Competition for the position of assistant professor (post-doc) – the contractor of a research project - Instytut Historii im. Tadeusza Manteuffla PAN

COMPETITION FORM

Director of the Tadeusz Manteuffel Institute of History of the Polish Academy of Sciences announces a competition for the position of assistant professor (post-doc) – the contractor of a research project

GENERAL INFORMATION:

INSTITUTION: Tadeusz Manteuffel Institute of History, Polish Academy of Sciences

DEPARTMENT: Department of 19th and 20th Century Social History

DISCIPLINE: History

LOCATION: Warsaw, Poland

POSITION: Assistant Professor (post-doc)

NUMBER OF POSITIONS: 1

TYPE OF EMPLOYMENT: Full-time, fixed-term contract for 3 years

GROSS ANNUAL SALARY: 140,000 PLN

ANNOUNCEMENT DATE: June 12, 2025

APPLICATION DEADLINE: July 30, 2025

RESULT ANNOUNCEMENT: September 15, 2025

START DATE: November 1, 2025

WEBSITE: http://www.ihpan.edu.pl

DESCRIPTION OF FUTURE RESEARCH WORK:

The position is offered within the research project titled “Experts and the Production of Feminist Knowledge in Postwar Central and Eastern Europe (1945–1989)”, funded by the National Science Centre of Poland (OPUS LAP project no. 2023/51/I/HS3/02044), led by Dr. hab. Natalia Jarska, in cooperation with Dr. Annina Gagyiova from the Institute of History of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

Abstract of the research project

Does knowledge production contribute to the development of gender equality activism? What knowledge about women’s problems in labor, housework, and health was created by women experts in post-war Central and Eastern Europe? How did their research uncover existing gender inequalities and stereotypes about women’s roles? Which solutions did female experts propose to improve the situation of women in society? Did the knowledge they created prompt them to participate in the public debate on women’s issues? How did the knowledge circulate among female experts from different countries? Who were the women who devoted their research careers to women’s issues? Did, under the conditions of the communist state, which restricted the possibility of association, networks of women experts play a role in feminist activism?

We want to seek answers to these questions by conducting historical research on the biographies and expertise of selected female experts in three communist countries of East Central Europe: Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Hungary. We are interested in those female experts whose research raised issues related to women’s work and health. Our research will focus on medicine, sociology, psychology, and law.

Our research focuses on three threads: 1. Expert discourses about women. 2. Women experts’ biographies and international and transnational contacts between female experts. 3. Knowledge dissemination and activism. As a result, the project will contribute significantly to the knowledge of women’s roles in science in post-war East Central Europe, which, in contrast to Western countries, is still understudied. The project will result in scientific articles and an online dictionary of female experts containing entries in English and national languages. An international team of scholars of the 20th-century social and cultural history of Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Hungary will conduct the research.

The tasks of the Assistant Professor (post-doc) will include:

search, collection, and analysis of the source material for the Hungarian, international, and transnational part of the project;
writing and publishing scholarly articles;
preparing entries for an online biographical dictionary on women experts;
presenting papers at international conferences;
participation in team meetings with the Polish and Czech teams (online and in person);
participation in public engagement activities;
supporting the PI in project management tasks.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

Applicants must:

Hold a PhD in humanities or social sciences, obtained in the year of employment or within 7 years prior to January 1 of the employment year[1];
Have obtained their PhD from an institution other than the Tadeusz Manteuffel Institute of History PAS, or have completed a documented postdoctoral fellowship of at least 10 continuous months at a different institution and in a different country than the one in which they obtained their PhD;
Have research experience and academic achievements in the social and cultural history of 20th-century Hungary and in women’s history;
Have relevant publications and conference presentations in the above fields;
Be fluent in spoken and written English;
Agree to be counted as a research-active staff member (“N number”) for the purposes of institutional funding allocation.

COMPETITION PROCEDURE:

The competition follows the rules set out in Order No. 25/2024 of the Director of the Institute of History PAS, dated December 30, 2024 and the NCN Council Resolution No. 23/2023 of February 16, 2023;
A competition committee, appointed by the Director and chaired by the project leader, will evaluate the applications;
Applications should be submitted to the Institute of History PAS;
In the first stage, the committee assesses whether applications meet formal and substantive requirements;
Selected candidates are invited for interviews (second stage), and those not qualified receive feedback with reasons for rejection;
Interviews will be conducted in a format and on a date specified in the invitation;
Final results will be announced, and interviewed candidates will receive individual feedback on strengths and weaknesses;
Candidates may appeal the decision within 7 days if procedural violations occurred;
All communication will be conducted via email.

EVALUATION CRITERIA (0–100 points):

Academic achievements (publications, conference participation, grants, scholarships, fellowships): up to 50 points
Organizational experience (e.g., organizing academic events): up to 10 points
Relevance of qualifications and research interests to the project: up to 40 points

Each committee member awards scores per criterion; the final score is the arithmetic mean.

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS:

Access to social benefits;
Subsidy for PKP railway discount card;
Subsidy for sports cards;
Option to purchase a personal insurance policy from PZU (employee-paid).

CAREER DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES:

Opportunities for academic development;
Support in obtaining academic degrees and pursuing research goals;
Career advancement opportunities;
Assistance with grant applications and reporting (Research Support Office);
Editorial support for monograph publication (Publishing Office);
Access to research infrastructure;
Training in evaluation and grant preparation;
Language course subsidies.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

Cover letter addressed to the Director of the Institute of History PAS;
CV including contact details (email and phone);
Copy of diploma(s) or a statement on the expected PhD completion date (PhD must be completed before employment begins);
List of academic achievements and publications;
Declaration that the Institute of History PAS will be the primary place of employment and that the applicant consents to being counted in the N-number;
Consent for the processing of personal data (downloadable form).

Please send scanned documents to: konkursy.naukowe@ihpan.edu.pl Originals will be required upon employment.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

During the period of employment, the successful applicant cannot:

Receive other remuneration from direct costs of NCN-funded research projects;
Hold an employment contract with another employer (including institutions abroad);
Receive pension benefits from the social security system.

The Institute of History of the PAS has a procedure for whistleblowers to report legal violations and for taking follow-up actions, namely the Regulations for Reporting Legal Violations and Taking Follow-Up Actions at the Tadeusz Manteuffel Institute of History of the Polish Academy of Sciences. More information on whistleblowers can be found here – only Polish version.

Director of the Institute of History of the PAS
prof. dr. hab. Maciej Janowski

Warsaw, 11 June 2025

[1] This period may be extended by the time spent, during that period, on long-term (over 90 days) documented sick leave or rehabilitation benefits related to incapacity for work; in addition, the period may be extended by the number of months spent on leave related to childcare, granted under the terms set out in the Labour Code. In the case of women applying for the competition, this period may be further extended by 18 months for each child born or adopted, if this method of indicating career breaks is more advantageous.