Fully Funded PhD Positions in International History, Memory Politics, and NATO Enlargement Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Switzerland

The Geneva Graduate Institute and the Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding (CCDP) are recruiting two fully funded PhD students for the project “Narrative Belonging: Memory Politics and NATO Enlargement in Europe.”

This doctoral opportunity is based at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland, within the Department of International History and Politics and the CCDP. The project is funded by the Swiss National Foundation (SNSF) and runs for 4 years. It examines how memories of the past have shaped NATO enlargement and Europe’s evolving security order since the end of the Cold War, with a strong focus on memory politics, historical narratives, contemporary European history, and security studies.

The research looks especially at the 1999 accession of the Visegrád countries, the 2004 enlargement involving the Vilnius group, and the more recent accessions of Finland and Sweden. It explores themes such as occupation, neutrality, liberation, political transition, and NATO’s symbolic practices. The project uses qualitative methods including archival research, media analysis, and oral history interviews, and will also contribute to an open digital archive of key materials.

Successful candidates will join a collaborative international research team, contribute to the project’s empirical work, and develop an independent doctoral dissertation aligned with the broader themes of the project. The post includes close mentoring, participation in conferences and workshops, and opportunities for research travel and archival work. Salary and welfare benefits follow SNSF doctoral researcher standards.

Applicants should hold a Master’s degree in history or a related discipline, have strong research and analytical skills, work well both independently and in teams, and demonstrate excellent English. Regional expertise and language skills are especially welcome, particularly Polish or Baltic languages. An English language certificate is required unless the degree was obtained from an English-language institution.

Application deadline: 29 May 2026. Submit a PDF application including a motivation letter, short research proposal (max 1000 words), CV, transcripts and diplomas, writing sample, names of two referees, and English certificate if applicable.