The Research Center for Integrated Disaster Risk Management, CIGIDEN (www.cigiden.cl) is a multidisciplinary center funded by the National Research and Development Agency (ANID). CIGIDEN is composed by Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (www.uc.cl), the Universidad Nacional Andrés Bello (www.unab.cl), the Universidad Católica del Norte (www.ucn.cl), and the Universidad Santa María (www.usm.cl). CIGIDEN’s Researchers are located in different universities and regions of Chile. The work performed by the center organizes around 6 different research groups that combine to make three research clusters: Natural Systems and Processes, Risk and Resilience Analysis, and Social Practices. Researchers that work at CIGIDEN develop their studies within their home cluster, but collaboration and cross disciplinary research is highly encouraged. At CIGIDEN there are researchers that belong to different fields such as Urban Studies, Engineering, Geosciences, Sociology, Geography, Education, and Communications, among others. In CIGIDEN there are also academics from universities other than the previously mentioned, who are invited to participate as researchers in the center. This melting pot of institutions, disciplines, interests, and researchers creates a very unique place to think, develop, and practice cutting edge research on disaster risk management.
The position
This year, to encourage the research work in citizen governance, the center will offer a two year postdoctoral research position in the research cluster of Social Practices, to work on the intersection between communications and disasters, as part of the interdisciplinary research line 6 “Citizen Governance”. RL6 focuses on articulates central concepts such as communication, information and education, in order to promote the deepening of democracy with regard to disaster risk management and to facilitate local and territorial dialogue, connecting research with communities and public policy building. An important part of the work done by the researchers in RL6 is to produce outcomes that will engage in debates and discussions in the public sphere, considering local and national audiences, with a specific focus on public policy making.
The successful candidate will collaborate closely with Dr. Karla Palma, researcher of RL6. Candidates are expected to work along the objectives of the Social Practices cluster, with special focus on L6 goals, articulating research with urban and territorial planning, public policies and disseminating and engaging knowledge with a wide array of institutions.
Currently, RL6 is leading the work in the Coastal Observatory, a multilevel, multiscalar organization that looks for the building of a better understanding and administration of the coastal zone in Chile, along with it, there is an ongoing project of a “Escuela Comunitaria”, to develop knowledge and community engagement in relation to coastal zones. Besides, researchers in RL6 work on topics such as urban growth; urbanization and fragile ecosystems; natural risks; citizen education and participation; social resilience; public broadcasting of the risk; public policies and governance; climate change and adaptation; risk and resilience in urban settings; mediatization of disasters, risk, and climate change.
In this context, the researcher is expected to have expertise in methodological approaches related to communications, media, and/or cultural studies. In particular, the applicant is expected to have research knowledge in the intersection of media and local communities in different sorts of socio environmental issues. Expertise and experience in working with local communities, participatory methodologies and/or ethnographic approaches is desired. The candidate will have to be able to engage in interdisciplinary conversations within the cluster, which is a key component of RL6 where different fields of knowledge converge. The position is oriented to understand how communications can engage in the context of socio environmental disasters to improve disaster risk management.
Research topics may include two or more of the following: (i) communitary communication and its implications on disaster risk reduction, (ii) access to information and citizen’s participation in disaster risk management, (iii) imaginaries of disasters, public opinion, and mediatization of disasters, (iv) media representation and local knowledge of disasters, (v) community media and local articulations for disaster risk management, (vi) access to information and gender in the context of socio environmental disasters, (vii) media discourses and its impact in local communities within a disaster framework.
Required qualifications
The candidate must hold a PhD degree obtained during the last four years in an area related to the description above, with previous demonstrated experience in publishing in international indexed journals. The candidate should also be fluent in English and Spanish. Conference publications and presentations will also be considered in the evaluation of the applicants.
Experience in teaching, supervising undergraduate and graduate students, engaging in outreach and transfer activities, participation in research projects, and research working experience are a plus.
Minimum expected achievements
To allocate a 18 months postdoctoral funding from CIGIDEN, the researcher will be evaluated by the end of year 1, minimum requirements to be considered for an extra semester of funding includes the submission of at least one WOS-indexed paper to a scientific journal. During the last semester of funding, the selected candidate is expected to continue with the work programmed previously with his/her supervisor. Part of each year evaluation includes the outstanding performance and fulfillment of committed tasks required in common agreement with the postdoc.
Application
The call is open between January 11th and March 15th 2021, and the starting date should ideally be June 1st, 2021 or sooner. Late applications may be considered until the position is filled, and special conditions may apply for the starting date. The duration of the position is for a minimum of 12 months and a maximum of 18 months.
Successful applicants will be appointed by CIGIDEN at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and will reside in Santiago, Chile, where they will receive a gross stipend of 1.800.000 CLP (~2.400 USD) per month, as well as travel expenses for those living overseas. To apply, please send your letter of intent/motivation, a research proposal, an extended CV and two letters of recommendation to Karla Palma (karla.palma@uchile.cl) and Carolina Martinez (camartinezr@uc.cl) with the subject “CIGIDEN Social Practices Postdoctoral Application”.
