Postdoctoral Research Fellow on the Global Histories of HIV/AIDS Campaigning in South Africa

Location: Stirling Campus

Contract type: Fixed term for 27 months, the expected start date in September/October or by mutual agreement

The Post

Applications are invited for a UKRI-funded position of a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Stirling. The role holder will examine the history of the global connections of HIV and AIDS activists in South Africa, particularly with HIV and AIDS activists in Western Europe, including the UK, but also other parts of the world, like other sub-Saharan African countries, and South Asia. The advertised position is offered as part of the project “AIDS Campaigning between the Global South and Western Europe since the 1980s”. This project is funded by a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship (FLF; Grant Reference: MR/Y015878/1), commenced in September 2024 and will be led by Dr Nikolaos Papadogiannis (University of Stirling). The successful applicant will be based in the Division of History, Heritage and Politics at the University of Stirling. They will need to be based at Stirling for at least nine months per year and spend the remainder of the year doing archival research or conducting interviews in South Africa, and any other location required for the programme, as well as participating in conferences in and outside of the UK.

The Project

The project is anticipated to involve a group of five researchers led by Nikolaos Papadogiannis. Each researcher will focus on a different part of the globe. Overall, the project will help recalibrate the study of social reactions to HIV and AIDS and, more broadly, modern epidemics and show the importance of ideas from the Global South for relevant campaigns in Western Europe. The project also aims to co-shape the agenda of HIV organisations, making health campaigns in the UK more inclusive in terms of involving on an equitable basis activists from black and queer communities in the UK and the Global South. The project aims to produce various outputs, from co-authored journal articles to a research-based comic.

Description of duties

• Plan and manage their own research activity, as discussed with and approved by the Project Lead, and meet objectives and deadlines in collaboration with the Project Lead
• Liaise with and report to the Project Lead regularly, at least once per month, about the project
• Liaise with the project’s International Advisory Board and other partners, especially in South Africa
• Attend regular project and editorial meetings as required
• Travel to relevant sites in the UK, South Africa and elsewhere in Africa or Europe or other countries in the world, if and as necessitated by the project, to conduct fieldwork and attend workshops and conferences

Essential criteria

Qualifications

• The candidates must, by the time of appointment, have completed a PhD (or equivalent) in one of the following disciplines: 20th-century history, anthropology, sociology, political science, media studies, or cultural studies, or another discipline in the humanities or social sciences, including interdisciplinary studies

Research

• Experience with oral history or ethnography or equivalent qualitative research methods
• Experience in preparing research findings for publication or presentation at conferences

Skills, attitude and behaviour

• Evidence of self-motivation and the ability to work independently
• Excellent time management skills, including the ability to prioritise workload

For further information, including a full description of duties, essential criteria and details on how to apply, please see Vacancy details | University of Stirling

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