Student Assistant (Institute for European Global Studies)
Starting February 1, 2027, or by agreement; max. 12 hours/week
The Europainstitut / Institute for European Global Studies, founded in 1993, is an interdisciplinary research institute at the University of Basel that examines the relationships between Switzerland and Europe from a global perspective. As an interdisciplinary institution, the Institute brings together expertise from political science, economics, history, philosophy, and law, and offers an innovative and internationally oriented academic program in European Global Studies.
As of February 1, 2027 (or by agreement) we are hiring a student assistant for the SNF Ambizione project “Droughtscapes of Empire: Food Production and the Techno-Politics of Dryland Adaptation, 1890s-1940s”. Focused on French North Africa, Australia, South Africa, and the United States, the project looks at how settler societies and capitalist food regimes confronted the challenge of feeding imperial and global markets from semiarid environments. This history speaks directly to the present, contributing to current debates on global food security and climate change adaptation, green capitalism and its faith in technological fixes. You can read more about the project and about the principal investigator, Dr. Michele Sollai, here.
Your position
- Hands-on involvement in the project's research (compiling bibliographies, tracking down published and archival sources, helping build the project's source database).
- Helping organize the project's academic activities – workshops and conferences, invitations to visiting speakers, travel and scheduling – together with the project's head.
- Supporting the institute with organizational and administrative tasks in the secretariat and providing organizational support for events and activities hosted by the institute.
Your profile
- You are enrolled at the University of Basel, in a master's programme or in the later stages of a bachelor's degree.
- You are interested in the work and specializations of the Europainstitut / Institute for European Global Studies, especially history and interdisciplinary research on Europe in a global context.
- You are organized, proactive, and reliable, and you enjoy working as part of a team. Experience with administrative and organizational tasks, especially around events, is an advantage.
- You are comfortable working with spreadsheets and with reference management software such as Zotero, or willing to learn. Basic skills in image editing and layout (e.g., Photoshop, InDesign) are a plus, but not a requirement.
- You have very good written and spoken English and good German. A good reading knowledge of French is an advantage, given the project's French-language sources.
We offer you
- You will gain first-hand insight into how a research project is run, from source research and bibliography work to the organization of academic events, in an international and interdisciplinary research environment.
- You will learn innovative and practical methods for taking notes and organizing information from literature and sources – a simple digital workflow built with Zotero, Obsidian, and Python, including the responsible use of AI tools. These are skills that will come in handy for any research you undertake in the future, your own thesis included.
- You will join a flexible and collegial working environment, with advice and support available from colleagues and supervisors across the institute.
- The position runs for an initial six months, with the possibility of extension. Employment conditions and compensation are in accordance with the guidelines of the University of Basel.
We look forward to receiving your complete online application, including a short letter of motivation, CV and employment references, by November 15, 2026.
In your letter of motivation, we are less interested in a polished text than in your own voice. Tell us briefly what draws you to this position and this project, and what you hope to learn from it.
Please apply only through the University of Basel's online application portal. Applications submitted by email cannot be considered.
For further information on the position and the project, feel free to contact the head of the research project, Dr. Michele Sollai (michele.sollai@unibas.ch).
For more information about the Europainstitut / Institute for European Global Studies at the University of Basel, please visit: https://europa.unibas.ch/de/.
