For the project Banking on zoos for conservation? Towards a multispecies perspective on conservation research in the EAZA Biobank, funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, I am looking for two colleagues to join me at the Department of Society, Knowledge and Politics, of the University of Klagenfurt in Austria. The project will start in May 2025 and run until April 2028.

In this project we will study how the collection and storage of biological materials from zoo and aquarium animals in the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) Biobank is expected to contribute to research for the conservation of endangered species. As a networked facility located at four European ‘hubs’ the biobank aims to gather specimens from all species kept in European zoos and aquaria. This initiative thereby serves such institutions’ aims to contribute to preserving endangered species, yet raises questions about how practices within and organization of the biobank relate to a wider policy environment of conservation ambitions. To address such questions, the project will explore the practical, organizational and broader policy layers of the EAZA Biobank.

For this research on the different layers of the biobank I am looking for:

• A doctoral researcher to focus on biobanking practices at individual zoos, aquaria and hubs
• A postdoctoral researcher to focus on the broader legal and policy environment in which the biobank operates

Your responsibilities in the project will include participation in project work and meetings; planning and conducting empirical research on the EAZA Biobank; and contributing to the publication and dissemination of project results. Fieldwork will require travel to relevant international institutions (incl. zoos, aquaria and intergovernmental organisations) and (for the doctoral position) extended periods for ethnographic work on-site.

Your qualifications should include a completed MA or PhD degree in science and technology studies (STS), sociology, anthropology, political science or other relevant social science disciplines and/or in relevant fields of biological and environmental sciences. Applicants are expected to have demonstrable interest in or experience with research on the sociopolitical dimensions of biodiversity and conservation research. Good knowledge of English in speaking and writing is required.

Both positions will be paid according to the Collective Bargaining Agreement for Austrian universities.

To apply for either position, please send the following documents to erik [dot] aarden [at] aau [dot] at no later than the 28^th of February 2025:

• A motivation letter (max 2 pages), in which you indicate for which position you apply and how you would see your contribution to the project;
• An academic CV (max 3 pages);
• An example of your writing (which may be part of your MA/PhD-thesis);
• Name and contact details of one reference.

In case you would like to know more about the project or the positions, feel free to contact me with any questions you may have at erik [dot] aarden [at] aau [dot] at!