Postdoctoral Position
National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore
Research Project: Speculative Urbanism: Land, Livelihoods, and Finance Capital
The National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), a visionary initiative of J R D Tata, has a
mandate to create leaders of substance and credibility in a variety of domains in India, and to
carry out in-depth, policy relevant research from a multi-disciplinary perspective, drawing on a
wide spectrum of disciplines in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. NIAS
provides a congenial atmosphere and institutional support for faculty and scholars to pursue
their research and career goals, and expects them to produce significant outcomes in line with
the institution's mandate. Please visit our website (www.nias.res.in) for a comprehensive
perspective.
NIAS announces a two-year postdoctoral position on a research project entitled ‘Speculative
Urbanism: Land, Livelihoods, and Finance Capital’. The project is being carried out in
collaboration with the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and University of California-Los
Angeles, and is funded by the National Science Foundation (USA).
The project is a multi-disciplinary comparative study of two Asian mega-cities – Bangalore,
India and Jakarta, Indonesia – focusing on land transformations and their implications for equity
and urban sustainability. The international research team will explore comparatively the rising
significance of speculative urban land markets for the social, economic, political, and ecological
conditions of different communities in urban and peri-urban areas of the two cities.
We are looking for an exceptional scholar with a keen understanding of critical debates around
ongoing transformations in cities of the global South, and an enthusiastic interest in spending
extensive time working with a team of scholars on an ambitious transnational research project.
The Postdoctoral Associate will be based at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS),
Bangalore, working under the direction of Professors Carol Upadhya, Michael Goldman and
Vinay Gidwani.
The job profile of the Postdoctoral Associate includes three main tasks:
(1) As the main researcher on the Bangalore project, the postdoc will carry out in-depth
qualitative (and to lesser extent, quantitative) research in Bangalore, including village- and
neighborhood-level fieldwork, conducting structured and semi-structured interviews, and
documentary research.
(2) The postdoc will be responsible for coordinating the research activities in Bangalore,
including directing research assistants and handling various administrative tasks. She or he will
also be responsible for coordination of activities between the different institutions and sites in
the project, and for managing communications and information exchange between the
Bangalore and Jakarta teams.
(3) The postdoc will share in the production of knowledge for this innovative research project,
including analysis of data and field notes and writing of monthly reports, and will contribute to
scholarly publications.
Applicants should have a recent doctoral degree in sociology, geography, anthropology, urban
studies or other relevant disciplines. She or he must have good interpersonal skills, be able to
interact effectively with different groups of people across the socio-economic spectrum, be
capable of carrying out in-depth ethnographic fieldwork, and should also be willing to work
with quantitative and GIS data.
Applicants should have excellent English writing skills. Knowledge of any of the local languages
will be an advantage. She or he should be proficient in basic computer software and willing to
learn how to handle transcription software such as Atlas-Ti.
The position is for 24 months, starting July 1, 2017 (some flexibility in the start date is possible).
Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience, and competitive with
postdoctoral fellowships offered by other premier institutions in India.
Interested candidates should submit by email a curriculum vita, a sample of published work (or
unpublished, in the case of doctoral candidates without publications), and a statement of
interest, in a single PDF document by November 15, 2016, to the undersigned. Short-listed
candidates will be invited for interview in January 2017.
Head, Administration
National Institute of Advanced Studies
Indian Institute of Science Campus
Bangalore 560 012 India
E-mail: [email protected]