Research Assistant Emotions and bodies in journalism and documentary-making

Are you looking for a challenging position in a dynamic setting The Amsterdam School for Heritage Memory and Material Culture (AHM) currently has a vacant Research Assistant position as part of the ERC funded project Emotions and bodies in fact-based media production: Integrating affective and embodied knowledge into journalism and documentary filmmaking led by dr. Johana Kotišová.

Come join us!

We are looking for a talented and motivated Research Assistant who cares about journalism and documentary-making has experience with qualitative research methods and data management and is interested in the emotional and bodily dimensions of media work.

As a Research Assistant you will support a larger project investigating the epistemic value of emotions and bodies in journalism and documentary-making. Your core responsibilities will focus onresearch support tasks and your own research practice. You will work closely with the principal investigator Johana Kotišová a PhD candidate and two postdoctoral researchers working on different Central and Eastern European countries.

This is what you will be doing

• Data management(e.g. organizing and securely storing qualitative data);
• Interview transcriptionand basic preparation of materials for analysis;
• Managingethics review;
• Managing project documentation and administering project website;
• Participating in knowledge dissemination activities such as writing popular research-based texts;
• Participating in meetings of the project research group;
• Helping to design nature retreats for media professionals;
• Depending on your skills and ambitions participating in research activities within the scope of the project such as data collection data analysis and co-authoring academic articles and book chapters.

This is what we ask of you

• Completed Masters degree in a social science or humanities field such as media studies journalism studies social anthropology or sociology;
• Good organization and social skills;
• Solid knowledge of qualitative research methods;
• Cooperative attitude and willingness to engage in collaborative research;
• Enthusiasm for communicating academic research to non-academic audiences;
• Basic knowledge of Wordpress;
• Good command of English and at least one of the following languages: Hungarian Polish Ukrainian Georgian.

This is what we offer you

• We offer a 0.2 fte temporary employment contract for the period of 1 year. Based on a positive performance evaluation the contract can be extended for a maximum of 32 months. The preferred starting date is 1st September 2026;
• The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities is applicable. The salary is in scale 8 excl. 8% holiday allowance and 83% end of the year bonus;
• Excellent possibilities for further professional development and education;
• An inspiring academic and international work environment in the heart of Amsterdam;
• An enthusiastic and professional academic team;
• Intellectually stimulating discussions with a cross-disciplinary research network including leading experts in journalism and documentary studies and experts in psychotherapy;
• The rare opportunity to combine media research with love for nature and outdoor activities.

This is where youll be working

AHM as a thematic research school fosters a dynamic interdisciplinary and transnational approach across various disciplines. AHMs mission and profile integrate all branches of research that focus on the material and intangible remains of the past the reciprocal relations between objects meanings and representations and the dynamics of memory. AHMs research is carried out from diverse theoretical and methodological perspectives: in concept-oriented object-oriented and user-oriented approaches. AHMs research agenda is streamed into five Research Themes that cross and connect the fields of heritage memory studies and material culture: Museums & Memorials Heritage & Conflict Transnational Memory Narratives Digitality & E-Memories Materiality & Material Culture. AHM is one of the five research schools within the Amsterdam Institute for Humanities Research (AIHR).

If you recognize yourself in the profile and are interested in the position we look forward to receiving your application. Please send your cover letter and CV as a single PDF file. The vacancy closes on. The first round of interviews will take place at the second half of April.
For questions about the position or department you can contact us during office hours at:

• Johana Kotišová Assistant Professor in Documentary and Journalism