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Department of Anthropology at the Institute of Anthropological and Spatial Studies (IAPS), Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (ZRC SAZU), Ljubljana, Slovenia, invites applications for two fully funded research assistant position
Published on: May 21, 2026

If you are interested in, or wish to continue, research in environmental anthropology, the anthropology of water, multispecies studies, fishing cultures and related technologies, infrastructure studies, the anthropology of the future, or related fields, you are invited to join us at the Department of Anthropology at the Institute of Anthropological and Spatial Studies (IAPS), Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (ZRC SAZU). The Institute is inviting applications for two fully funded research assistant posts. Candidates should hold an MA degree in anthropology or a related discipline. The two research assistants will be employed at the IAPS, ZRC SAZU and simultaneously enrolled at the Postgraduate School ZRC SAZU (PŠ ZRC SAZU), in the module Anthropology: Understanding Worldmaking Practices. The posts are linked to research within the ERC Synergy Grant project PLANETARY EEL, Planetary Anthropology and Interspecies Nurture: A Political Ontology of Human–Eel Relations, led by Asst. Prof. Nataša Gregorič Bon, ZRC SAZU. The Synergy project is carried out in partnership with the University of Bologna (PI), CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) (Pi), and the University of Melbourne (PI).

The PLANETARY EEL project examines human-eel interrelations to address the complex challenges of reproduction and life on an increasingly damaged and unequal planet. For many millennia, anguillid eels have played a crucial role in food systems, economies, cultures, and traditions. However, due to overfishing, the informal economy, Anthropocene infrastructural legacies, and ecosystem fragmentation, their numbers are rapidly declining. Through unconventional, synergistic collaboration between anthropologists, multispecies designers, life scientists, and communities, PLANETARY EEL explores human interrelations with environment through the lens of eels and seeks to imagine environments in which humans, animals, and other beings can cohabit. It aims to design spaces of interspecies relatedness that enable sustainable coexistence and multispecies justice.

The two PhD projects will explore human-eel relations in the following locations: 1) the Neretva delta (Croatia) and the Vjosa delta (Albania); 2) the Yarra delta (Australia). 

Duties and responsibilities

Both PhD researchers will be based at IASS ZRC SAZU and enrolled in the PhD programme at PS ZRC SAZU, Anthropology module. They will also be part of an international, synergistic research team bringing together anthropology, multispecies studies, design and legal perspectives.

Main responsibilities include:

  • Writing and conducting an original doctoral research project.
  • Completing coursework and other requirements of the Postgraduate School ZRC SAZU.
  • Conducting 12 months of ethnographic fieldwork at selected locations: in Croatia and Albania (Neretva and Vjosa deltas) for the first position; in Australia (Yarra delta, Melbourne) for the second position.
  • Analysing collected ethnographic materials.
  • Writing and defending a PhD dissertation related to the project.
  • Actively participating in project meetings, workshops, and international collaborations.

Required and preferred qualifications:

  • Completed or nearly completed Master’s degree (before August 2026) in anthropology, ethnology, cultural studies, or a related discipline.
  • Demonstrated interest in aquatic environments, wetlands, rivers, urban ecology, infrastructure, habitat restoration, environmental processes, multispecies relations, social and cultural processes and other related themes.
  • Ability to conduct independent research and write academic texts in English.
  • Willingness to conduct fieldwork.
  • Ability to work collaboratively in an interdisciplinary and international research team.
  • Desirable, but not mandatory, familiarity with spatial, visual, or participatory methods and other multimodal approaches.
  • For the first position, desirable but not mandatory familiarity with social, environmental, or linguistic contexts in Southeast Europe, especially Croatia and Albania.
  • For the second position, desirable but not mandatory familiarity with urban waterscapes, multispecies ecologies, and related processes in Australia.

Terms of employment

  • Four-year full-time employment at IASS ZRC SAZU combined with enrolment in the PhD programme at PS ZRC SAZU.
  • Integration into the ERC Synergy project team PLANETARY EEL.
  • Close mentoring and supervision in designing and writing the PhD dissertation.
  • Opportunity for extended field research abroad (Croatia, Albania, Australia).
  • Participation in international research networks, workshops, and co-authored publications.

Type of employment

Regular, full-time employment for the period from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2030.

The application deadline is 11 June 2026 at 11:59 p.m. CET.

Please send your applications to kadrovska(at)zrc-sazu.si. All applications will be treated as confidential.

Application procedure

Applications should be submitted in English and must include:

  • Curriculum vitae.
  • Motivation letter clearly specifying which position you are applying for:
    • Position 1: Anthropological field research in the Neretva (Croatia) and Vjosa (Albania) deltas.
    • Position 2: Anthropological field research in the Yarra delta, Melbourne (Australia).
  • Short description of research interests and previous experience directly or indirectly related to the advertised research topics.
  • Degree certificates.
  • If available, a sample of research or professional writing (e.g. MA thesis chapter, article, report).
  • A letter of recommendation and contact details of the referee.

For more information, please contact: Nataša Gregorič Bon, ngregoric(at)zrc-sazu.si