars);
individual support in terms of exchange and discussions within the international
research network of ira.urban;
flexible working arrangements in Leipzig.
The fellowships will be financed within the framework of the international comparative research project “Urban reconfigurations in post-Soviet space” (ira.urban). The project aims at
analysing and explaining continuities and discontinuities in the reconfiguration of urban
spaces in the light of traditional, reproduced Soviet and newly formed post-Soviet conditions,
as well as of changing global economic and social orders. On the basis of transnational
comparative case study research, the project focuses on the question to what extent urban
development has become part of a socially negotiated adjustment processes, and a mirror of a
comprehensive modernisation process of urban societies in the republics of the former Soviet
Union.
The fellowships relate to the ira.urban subproject on urban economy. We expect the research
projects to focus on mono-industrial cities, which offer particular insights into post-Soviet
urban dynamics and the trajectories of urban systems. In spite of a shared institutional legacy,
after 20 years of transition these cities are following very diverse development paths. Against
this backdrop, we are looking into processes, preconditions and factors within and beyond
these cities, which have promoted their success or downfall. The research projects should
particularly focus on:
(1) Institutional practices as key preconditions for development trajectories of post-Soviet
mono-industrial cities; focusing on comparative analyses of institutional actor
networks, urban governance and the legal environment;
(2) Household strategies of survival and adaptation to market conditions in post-Soviet
mono-industrial cities, with a focus on local and actor-centred research projects.
The awardee addresses in his PhD thesis the aforementioned topic, and deploys it empirically
and theoretically for a local or comparative case study in the post-Soviet space. In the context
of the ira.urban project, he/she contributes to the comparative analysis of survival strategies
and institutional mechanisms in different post-Soviet countries and their repercussions on
reconfigurations of post-Soviet urban space.
The successful candidate will be in an advanced stage of his/her PhD project, have gained
relevant skills in social research methods, as well as experiences in comparative urban
research in post-Soviet space, and/or have elaborated concepts for researching the
aforementioned topic.
Furthermore, we expect of both candidates geographic flexibility, fluency in English and in at
least one language of the post-Soviet space, as well as working knowledge in Office software.
The positions require hard-working individuals with analytical strength, communication
skills, self-initiative and a strong team spirit.
Please submit your complete application package in English as one pdf file by e-mail to
[email protected]. The deadline for applications is July 13th 2014.
Please enclose the following documents:
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CV;
letter of motivation/statement of purpose, including a short display of the links
between your PhD project and ira.urban (2 pages max.);
exposé of your PhD project, including your work schedule and work progress (5
pages max, excluding sources);
list of your publications and presentations;
certificates, references etc.
Should you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Isolde Brade
([email protected]) or Dr. Irina Slepukhina ([email protected]). We are
looking forward to your application!
For further information about the project: www.ira-urban.de.
For further information about the Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography: www.iflleipzig.de.
For further Information about the Leibniz association: www.leibniz-gemeinschaft.de