Postdoctoral Researcher; F​/M​/D; Centre Confl

Postdoctoral Researcher (F/M/D) - Centre on Conflict, Development and Peace building Geneva Graduate Institute (Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies)

Apply by: 01 Oct 2026

Administration, HR, Management, Accounting/Finance

The Geneva Graduate Institute, founded in 1927, is a world-renowned centre of excellence for the study of international relations and development. Located in Geneva, Switzerland, it offers a stimulating, multicultural and interdisciplinary academic environment, with masters and doctoral programmes and cutting-edge research on major global challenges.

The SNSF-funded research project "Narrative Belonging:
Memory Politics and NATO Enlargement in Europe", hosted by the Department of International History and Politics and the Centre on Conflict, Development and Peace building (CCDP), examines how memories of the past have shaped NATO enlargement and Europe's evolving security order since the end of the Cold War. Moving beyond conventional military and strategic explanations, the project places historical experiences, collective memory, and narratives of belonging at the centre of the analysis, investigating how national memories interacted with NATO's own institutional narratives, symbolic practices, and representations of its history and identity.

It focuses on successive phases of enlargement - the 1999 accession of the Visegrad countries, the 2004 enlargement involving the Vilnius Group, and the recent accessions of Finland and Sweden - combining archival research, media analysis, and oral history.

Key responsibilities:

lead the project's research on NATO as an institution, examining how the Alliance has articulated, represented, and commemorated its evolving identity; examine NATO's institutional narratives and symbolic practices, including commemorations, anniversaries, strategic narratives and public diplomacy; investigate how NATO's representation of its own history interacted with the memory politics of new and aspiring member states; conduct archival research, including in NATO archives in Brussels and relevant national archives;

contribute to the comparative and conceptual development of the project's broader research agenda; develop high-quality single- and co-authored publications; present findings at international conferences and workshops; contribute to organising project workshops and dissemination activities; and work closely with the project's doctoral researchers, including on the project's open digital archive.

Requirements:
PhD in international history or a related discipline, completed by the starting date; demonstrated research expertise in areas such as NATO and transatlantic relations, Cold War or post-Cold War Europe, memory studies, international history, or European security; proven capacity to conduct research of the highest academic standards; strong archival research skills (oral history experience an asset); excellent academic writing and publication skills;

ability to develop an independent research agenda while working in a collaborative international team; excellent command of spoken and written English, with additional European languages an asset.

Conditions: 80% position (32 h/week) for 2.5 years on a maximum-duration contract (01.01., with salary and employment conditions in accordance with SNSF regulations. The position starts 1 January 2027, or as soon as possible thereafter by mutual agreement. The role offers close collaboration with the Principal Investigator and doctoral researchers, and an international research environment spanning the Geneva Graduate Institute and the University of Oxford.

The Institute is an equal opportunity employer committed to a safe and inclusive working environment.

Closing date: