Research Fellow, development of Soviet climate science post-1945

Job Purpose

A Research Fellow position is available for a fixed term duration to work on the project entitled “Soviet climate science and its intellectual legacies”. This postdoctoral position is funded by the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). The project consists of two partner universities (University of Manchester and the National Research University Higher School of Economics, St. Petersburg, Russia) and will also work closely with the UK’s Royal Geographical Society as a collaborating partner organisation.

The overarching aim of this research project is to explore the development of Soviet climate science post-1945, with a particular focus on the debates concerning humankind’s influence on climate systems and on Soviet contributions to related international initiatives. The project will also examine the intellectual legacies of these debates for Russia’s positioning in post-1991 climate discussions. The research will involve extensive archival and library-based work in Russia (primarily St Petersburg and Moscow) and also a series of oral history interviews with former Soviet scientists involved in climate change work.

The successful applicant will play a leading role in developing the Russian-based fieldwork (archival, secondary data, oral history interviews/interviews) to include an extended stay (up to 18 months over the course of the project) working in the country. The post-holder will be expected to contribute to the intellectual output from the project as well as its expansive impact agenda working collaboratively with other members of the research team. Furthermore, they will be expected to contribute to project steering group meetings (UK, Norway, St Petersburg) and assist in the organisation of two UK-based workshops and a conference to be held in St Petersburg.

To qualify for the post applicants must have a PhD degree in an appropriate discipline (e.g. historical geography, history of science, environmental history). The candidate must also possess excellent Russian language skills as the fieldwork will involve working within a Russian-language context.

Person Specification

• • Higher degree (PhD) relevant to research area or equivalent qualifications
• • High level analytical capability
• • Ability to communicate complex information clearly
• • Fluency in relevant languages, techniques and methods and ability to contribute to developing new ones
• • Ability to assess resource requirements and use resources effectively
• • Understanding of and ability to contribute to broader management/administration processes