06.01.2025

IEG LIVARCH Fellowship

Application deadline: March 31, 2025 for a fellowship beginning in September 2025 or later

The Leibniz Institute of European History (IEG) in Mainz awards one fellowship for a period of six to twelve months for doctoral students or one fellowship for four to eight months for postdocs as a part of the joint project “LivArch - Documenting Russia’s war against Ukraine: The challenges of living archives for historical knowledge production”.

AIMS
The fellowship supports doctoral students or postdocs who wish to carry out their own research project within the scope of the LivArch project (introduction below). There is a particular interest in projects that align with ongoing research at the IEG as well as current research projects of the Digitality in Historical Research | DH Lab. At the IEG, you will have the opportunity to collaborate closely with researchers in this Lab.

LIVARCH - Documenting Russia’s War Against Ukraine: The Challenges of Living Archives for Historical Knowledge Production
LivArch is a joint project within the “Leibniz Collaborative Excellence” funding program. The project explores the unique challenges posed by the ongoing war in Ukraine, where historical records are largely created through real-time, digitally born sources – often from grassroots efforts on social media, mobile devices, and satellite data. Focusing on emergency digital preservation and ethical considerations, LivArch analyzes this new landscape of community-driven archiving, drawing lessons from Ukraine’s experience. Through international collaboration, the project seeks to develop methodologies for handling sensitive digital archives and assess the impact of these shifts on the future of historical research and writing. More information about the LivArch project can be found here: IEG - Leibniz Institute of European History (ieg-mainz.de).

FELLOW PROFILE
The fellowship is open to doctoral students or postdoctoral scholars engaging in digital humanities, with a preference for those working in the fields of history, memory studies, heritage studies, anthropology, archaeology, or museology. We are seeking young researchers interested in pursuing their own research projects under the auspices of the LivArch project. Relevant research topics include:
- Archives and digitization in Ukraine.
- Studies related to the war in Ukraine from historical, memorial, and/or heritage perspectives.
- Digital transformation and living archives.
- Social media studies in the context of the war.
- Comparative studies focused on the memorialization and documentation of the war.
- Data modeling and data visualization in the context of living archives.
We are particularly interested in projects that align with ongoing research at the IEG, as well as current research projects in the Digitality in Historical Research | DH Lab.

OFFER AND REQUIREMENTS
The monthly stipend is € 1,350 for doctoral students and € 1,800 for postdocs. Additionally, you can apply for family or child allowance.
During the fellowship you are required to reside at the Institute in Mainz. You will actively participate in the IEG's research community and the weekly colloquia, where we expect you to present your work at least once during your fellowship.
Proficiency in English is required.

APPLICATION
- The applicants should prepare a single PDF document containing the following items:
- Letter of motivation including desired begin of the fellowship.
- Curriculum vitae; a list of publications, if available.
- A brief description of your proposed research project, highlighting the connection to the LivArch project as well as a proposed duration for the fellowship (6 to 12 months for doctoral students and 4 to 8 months for postdocs) (max. 5 pages).
- Copies of university certificates and proof of language competence.
- One academic letter of reference.

Applications for a postdoc fellowship should also send a copy of their dissertation.

The academic advisor should send an up-to-date expertise (PDF) directly to the IEG by the application deadline via the e-mail: marino@ieg-mainz.de.

The letter of reference should discuss (please avoid a general letter of recommendation):
- the applicant’s academic qualifications.
- topic, goal, and recent state of the proposed research project.

Please send questions regarding the fellowship to Dr. Ian Marino: marino@ieg-mainz.de.

Please send your application as a single PDF file to digital@ieg-mainz.de until April 15, 2025.

The IEG promotes professional equality between women and men and is committed to reconciling work and family life.
We have a strong appreciation for diversity and welcome qualified applications from people with different backgrounds.

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