[PHILOS-L] POSTDOCTORAL POSITION IN AMERICAN COLD WAR PARAPSYCHOLOGY
Pavel Horák
Please do circulate widely!
Thank you, Pavel Horák
Call For Applications
ERC CZ Project: ‘Beliefs and Science: Shaping Occult–Science Frontiers in Cold War Parapsychology’ (SCIBEL), Institute of Ethnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: POSTDOCTORAL POSITION IN AMERICAN COLD WAR PARAPSYCHOLOGY
THE INSTITUTION
The Institute of Ethnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic, invites applications for a fully funded postdoctoral position. The Institute is a leading center for anthropological and ethnological research in the Czech Republic, hosting several ERC and other major research projects. It offers a dynamic and internationally connected research environment across anthropology, ethnology, heritage studies, religious studies, and related fields. The project is hosted by the Department of Critical Heritage Studies, which studies heritage as a dynamic process linking people, landscapes, objects, practices, and institutions. Combining ethnological and anthropological methods, the department focuses on how heritage is created, contested, and transformed, especially in Central and Eastern Europe. Its key areas of research include religious traditions and spiritual practices, funeral customs, colonial legacies and heritage politics, folklore and oral traditions, and traditional crafts.
POSITION
The postdoctoral researcher will join the project Beliefs and Science: Shaping Occult–Science Frontiers in Cold War Parapsychology (SCIBEL), funded by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic. They will work closely with the Principal Investigator, Dr. Pavel Horák, who will provide academic mentoring. The wider project team will include the PI, a doctoral researcher working on the Czechoslovak material, one postdoctoral researcher working on the American material, and another postdoctoral researcher working on the Eastern European/Ukrainian material.
The applicant for this position will conduct research on relevant archival and printed sources on parapsychology in the American and broader transnational contexts, studying ties between the United States and the Eastern Bloc. The postdoctoral researcher will contribute to the analysis of the relationship between science and occultism/esotericism, drawing on the example of parapsychology; work on several solo- and co-authored research articles; present research results to diverse audiences; and engage in outreach activities.
JOB OFFER AT A GLANCE
- Starting date: January 1, 2027 (or as agreed)
- Duration: an initial one-year contract, with the possibility of extending the contract to an additional two and a half years (3.5 years total)
- FTE: full-time position
- Workplace: Prague (candidate must be ready to relocate to Prague)
- Salary: Gross monthly salary ranging from 55,000 CZK (approx. 2,200 EUR) to 65,000 CZK (approx. 2,600 EUR). The higher salary level is available to candidates who have successfully completed a PhD degree.
YOUR ELIGIBILITY
- PhD in the sociology of knowledge, history of science and technology, philosophy of science, contemporary history, ethnology, study of religion, or social anthropology. Applicants who have completed or are close to completing their PhD (e.g., thesis submitted) will also be considered.
- A highly organized researcher with a demonstrated capability to work independently, as well as the ability and willingness to work as part of a team.
- Skills in qualitative methods are essential.
- Experience with archival and field research is an advantage.
- Very good command of English, both written and spoken.
- Knowledge of Russian is an advantage.
- Ability to present at international conferences and to contribute to public communication, such as blog posts, website, and social media.
WE OFFER
- A vibrant and intellectually stimulating research environment at the Institute of Ethnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, where the successful applicant will work and actively contribute to shaping the Institute’s scholarly community.
- An opportunity to work as part of a team on an excellent research project in a supportive and collaborative environment.
- Opportunities to learn new skills and deepen existing ones, such as ethnographic fieldwork methods, qualitative data coding and analysis, writing research articles, and designing conference presentations.
- Funding for fieldwork, archival research, and conference travel.
- Coverage of open access publication fees related to the project.
- Training seminars and workshops for further professional development provided by the Czech Academy of Sciences.
- 25 days of paid annual leave, 6 sick days, flexible working arrangements, and a family-friendly work environment.
- An office in the center of Prague.
APPLICATION PROCESS
To apply, candidates are requested to submit the following documents as a single PDF file:
- CV (max. two pages).
- Motivation letter (max. two pages).
- Research project proposal (max. 3 pages): Using the project description as a starting point, applicants should suggest bold and creative research trajectories based on their disciplinary background and methods. The proposal should include research questions, objectives, methodology, and a reflection on how the applicant’s disciplinary background could contribute new perspectives to the project and the wider team.
- The names and contact details of two potential referees.
- A sample of a written work in English, previously published or unpublished (coursework is also acceptable).
Applications should be emailed as a single file to recru...@eu.cas.cz with the subject line “SCIBEL Postdoctoral position USA” no later than September 25, 2026, 15:00 Central European Time. Potential candidates will be shortlisted and invited for an in-person (or online) interview, expected to take place on October 1, 2026. Additional documents may be requested in accordance with the Institute's guidelines.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Beliefs and Science: Shaping Occult–Science Frontiers in Cold War Parapsychology (SCIBEL) is an innovative project funded by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic and led by Dr. Pavel Horák.
The project explores one of the most intriguing intersections between science, religion, and occultism in the twentieth century: Cold War parapsychology. While the history of science and religion has often examined how religious beliefs shaped scientific inquiry, much less attention has been paid to occult beliefs, such as ideas about unknown energies behind telepathy, clairvoyance, or psychokinesis.
The project asks how such beliefs entered scientific practice, how they influenced the production of knowledge, and how they shaped broader debates about the boundaries between science, non-science, and pseudoscience. Cold War parapsychology provides a particularly rich case for studying these questions. During the Cold War, research into telepathy, remote viewing, and other extraordinary phenomena attracted the attention of scientists, state institutions, and security agencies on both sides of the Iron Curtain.
The project compares archival sources from the United States with new empirical material from Eastern Europe, especially Czechoslovakia and Ukraine, and complements this research with ethnographic interviews with remaining actors and witnesses of these milieus. The project has three main objectives: first, to reconstruct the historical trajectories of Cold War parapsychology; second, to examine the role of beliefs in the interactions between occult and scientific discourses; and third, to analyze the broader relationship between occult discourses and Cold War science. By doing so, the project contributes to the study of religion, the history of science, and the sociology of knowledge, while also offering new perspectives on contemporary debates about pseudoscience, alternative knowledge, conspiracy theories, and misinformation.
FURTHER INFORMATION
We strongly recommend that prospective applicants contact Dr. Horák at ho...@eu.cas.cz for further information about the position and the project before applying. If no suitable candidates are found, the vacancy will be reopened.
We are looking forward to receiving your application!
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