Ph.D. researcher Latin-american migrations to Europe and transnational provisions of formal and informal welfare.

Deadline: 31 May 2014

TRANSMIC ITN Marie Curie European Project. Position to be held at : Aix Marseille University (France)

ITN Marie Curie TRANSMIC project

‘Transnational Migration, Citizenship and the Circulation of Rights and Responsibilities’ (TRANSMIC) is a project funded under the European Commission’s Marie Curie actions. This Initial Training Network will run from 1 September 2014 to 31 August 2018. The aim of the project is to contribute to the understanding of transnational migration, in particular by looking at the conditions for and effects of transnational migration, possibilities for the mobility of migrants’ rights to be enhanced, and the links between migration, citizenship, and migration and development.

The TRANSMIC project is coordinated by Maastricht University (The Netherlands), and also includes as partner institutions the universities of Liège (Belgium), Minho (Portugal), Oxford (UK), Aix-Marseille (France), Tampere (Finland) and Warsaw (Poland), as well as the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) in Brussels.

Job description

In the framework of the TRANSMIC project, the Doctorate School ED355 (Espaces cultures et sociétés – http://www.mmsh.univ-aix.fr/formations/ecole-doctorale) of Aix-Marseille University is recruiting a Ph.D. researcher in the field of human geography ans social sciences. The Ph.D. student will be hosted at the Maison Méditerranéenne des sciences de l’homme d’Aix en Provence, in the research unit UMR CNRS 7303 TELEMME  (http://telemme.mmsh.univ-aix.fr/ ).

The Ph.D. student will work on a project on transnational social welfare of migrants and their families back home with a special focus on Latin American migrants living in Europe. Transnational relationships between migrants and their family and friends at home create new and modified forms of providing social welfare, or security, in both destination and origin countries. These entail formal and informal provisions. This project aims to study how migrants navigate these informal and formal systems of social welfare by focusing on the following questions. How do migrants fulfill their rights and responsibilities towards people at home (nuclear or extended family) in order to receive or provide social security? What challenges do they experience in qualifying for formal social welfare in European countries, and how do they navigate these challenges in order to ensure security for themselves and their family?

This project will use a multi-sited research design in which both destination and origin countries are studied. It is closely linked to another project in the TRANSMIC ITN based at the University of Maastricht (Netherlands) in which transnational social welfare between migrants from African countries to Europe are studied.

It is expected that the two researchers will work in close collaboration with each other, including stays at each other’s universities, and will be supervised by the lead researchers in both universities, Prof. V. Mazzucato and Dr. V. Baby-Collin.

Starting date: between 1 September 2014 and 1 November 2014

Requirements

• The candidate has an MA degree in geography or social sciences.
• The successful candidate will have a strong background in qualitative research methods; experience in conducting research in the Global South, preferably in Latin America ; a proven interest in development and/or migration studies ; excellent English writing skills ; strong analytical capacity; good organisational skills; affinity with work in an interdisciplinary and highly international environment; willingness and proven ability to work in a team;
• Excellent writing skills in English (for non native speakers, Academic IELTS score of 7.5 or higher; or TOEFL Internet-based test score of 113 or higher).

• Willingness to relocate to (the vicinity of) Aix en Provence / Marseille.
• In light of the mobility requirements set by the European Commission for this project, you must NOT have lived in France for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to taking up the position.
• It is the policy of the TRANSMIC project to increase the number of women employed. Also members of ethnic minority groups and handicapped people are explicitly invited to apply.

Working conditions

• We offer a dynamic and challenging job in an internationally-oriented organisation where young people receive an advanced education and scholars conduct exciting research.
• We offer a 3 year full-time PhD contract.
• You will be paid in accordance with national standards. Depending on your situation, the net salary will be about 2300€ / month (duration 36 months).
• You have to be willing to move to (the vicinity of) Aix en Provence / Marseille : you will be eligible for an allowance for moving costs.
• You will be provided with shared office space and a PC.

Application (electronic version)

Candidates are invited to submit their application that should consist of:

1. A letter of motivation stating the candidate’s qualifications and reasons for interest in the position (in English);
2. A CV in English;
3. A research proposal of two pages, outlining how you would approach the research project (what you would research and how; mention some literature in which you would embed the project);
4. A transcript of grades from MA education plus a list of marks of your Bachelor studies;
5. The names and addresses of two references (including e-mail, phone number, mailing address, and relationship to the applicant).

The deadline for submitting your application is May 31^st, 2014 at noon (French time).

Please send your application via email to : virginie.baby-collin[@]univ-amu.fr