The Department of Social Anthropology and Cultural Studies (ISEK) at the University of Zurich is offering two postdoc positions in the research project “Provisional Futures: Migrants as wanted workers, yet temporary residents” (TEMP MIGRATION). The project is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation and led by Prof. Dr. Helena Hof. The project focuses on the growing proportions of temporary migrants in liberal democratic states. Its objective is to understand the experience of building life on a temporary basis and how migrants' negotiations, strategies, and practices affect the receiving societies. TEMP MIGRATION uses an ethnographically-informed approach to understand how people make sense of their temporary lives as migrant workers in three countries with distinct migration regimes: Canada, Switzerland and Japan. It provides an in-depth account of temporariness a) as experienced by people of different 'skill' levels – exemplified by case studies of temporary labor migrants in IT, health care and construction –, as well as b) across labor-importing countries of distinctively different mobility regimes.
The successful candidate will work under the supervision of Prof. Helena Hof, Principal Investigator of the SNF Starting Grant project “Provisional Futures: Migrants as wanted workers, yet temporary residents” and SNF Assistant Professor at the Department. The Postdoc will be responsible for one of the two field sites (Canada or Japan) within the project and will collaborate with the project team as well as with the overseas host institution throughout the research project. This role requires someone equally comfortable leading independent fieldwork abroad and contributing actively to a tightly collaborative, multi-sited research team.
The successful candidate will lead the Work Package
Canada or
Japan, conducting an ethnographically-informed study of temporary labour migration in the three sectors IT, health care, and construction. This will include in-depth interviews with migrant workers, ethnographic observations at their workplaces and socializing activities, as well as stakeholder interviews with employers, policy makers, representatives of unions, and of migrant support organizations. The position is based at the Department of Social Anthropology and Cultural Studies at the University of Zurich and requires residency in Switzerland. Data will be collected over two extended periods of field research in Canada / Japan, where the postdoc will be hosted by the overseas collaborating institutions, the Global Migration Institute, University of Toronto, Canada and the Institute of Asian Migrations, Waseda University, Japan, respectively. This will allow the postdoc to broaden their academic networks and produce both single-authored articles and collaborative research outputs and thereby establish their own independent research profile.
The team collaborates on project preparation and analysis as well as co-authorship. The two postdocs are expected to provide guidance to the research assistant and the PhD researcher in the team, and benefit from free trainings and courses offered at UZH. This allows them to take over greater responsibilities over time and develop mentoring and leadership skills.
Compensation: The salary is based on rates set by the Swiss National Science Foundation: Annex_XII_Ausfuehrungsreglement_Beitragsreglement_E.pdf
Your tasks
Independent:-
Design and carry out your own work package.
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Conduct extended fieldwork in Canada/Japan.
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Publications in migration studies and disciplinary journals.
Collaborative:-
Contribute to joint theory-building at the intersection of migration studies, research on socio-cultural diversification and theorizations of future work.
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Collaborate within an ambitious, international, and interdisciplinary research team.
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Serve as co-guest-editor for a Special Issue in a major journal in the field.
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Co-organize a stakeholder workshop in the country of your expertise.
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Informal mentorship of the PhD student and the Research Assistant.
Applicants must, at the time of assuming employment, hold a PhD in Anthropology, Sociology, Geography, Migration Studies, or a related social science discipline with a strong focus on migration and mobility.
The successful candidate should demonstrate:
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Knowledge in the fields of temporary migration, immigrant integration, and labour market institutions in Canada / Japan.
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Strong qualitative research skills, including experience conducting in-depth interviews and ethnographic observations.
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Solid training in anthropology or other relevant theoretical approaches of the social sciences.
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Postdoc Japan: Demonstrated fluency in spoken and written Japanese.
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Strong academic writing and publication skills.
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Excellent organizational, communication, and event coordination skills.
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Ability to manage multiple tasks and timelines.
The following are considered assets:
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Experience with academic management, scientific outreach and creative methods.
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Knowledge of the migratory landscape in IT, health care and construction in Canada or Japan.
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Training and experience in comparative research.
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International research experience.
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Fluency in languages other than English.
We look forward to receiving your electronic application by July 31, 2026.
Please submit a complete application package merged into one single PDF. The application includes the following:
1. A brief CV (2–4 pages).
2. A motivation letter (maximum 2 pages) outlining the candidate's research experience, skills, and fit for the position.
3. An indication of which project you would like to work on (Canada or Japan)
4. A full list of publications, incl. ORCID number or link to google scholar profile.
5. One writing sample (journal article, dissertation chapter, or policy brief).
6. Copy of your PhD degree or official certificate of your (upcoming) PhD defense
