Post Doc position Sustainability in Culture​ 80 % | ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften

Post Doc position Sustainability in Culture 80 %

Join an inspiring international research team in the project “Culture Goes Sustainable: Empowering cultural institutions for the sustainability transition" between the University of Lausanne (UNIL) and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) and conduct research-for-action on sustainability in the cultural sector.

School: School of Management and Law

Starting date: 1st October 2024 / Contract: 4 years

As part of the Culture Goes Sustainable project, you will conduct research on criteria, processes and governance for a sustainability label for arts and cultural institutions, including:

• Development, validation and implementation of a label/certification for sustainability that aims for global reach while considering the different institutional and artistic contexts of museums and performing arts across regions.
• Dissemination and communication activities including high-ranked scientific publications as well as presentations, webinars, policy briefs and case studies.

The post-doctoral position (4 years, 80%), overseen by Prof. Labaronne and a mentoring committee, qualifies and prepares the candidate for an academic faculty appointment.

For this position, we are looking for a sustainability scholar, who has experience publishing in academic journals. As the ideal candidate, you:

• have recently finished a PhD* in Social Sciences (e.g., Management, Political Science, Sociology, Geography or Environmental Studies).
• have experience with or strong interest on the topic of environmental and social sustainability.
• have experience with or strong interest in arts and culture, governance, evaluation, or certifications as well as a enjoy working with practitioners in arts and cultural organizations, international associations and funding bodies.
• are experienced and enjoy working with quantitative and qualitative methods.
• are a confident communicator, at ease with professional communication in English (additional languages are a strong asset).
• enjoy working in a team of researchers and in an international environment and are motivated to co-create with us as well as developing new competencies together.

* Optionality to apply to the opening as PhD position: If you meet most of the above criteria, but do not have a PhD, you are welcome to apply as a PhD Position with a university Master's degree. As a PhD researcher you will be still based at the ZHAW in Winterthur/Zurich but your PhD thesis will be affiliated with the School of Geosciences and the Environment at the University of Lausanne (Prof. Martin Müller).

Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW is one of Switzerland's largest multidisciplinary universities of applied sciences, with over 14'000 students and 3'400 faculty and staff.

Over 3000 people from 49 nations work at the ZHAW. Employees appreciate the stimulating working environment and the freedom to organise and act at our university. The work locations in Winterthur, Zurich and Wädenswil also offer a high quality of life.

The School of Management and Law (SML) is one of Switzerland's leading business schools, offering internationally recognised Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes as well as cooperative doctoral programmes, a demand-oriented and established range of continuing education courses and innovative research and development projects. It is the only Swiss university of applied sciences to be included in the renowned rankings of the business newspaper "Financial Times": It is one of the 90 best European business schools and has one of the 90 best management master's programmes in the world. SML also meets the high standards of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and EQUIS.

The Center for Arts Management (ZKM) deals with all aspects of management and policymaking in the arts and cultural sector. It sets high standards in its executive education programs and is highly committed to the integration of theory and praxis in arts management. The center works closely with professionals from arts and cultural organizations, the creative industries, public bodies, funding agencies and the nonprofit sector.

The position is based at the Center of Arts Management, School of Management and Law at the ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences. It is part of the international research project “Culture Goes Sustainable: Empowering cultural institutions for the sustainability transition") funded by BRIDGE, the joint programme conducted by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and Innosuisse - the Swiss Innovation Agency - that funds projects at the intersection of basic research and science-based innovation.

The project, led by Prof. Martin Müller (UNIL) and Prof. Leticia Labaronne (ZHAW), addresses the challenge of linking institutions in the cultural sector to the sustainability transition. You will have the unique chance to shape the future of sustainability in the cultural sector at the global scale and take part in an inspiring intellectual venture within a larger team of seven people. The project seeks to empower the cultural sector for the sustainability transition by developing a community of practice and the necessary tools, training and executive education to accelerate the sustainability transition. More Information about the project here: https://wp.unil.ch/culturefortheplanet/new-research-for-action-project-culture-goes-sustainable/

ZHAW is committed to gender-mixed and diverse teams in order to promote equality, diversity and innovation. In order to increase the proportion of women in management positions, applications from women are particularly welcome.

Wir bieten hochschulgerechte Arbeits- und Anstellungsbedingungen an und fördern aktiv die Personalentwicklung unserer Mitarbeitenden und Führungspersonen. Eine detaillierte Beschreibung der Vorteile ist auf der Webseite «Arbeiten an der ZHAW» zu finden. Hier die wichtigsten Eckpunkte:

Prof Dr. Leticia Labaronne

Head of Center for Arts Management

Dagmar Debrunner-Stachl

Recruiting Manager