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Location: Warszawa Ref. no.: 1177/INS/WWA/26
Research Fellow
Institute of Social Sciences
Employment group: research
Research profile: First Stage Researcher (R1)
Duties:
- contributing to the analysis of secondary data
- conducting qualitative interviews, including participant recruitment
- contributing to the analysis of quantitative data
- contributing to the analysis of qualitative data
- contributing to the preparation of project publications and other research outputs
- disseminating the project's findings through academic and public engagement activities
- undertaking organisational and administrative tasks necessary for the successful implementation of the project
- managing one's own research and administrative responsibilities independently
Requirements:
- enrolment in a Master's or doctoral programme in a social science discipline (preferably sociology or psychology), without holding a doctoral degree
- experience in conducting social research, including data collection and analysis, particularly qualitative research
- research interest in the sociology of work and/or youth studies
- native or near-native proficiency in Polish (CEFR C2)
- advanced proficiency in English (CEFR C1)
Preferred qualifications:
- experience in conducting and analysing biographical interviews
- experience in preparing academic manuscripts in both Polish and English
We offer:
- employment under a fixed-term scholarship agreement from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2029
- a scholarship of PLN 5,000 gross per month, subject to meeting the eligibility criteria set out in the Regulations on Awarding Research Scholarships in Research Projects Funded by the National Science Centre (NCN) under the SONATA 21 call
- support for academic development from the Research and Projects Department in obtaining and managing grants
- opportunity to participate in scientific conferences
- support for the commercialization of research projects
Required documents:
- CV with a list of academic, teaching, and administrative achievements (with reference to the criteria specified above), as well as a description of other professional experience and research interests
- a scanned copy of a document confirming enrolment in a Master's or doctoral programme
- a certificate confirming knowledge of a foreign language at the required proficiency level
Formal criteria:
- academic achievements, including publications in reputable journals/publishers and active participation in national and international conferences: 50% of the final grade
- competencies relevant to the tasks in the research project: 30% of the final grade
- distinctions resulting from scientific work (scholarships, awards), experience gained outside the home institution (domestically or abroad), workshops, training, and participation in research projects: 20% of the final grade
Important dates:
- the deadline for submission of documents is: 2026-09-05
- successful candidates will be announced on: 2026-09-22
- date of commencement of work: 2026-10-01
Competition Committee:
- Ph.D. Olga Czeranowska - Chair of the Committee
- Professor Mikołaj Cześnik - Member of the Committee
- Ph.D. Agnieszka Golińska - Member of the Committee
- Aleksandra Prusinowska - Member of the HR
- Zuzanna Świtalska - Committee Secretary
Regulations on awarding NCN research scholarships in research projects
The Competition Committee reserves the right to contact only selected candidates.
The candidates who receive the highest scores from the Committee will be invited for an interview.
For any additional information please contact [email protected] referring to ref. no. 1177/INS/WWA/26.
Applications should be submitted electronically using the application form available by clicking on the APPLY button.
Research project description:
Dream jobs and labour market futures – young people's definitions and visions of career success
The project aims to examine how young people define career success in a world of work being transformed by technological change and social crises. Career success will be analysed within the broader context of career trajectories, encompassing both participants’ past experiences and their visions of a desired professional future.
The project will employ both quantitative and qualitative methods. The first, quantitative stage will involve a CAPI survey (Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing) conducted with a quota sample of 1000 people aged 18–35. Respondents will be asked about their experiences in the labour market, their plans and aspirations for the future, and the ways in which they define career success.
The qualitative stage will consist of 40 in-depth interviews. The sample will be divided into two age groups: participants aged 18–25 and those aged 26–35. We will seek to ensure equal representation of women and men, as well as diversity in terms of characteristics such as social background, educational attainment, and labour market status. The interviews will explore participants’ career histories, their visions of their professional futures, and their understandings of career success.
By focusing on how participants define career success, the project will address a gap in the existing literature and enable us to examine the role that individual definitions of success play in shaping career trajectories. The project will contribute to the sociology of work by advancing theoretical reflection on the concept of career success and by combining innovative qualitative and quantitative approaches within a mixed-methods research design.
