Postdoctoral fellow in Digital Humanities

Humlab is a unit with about 20 employees at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. We work with infrastructure and support, and thereby contribute to excellent research and education. We also conduct our own outstanding research and participate in various projects linked for instance to art, media, ethnology, history, language, and archaeology. We are located in two buildings on campus: in the Humanities building and in the Social Sciences Building under the University Library, where we also have our lab environment. In this environment, we offer lectures, workshops and other events for researchers, students, and the public. Read more about us at: https://www.umu.se/en/humlab/

Humlab is now looking for a postdoctoral fellow to work within the research cluster AI Futures of Culture and Memory financed by the Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program – Humanity and Society (WASP-HS).

Project description
The Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program – Humanity and Society (WASP-HS) is a national research program in Sweden. The vision of WASP-HS is to foster novel interdisciplinary knowledge in the humanities and social sciences about AI and autonomous systems and their impact on human and social development. WASP-HS enables cutting edge research, expertise, and competence building in the humanities and social sciences. See https://wasp-sweden.org/research/wasp-hs/

This postdoctoral position will be affiliated with the WASP-HS Research Cluster entitled “AI Futures of Culture and Memory,” which is led by Uppsala University, Umeå University, Chalmers University of Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, and Linnaeus University. The cluster is dedicated to exploring how artificial intelligence is transforming human culture and collective memory.

The cluster as a whole revolves around three interconnected themes. First, it examines the ways in which AI changes the perception, production, preservation, and interpretation of culture and memory, as well as its influence on creativity and the dynamics of human-machine interaction. Second, it investigates how collaborations driven by AI are reshaping creative professions and cultural institutions, while also addressing the legal, ethical, and infrastructural challenges that accompany these transformations. Third, the cluster investigates bias in AI systems that process cultural data and can create new speculative and featuring approaches.

We welcome applicants with a doctoral degree in ethnology, cultural heritage studies, archive studies, museology, gender studies or equivalent.  

Job description
As a postdoctoral fellow, you are expected to conduct independent research (at least 80%) and contribute to the research environment and Humlab’s activities (up to a maximum of 20%). You are expected to independently formulate and implement your research project, and as main and co-author, publish the results of your research as articles in international journals with good reputation.

The person hired for this position is expected to contribute to developing the research environment at Humlab and within the project, therefore a high presence in the environment is a requirement. Tasks in addition to your own research (amounting to a maximum of 20%) may, for example, consist of teaching, education and research coordination, activities in our lab and collaboration with surrounding institutions and any other stakeholders. The tasks may vary slightly over time depending on Humlab’s needs.

Qualifications
In order to be appointed as a postdoctoral fellow, it is required to have completed a doctoral degree or a foreign degree deemed equivalent to a doctoral degree in ethnology, cultural heritage studies, archive studies, museology, gender studies or equivalent. This qualification requirement must be fulfilled no later than at the time of the employment decision.

To be appointed under the postdoctoral agreement, priority should be given to candidates who completed their doctoral degree, according to what is stipulated in the paragraph above, no later than three years prior to the application deadline. If there are special reasons, candidates who completed their doctoral degree prior to that may also be eligible. Special reasons include absence due to illness, parental leave, appointments of trust in trade union organizations, military service, or similar circumstances, as well as clinical practice or other forms of appointment/assignment relevant to the subject area.

A precondition is that the applicant has not previously been employed as a postdoctoral fellow at Umeå University for more than a year within the same or equivalent discipline.

The applicant must have documented experience in research, including publication of academic work in peer-reviewed journals or books, applied for and received research grants or participation in research projects. Publication of research results in addition to the doctoral dissertation is an advantage. The applicant must also have a basic understanding of AI systems.

The applicant is expected to have a good ability to work both independently and in a group as the research project involves a larger research team. The position requires that you have a good ability to express yourself in speech and writing in English.

The assessment primarily focuses on the candidate's scientific qualifications, and secondarily on the quality and feasibility of the research plan.

Application
The application must include:

• A cover letter in which the applicant justifies his/her interest in the position, describes his/her qualifications, and explains how these competencies are relevant to the ability to carry out the project
• A research plan (max. 5 s). Please indicate the research cluster “AI Futures of Culture and Memory” and describe how the research fits into the cluster’s work.
• A curriculum vitae with a complete list of publications and copies of diplomas and other relevant grades and certificates
• The applicant’s thesis and any additional publications (max. 5)
• Contact details of two reference persons

The application must be submitted through the electronic recruitment system Varbi no later than 2026-05-28.

Further information
The employment is a full-time, fixed-term position for 36 months, starting October 1st 2026, unless otherwise agreed.

For further information, please contact Director Karin Danielsson, +46 90 786 65 86, karin.danielsson@umu.se or cluster co-PI Coppélie Cocq +46 90 786 5482, coppelie.cocq@umu.se

We look forward to receiving your application!