The Swiss National Science Foundation-funded Research Project ‘Fighting Insect Enemies at the Tropical Frontier: Entomology in Plantation Economies c. 1890-1930’ directed by Dr. Tomás Bartoletti offers a PhD position associated with the professorship for History of the Modern World in the Department of Human, Social and Political Sciences of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zürich, Switzerland. The position is funded for four years and the thesis will be supervised by Prof. Dr. Harald Fischer-Tiné in close cooperation with Dr. Tomás Bartoletti. The start date is 1 September 2023 (or at the candidate’s earliest convenience).

Job description

The successful candidate will work in close cooperation with Dr. Tomás Bartoletti and the doctoral and postdoctoral researchers of the professorship ‘History of the Modern World’. The candidate is expected to present interim results at national and international conferences, write the PhD thesis and publish two scholarly articles in peer-reviewed journals during the four years of the contract.

The PhD project should be concerned with the history of agricultural sciences, particularly entomology and phytopathology, and capitalism in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It can address one or several of the following topics: the history of tobacco industry in Switzerland and/or Europe; the history of pest and plant diseases; the trajectories pest control research; the growth of chemical companies producing insecticides; pesticides and agricultural development; or other subjects related to the history of economic entomology in plantations. Prospective applicants should submit a project proposal relevant to the research project, detailing research questions, the geographic scope of the project, and potential source bases. Projects focusing on regional, national, transnational, and/or the global scale are welcome. There is no preference for specific regions and the call is open to all geographical contexts. Scholars with a project pertaining to the history of Switzerland and/or its European neighbours and their global or colonial connections are also encouraged to apply.

Tomás Bartoletti’s project will contribute to the costs of the successful applicant’s research stays in Swiss and international archives, as well as travel expenses for conferences. The professorship ‘History of the Modern World’ offers an inspiring research environment with an international team of doctoral and postdoctoral students, and regular exchanges with scholars from around the world. Successful applicants will have full access to a modern infrastructure in one of the world’s leading research universities located in the heart of Europe. The salary is according to ETH regulations.

Qualification requirements

Applicants should hold an MA (or an MPhil) by July 2023. Applications are welcome from candidates with a background in 19th to 20th century Global History; Imperial/Colonial History; European History, Latin American History, African History, Middle Eastern History, South-East Asian History, East Asian History; Economic History; Environmental History; History of Science, and related fields. Applicants should be proficient in English. Knowledge of German and/or French is a welcome asset, but not mandatory.

Context

Employer: ETH Zurich

Employment percentage: 100% (first year gross salary 47’040 Swiss francs, plus social security contributions).

Place of work: Zürich

Start date: 1 September 2023 (or at the candidate’s earliest convenience).

Applications

Applications (in English) addressed to Dr. Tomás Bartoletti must be submitted through our online portal. The following documents are required:

• Motivation letter
• Curriculum vitae
• Documentation of qualifications
• Project description (3–5 pages, maximum 15,000 characters, not including references)
• Chapter from the MA/ MPhil thesis or an article
• Letter of reference from an academic familiar with the applicant’s work

Applications via email or postal services will not be considered.

The deadline for applications is 31 March 2023.

The position is funded for four years and the thesis will be supervised by Prof. Dr. Harald Fischer-Tiné in close cooperation with Dr. Tomás Bartoletti.

Contact

For further information please visit our website, www.gmw.ethz.ch and/or contact Dr. Tomás Bartoletti, tomas.bartoletti@gmw.gess.ethz.ch