Nazarbayev University was launched in 2010 as a premier national and regional university, partnering with some of the most internationally recognized names in Higher Education. The strategic partner of the SHSS is the University of Wisconsin-Madison (USA), including for the M.A. program in Eurasian Studies. The establishment of the new Ph.D. program in Eurasian Studies is a collaborative effort between the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Nazarbayev University and Humboldt University in Berlin (Federal Republic of Germany) made possible by a generous four-year grant from the VolkswagenStiftung.

Post-Doctoral Scholar (International Hire) [to begin August 01, 2019]

The School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Nazarbayev University (Astana, Kazakhstan) invites applications for a position as “Post-Doctoral Scholar in Eurasian Studies”.

We seek to recruit a scholar whose research and teaching interests will complement current strengths in Eurasian Studies in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences in the following Departments participating in the new Ph.D. program in Eurasian Studies:

·         Department of History, Philosophy, and Religious Studies

·         Department of Kazakh Language and Turkic Studies

·         Department of Languages, Linguistics, and Literatures

·         Department of Sociology and Anthropology

While the Department of Economics and the Department of Political Science and International Relations are not participating in the Ph.D. program in Eurasian Studies, we will also consider applicants whose research specialization complements those fields as well as other strengths in Eurasian Studies in other schools at Nazarbayev University.

Duties

The post-doctoral scholar will conduct research and teach one course/semester in support of the Ph.D. program in Eurasian Studies, either in his/her area of specialization or in a subject dictated by the curriculum of the Ph.D. program in Eurasian Studies. The anticipated division of the workload is 50% research, 25% teaching, and 25% advising and program administration. Under program administration, the post-doctoral scholar will:

·         facilitate the communication between admitted students and possible members of the doctoral thesis committee;

·         support the students in organizing their personal study semester programs, manage the students’ semester learning agreements, and keep track of their fulfilment of the requirements;

·         support the students in planning their semesters abroad and communicate the specific needs of traveling students to the partners abroad in time;

·         foster communication between students and teachers/supervisors in the process of topic selection and further development of the doctoral thesis;

·         support the collaboration between Nazarbayev University and Humboldt University in Berlin, including assisting in the planning and organization of joint workshops as well as coordinating of student mobility grant trips;

·         perform other duties as they may arise.

The post-doctoral scholar will also liaison with Nazarbayev University staff supporting the new Ph.D. program in Eurasian Studies (including the collaboration with Humboldt University in Berlin) in the execution of documents, tasks, and reports.

Benefits

The benefits include a regionally-competitive post-doctoral salary (12-month basis); a research travel benefit; a housing benefit (anticipated, for on-campus housing); and a local health insurance benefit (anticipated).

 Application Procedure

Applicants must submit their employment application through the on-line Nazarbayev University platform: nu.edu.kz

Applicants should submit an application in English including a cover letter, curriculum vitae, teaching philosophy, and three letters of reference including at least one from someone who can address the candidate's teaching abilities. Enquiries and applications should be directed to [email protected]. Please send all materials as attachments. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.

We anticipate hiring candidates by July 01, 2019 to begin August 01, 2019. Applications will be reviewed until positions are filled. Complete applications received by March 15, 2019 will receive fullest consideration for July 2019 hires. Only short-listed candidates will be notified

The successful candidate will have a Ph.D. from an international university in a discipline related to Eurasian Studies (disciplinary specialization open); appropriate qualifications for appointment at the level of post-doctoral scholar (including a Ph.D. dissertation successfully defended by August 01, 2019 and deposited, with Ph.D. in hand no later than August 31, 2019); a research agenda informed by disciplinary framework(s) and interdisciplinary scholarship; fluency in spoken and written academic English (knowledge of regional languages, as appropriate, is also desirable); teaching portfolio or evaluations (if available); good interpersonal and communication skills; and an ability to work with and advise doctoral students from diverse international backgrounds in the setting of an international university. This is a two-year appointment with an annual review for renewal (at the end of the first year) and submission of a report required at the end of each semester. The post-doctoral scholar will report to the director of the Ph.D. program in Eurasian Studies.

For additional information please contact the director of the Ph.D. program in Eurasian Studies:

Professor Uli Schamiloglu, Chair

Department of Kazakh Language and Turkic Studies

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Nazarbayev University, Room 8.107

53 Kabanbay Batyr Avenue

010000 Astana, Republic of Kazakhstan

Office telephone: +7/717-270-5795

[email protected]