Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world’s top universities. The University has around 46 000 students and 8 500 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition.
The Department of Philosophy is divided into Practical Philosophy, Theoretical Philosophy, and Cognitive Science and is part of the Joint Faculties of Humanities and Theology. The Researcher will be hired in Practical Philosophy but is expected to do interdisciplinary work.
Democratizing Refugee Camps is a project that has been awarded a Swedish Foundations’ Starting Grant and is funded by the Riksbankens Jubileumsfond. The PI of the project is Felix Bender.
DEMCAMP asks what an applied ethics has to say with regards to the many refugees who do not live in the Global North, but remain in the Global South and, specifically, in refugee camps. It asks how we can understand and properly react to the vulnerabilities refugees experience in the camps. The project develops 1) a theory that better captures the vulnerabilities experienced by refugees in refugee camps and 2) a normative democratic theory that is capable of responding to these vulnerabilities. DEMCAMP demonstrates that what we can observe in refugee camps is the emergence of economic, legal and political systems that each function according to their own rules and logics and that result in refugees experiencing a set of vulnerabilities that remain unseen if refugees’ vulnerability is externally defined by humanitarian agencies such as UNHCR and only applied to refugee camps thereafter. To properly react to the vulnerabilities that refugees experience, refugee camps need to be democratized. For more information on the project, please visit https://startinggrant.se/researcher/felix-bender/ .
In the context of this project, you will work on the structures of vulnerability of refugees in refugee camps, analysing how the emergence of distinct legal, economic, and political systems give rise to particular forms of vulnerability.
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Ability to read and write in academic English
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A Phd and a background in sociology, anthropology, political science, legal studies, or forced migration studies
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Ability to develop and conduct high-quality research.
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Research focus on refugees and / or vulnerability
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Openness to collaborative work and interdisciplinarity
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Experience working on refugee camps
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Experience working on vulnerability of refugees
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Experience working on UNHCR
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Work on refugee camp economies, or law in refugee camps
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Knowledge or interest in philosophical accounts of vulnerability
The assessment of applicants will primarily be based on their scientific merits and potential as researchers. Particular emphasis will be placed on scientific ability within the subject area.
Lund University is a government agency, which means that you get special benefits, generous holidays and a favourable occupational pension.
Find out more on the University website about working with us Work for us
This is a fixed-term position for 2 years, with 100% employment as a Researcher, with a start date as soon as possible. Employment at Lund University is based in Sweden, so you are expected to be able to perform your work on site in Lund.
For questions, please contact the PI, Felix Bender. Interviews will be held online.
You will need to apply for this position via the university’s recruitment system. The application should include:
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A cover letter, explaining why you are interested in the position and how your profile matches the description of the position
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A CV
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1 page description on how you would approach this research (which resources would you use, how would you structure work on this project?)
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Two writing samples (published or unpublished articles)
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Details of two referees (will not be contacted until you are invited for an interview)
About The Joint Faculties of the Humanities and Theology
The Joint Faculties of the Humanities and Theology have seven departments and carries out large and varied work within research and education with the purpose to understand people as cultural and social beings. The faculties have around 700 employees and around 4000 students.
About the Department of Philosophy
The Department of Philosophy has about 80 employees. Research and education at the department is conducted within three subjects: Cognitive science, Practical philosophy and Theoretical philosophy. While these subjects to a large extent conduct research and education independently, there are also close collaborations between them. Read about current activities at the department’s webpage.
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Anställningsform: tillsvidareanställning | Anställningens omfattning: heltid | Antal lediga befattningar: 1 | Sysselsättningsgrad: 100 | Ort: Lund | Län: Skåne län | Land: Sweden | Referensnummer: PA2026/1825 | Kontakt: Felix Bender 046-2220000, Felix Bender 046-2220000, | Facklig företrädare: OFR/ST:Fackförbundet ST:s kansli 046-2229362, OFR/ST:Fackförbundet ST:s kansli 046-2229362, SACO:Saco-s-rådet vid Lunds universitet 046-2220000, SACO:Saco-s-rådet vid Lunds universitet 046-2220000, | Publicerat: 2026-06-12 | Sista ansökningsdag: 2026-07-15
