Research Collaborator (F/M/D)

THE PROJECT:

‘Law by Colour Code’ aims to explore the role of race and racism in international law by focusing on the legal governance of nature and food systems in the Anthropocene. It accepts that the meaning of the term ‘race’ is context-contingent. It uses the term ‘racism’ to describe the process of naturalizing the enjoyment of entitlements, rights, and privileges, for one racially defined group, at the expense of another. ‘Structural racism’ is then understood as the maintenance of hierarchies and dependencies structured by racial identities. The project is primarily concerned with European practices of international law, The focal points of this project are the legal systems of Germany, France, the Netherlands, and the European Union. It builds on scholarship exploring the colonial legacies of international law and on domestic legal scholarship on racial discrimination and racism. The project “Law by Colour Code: Locating Race and Racism in International Law” is funded by the Swiss National Sciences Foundation (SNSF). Its principal investigator is Dr. Lys Kulamadayil. It is jointly hosted by the International Law Department and the Global Governance Centre.

YOUR PROFILE:

• Are you interested in a topic related to the broader theme of this project, and committed to completing a doctoral dissertation?
• Are you inquisitive and imaginative?
• Are you a focused and self-disciplined worker and are you comfortable with working on your own for longer stretches of time?
• Are you enthusiastic about conducting various research-related activities?
• Do you have an interest in pursuing a career in academia?
• Are you willing to contribute to project-related activities such as archival research, and the organizing of scientific events?

OUR OFFER:

You will have the opportunity to join the project as soon as possible as a research collaborator. This means that you will be asked to provide some research assistance and administrative work, paid on an hourly basis from March to August 2024.

Should you wish to keep working on this project and pursue a Doctorate at the Institute from September 2024 onwards, you will need to apply through the following admission process, please visit the PhD program of the Institute.

• You will complete your doctoral dissertation on a topic falling under the broad umbrella of Law by Colour Code project.
• You will be supported in developing your own and original research.
• You will join the PhD program of the Graduate Institute’s international law department and become part of the Global Governance Centre and become of a vibrant research community at the heart of international Geneva.
• You will be employed as an SNSF-funded doctoral researcher. The salary range for doctoral students can be found here.
• You will be eligible to apply for additional SNSF funding opportunities, such as mobility grants to undertake visiting fellowships at foreign research institutions.

• You will have access to some funding for conference and workshop participation.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Master’s degree in law, or in pursuance thereof.
  
• Ability to carry out academic research in a humanities or social sciences discipline
• Knowledge of, and interest in the project’s themes as well as in European and international law
• Organized and capable of working independently
• Excellent written and oral communication in English as well as proficiency in French, Dutch, or one other working language of the European Union
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work with others

APPLICATION PROCESS:

Please submit applications by 30 January 2024 by clicking below. Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed by a selection committee between 8-13 February 2024.

Required documents are the following:

• CV & Contact details
• Letter of motivation (max. 2 pages)
• PhD proposal (maximum 2,000 words)
• Grade transcript
• Writing sample in English
• Names and contact details of two persons who can be contacted for letters of reference

Questions?

For questions about the application process, please contact: Sylvia Nissim at sylvia.nissim@graduateinstitute.ch, For questions about the project itself, please contact Lys Kulamadayil at lys.kulamadayil@graduateinstitute.ch

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, marital status, disability status, race, national origin, color, gender, sexual orientation or religion.

For more information, candidates are encouraged to consult the Institute’s website: graduateinstitute.ch