Dear colleagues, The Department of Social Anthropology and Cultural Studies (ISEK), University of Zurich, invites applications for two postdoctoral positions (80%) in the SNSF project "Provisional Futures: Migrants as wanted workers, yet temporary residents" (TEMP MIGRATION), led by Prof. Dr. Helena Hof. The project examines temporary labour migration in IT, health care, and construction across three migration regimes: Canada, Switzerland, and Japan, using an ethnographically-informed, multi-sited approach. The successful candidate will lead the Work Package Canada or Japan, conducting an ethnographically-informed study of temporary labour migration in the three sectors IT, health care, and construction. 🔹 Please specify your focus when applying:

• Canada (hosted by Global Migration Institute, University of Toronto)
• Japan (hosted by Institute of Asian Migrations, Waseda University)

Each postdoc will be based in Zurich, conduct extended fieldwork abroad (supported by the host institutions), and contribute to collaborative theory-building, as well as produce single and co-authored publications. 🔹 Profile:

• PhD in Anthropology, Sociology, Geography, Migration Studies, or related field
• Strong qualitative/ethnographic research skills
• Japan position: fluency in spoken and written Japanese required

🔹 Terms: Start 1 Feb 2027 · 3-year contract · SNSF salary scale 🔹 Deadline: 31 July 2026 📩 For more information and how to apply (a single PDF, including CV, motivation letter, publication list, writing sample, PhD certificate) see here: jobs.uzh.ch

Helena Hof, Prof. Dr. SNSF Assistant Professor

University of Zurich ISEK - Social and Cultural Anthropology Andreasstrasse 15 CH-8050 Zurich

https://www.isek.uzh.ch/en/anthropology/about/people/staff/H/helenahof.html

Recent publications:

Hof, Helena. 2025. "The immobility of the highly mobile: Existential (im)mobility among transnational entrepreneurs in post-pandemic Singapore." Mobilities. DOI 10.1080/17450101.2025.2598269.

Hof, Helena. 2025. "‘White Innovation’: Conceptualizing Changing Racial Hierarchies Through Migrant Entrepreneurship in Singapore and Japan." In Migration, Transnational Flows, and the Contested Meanings of Race in Asia, IMISCOE Research Series, S. Lan & M. Debnár (Eds). Springer, pp. 121-140.

Monograph and Social Media:

CERC in Migration and Integration Borders & Belonging Podcast's Season 4, Episode 9, The social construction of skill, Toronto Metropolitan University.

Podcast of the EU Migrant Generation in Asia. New Books Network. https://newbooksnetwork.com/the-eu-migrant-generation-in-asia

Hof, Helena. 2022. The-EU-Migrant-Generation-in-Asia . Bristol University Press.