Applications are invited for a fully-funded Postdoctoral researcher position for two years in the research group of Dr. Danny Incarnato, at the Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute (GBB) of the University of Groningen (the Netherlands), to investigate RNA structural ensemble dynamics in living cells.

This subproject, conducted by a postdoctoral researcher, will analyze the history of democratic thought since the 18th century with a focus on the question of work. Historically (e.g., still in Kant), it was often assumed that only economically independent individuals could be citizens. In the 19th and 20th century the fights for better working conditions and for democratic inclusion often went hand in hand. The fact that workers contributed to society was often brought forward as an argument for democratic inclusion, not least in the democratic gains for women after the world wars. And yet, to this point, no systematic history of ideas about the relation of work and democracy exists. Thus, the research question here is: How have the history, and the history of ideas, of the organization of work and of democratic participation been intertwined? This subproject will focus on the 18th to 20th century (as the centuries in which modern work societies and modern democracies developed in the North Atlantic realm), drawing, in parallel, on four strands: the history of working conditions, the history of ideas about work, the history of democratic practices, and the history of ideas about democratic practices. Such parallel readings can be expected to deliver insights on a number of levels: concerning not only the relation between theoretical ideas and lived realities, but also between ideas about work and democracy, and practices concerning work and democracy. At the same time, the project can help to de-familiarize current ways of conceptualizing work, democracy, and the relation between them. Particular attention will be paid to phenomena (both practices and ideas) at the margins of labor markets that would speak to the contemporary phenomena explored in the first three subprojects [precarious work, digital work, migrant work].

This is a fixed-term, 24-month post-doctoral position under the supervision of Dr Richard Rijnks. The aim of this post-doctoral position is to gain insights into the complex interactions between, on the one hand, social entrepreneurs and vulnerable individuals in rural areas, and, on the other hand, mental healthcare providers and individuals in vulnerable situations. The key methodological tools for these studies are digital ethnography and conventional primary data collection (surveys, interviews). The post is part of two Horizon Europe projects: INSPIRE and EQUICARES.

INSPIRE is a three year EU Horizon project that aims to provide a thorough understanding of social inclusion, trends, and challenges in rural areas. It is specifically targeted towards hard-to-reach populations, and aims to incorporate novel methodological advances to improve our understanding of these processes and point towards potential interventions. EQUICARES is a four year EU Horizon project that will investigate inequalities to mental health service accessibility for people in vulnerable situations, identify potential solutions, and pilot innovative activities tailored towards vulnerable populations.

The University of Groningen is responsible for deploying both conventional and novel methods for data analysis to study the way that providers of services for vulnerable groups interact with their populations. For both INSPIRE and EQUICARES, this involves using digital ethnographies within existing online communities to establish the patterns of interactions and manner of diffusion of service provision. These data will be complemented by data from a bespoke survey, designed and analysed in this post-doc, and conducted by the pilot partners in the pilot regions. The results from the digital ethnographies will feed into spatial micro-simulation and agent-based-modelling, to be conducted at a later stage by other members of the team.