Postdoctoral Fellow in Anthropology: China’s Health Diplomacy and the Belt and Health Road UiT The Arctic University of Norway in Norway

UiT The Arctic University of Norway invites applications for a 3-year Postdoctoral Research Fellow position in Anthropology, focusing on China’s Health Diplomacy and the Belt and Health Road. The position is part of the ERC-funded project 'Zoonosis: Zoonotic Anthropology and Multispecies Infrastructures along China’s Belt and Road,' led by Dr. Richard Fraser. The successful candidate will join the Department of Social Sciences in Tromsø and contribute to cutting-edge research at the intersection of anthropology, global health, and multispecies studies.

The project investigates how China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is reshaping multispecies relations, infrastructures, and public health landscapes across regions connected to China through trade, migration, and ecological interconnection. Drawing on cultural and social anthropology, political ecology, and multispecies ethnography, the research explores how zoonotic risk and biosecurity are understood, governed, and experienced in diverse local contexts. Fieldwork will be conducted in multiple BRI-associated regions, with a particular focus on animal infrastructures, markets, migration, and China’s expanding health diplomacy. Candidates are encouraged to propose alternative, well-justified field sites that align with the project’s comparative aims.

The postdoctoral fellow will contribute to the project’s work package on China’s Health Diplomacy and the Belt and Health Road, examining how Chinese global health engagements—from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) hospitals to vaccine diplomacy—reshape medical ontologies, health infrastructures, and local understandings of zoonotic risk. Suggested research sites include countries in Africa or Asia where Chinese health initiatives and TCM institutions are active, but comparative or alternative contexts are welcome.

Main responsibilities include conducting ethnographic and policy research on China’s health diplomacy and medical infrastructure projects, exploring intersections between TCM, biomedicine, and local healing systems, analyzing the geopolitical, ethical, and multispecies dimensions of One Health under the BRI, and contributing to project coordination, comparative synthesis, and multimodal dissemination. The fellow is expected to publish high-quality articles, engage in public and academic outreach, and contribute to multimodal outputs such as photography, short films, and sound ethnography.

Applicants must hold a PhD in Social, Cultural, or Visual Anthropology or a closely related discipline. Those in the final stages of their PhD may apply if they have submitted their thesis for evaluation by the application deadline and must provide documentation of their completed PhD before starting. A strong ethnographic research background and regional research experience in Asia, Africa, or another BRI-linked region are required. Excellent English writing and communication skills are essential; Nordic applicants may document this with a high school diploma. Desired qualifications include relevant local language skills for fieldwork and experience in medical anthropology, global health, or ethnography of science and policy. All documentation must be in a Scandinavian language or English, and English proficiency must be documented before commencement if not included in the application.

The position offers a competitive salary in accordance with the Norwegian State salary scale, research funds for fieldwork and dissemination, mentorship in comparative and multimodal anthropology, access to UiT’s visual anthropology and multimodal research facilities, flexible working hours, and membership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund with health care and pension benefits. UiT is committed to promoting equality, gender balance, and diversity among employees and students, and provides an inclusive and safe working environment.

Applications must be submitted via Jobbnorge by the deadline of 26 April 2026. Required documents include a cover letter, project proposal (max 7 pages), CV, diplomas and transcripts, documentation of English proficiency, contact information for 2-3 references, and a description of academic production. Only applications submitted through Jobbnorge will be considered. For further information, contact Dr. Richard Fraser ([email protected]), Deputy Head of Department Stine W. Adrian ([email protected]), or Senior Advisor Rita Johansen ([email protected]).

For more details and to apply, visit Jobbnorge or Euraxess. Additional information about working and living in Norway is available at UiT Staff Mobility.