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Job opportunity: PhD Research Assistant in Anthropology

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), is seeking an anthropologist for a fully funded PhD Research Assistant position.
Published on: September 2, 2026

We welcome applications from candidates trained in anthropology or closely aligned fields.

Application deadline: 15 September 2026, 23:59 CET

Employment period: 1 November 2026 – 31 October 2030

Location: Ljubljana, Slovenia, with extended ethnographic fieldwork on Birrarung River, Melbourne

This position is designed for an emerging researcher who wishes to develop an original anthropological doctoral project on human–eel relations, waterways, environmental transformation, and multispecies life based on the extended fieldwork on Birrarung River, Melbourne, Australia. We are particularly interested in applicants whose academic background and research interests engage with environmental anthropology, anthropology of water, multispecies anthropology, fishing communities and related heritage practices, anthropology of infrastructure, anthropology of future, or related fields. Candidates should hold an MA degree in anthropology or a related discipline.

The research assistant will be employed at IAPS, ZRC SAZU and simultaneously enrolled at the Postgraduate School ZRC SAZU (PŠ ZRC SAZU), in the module Anthropology: Understanding Worldmaking Practices. The post is 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 the 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 PhD project will explore human-eel relations on the Birrarung River (Australia).

Position and doctoral training

The selected research assistant will be based at IASS ZRC SAZU and enrolled in the PhD programme at PS ZRC SAZU, Anthropology module. The research assistant 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 on the Birrarung River, Melbourne.
  • 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 September 2026) in anthropology, ethnology, cultural studies, or a related discipline.
  • Demonstrated interest in environmental anthropology, anthropology of water, multispecies anthropology, fishing communities and related heritage practices, anthropology of infrastructure, anthropology of future 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.
  • Desirable but not mandatory familiarity with urban waterscapes, multispecies ecologies, and indigenous studies.

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 on the Birrarung River, Melbourne.
  • Participation in international research networks, workshops, and co-authored publications.

Please send your applications to Jelka Pekolj Marko, MA, kadrovska@zrc-sazu.si. All applications will be treated as confidential.

Applications should be submitted in English and must include:

  • Curriculum vitae.
  • Motivation letter.
  • Statement 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: Asst. Prof. Nataša Gregorič Bon, ngregoric@zrc-sazu.si