Vacant job

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is consistently ranked as one of the world's leading universities. Here, there are approximately 46,000 students and 8,500 employees in Lund, Helsingborg, and Malmö. We are united in our strive to understand, explain, and improve our world and human conditions.

About the workplace and research project

The position is located at the Department of History at the Department of History but also involves a researcher working abroad and other colleagues recruited later. The main part of the work will be based at the Department of History in Lund, but occasional tasks may also be carried out at archival institutions within Sweden.

The research project Genealogies of Old Wealth is a multi-year project funded by the Swedish Research Council. We study the economic elite in Sweden during the period 1800–1950, examining wealth and inheritance using a genealogical method, which means we study several generations within the same family. We focus particularly on probate inventories, which provide an image of the scope and content of wealth.

The project is part of an expanding research environment at the department focused on wealth, inheritance, and household economics, which also includes an established seminar series in collaboration with the Department of Economic History in Lund (the seminar Work & Subsistence). Economic inequality in a historical perspective is a major research field, both in Sweden and internationally, and Genealogies of Old Wealth has several connections to other ongoing research projects. As a research assistant within the project, you will therefore also be introduced to a large and highly relevant research focus.

We offer

Lund University is a government agency and offers good employment conditions. With a position as a research assistant, you as a student get an opportunity to combine studies with work to complement your theoretical knowledge with practical work experience within academia. The position is covered by the flextime agreement. Read more on the university's website about Working with us | Lund University.

Tasks

As a research assistant, your tasks may vary, but you must be studying at the faculty where the work is to be conducted, and the tasks should provide insight into the academic world. The work will be carried out in close collaboration with the participants of the research project and will include source inventory and data collection. Most of the material is available digitally.

The tasks for this position include:

• systematic collection of information on wealth and family relations from digitized probate inventories
• minor collection work at other archival institutions within Sweden
• preparatory analysis work
• supporting the project by assisting with simpler administrative and communicative tasks
• supporting the research environment and its activities

The project focuses on particularly wealthy Swedish families and analyzes the significance of inherited property over several generations. You will primarily work with collecting information from family members' probate inventories, which may be handwritten or typewritten. As a research assistant within the project, you will gain experience of practical research work, quantitative data collection, and working in a larger research team. You will receive recognition for your work in connection with the project's later publications.

Qualifications

Eligible for employment as a research assistant is anyone who is actively studying at the basic or advanced level at the current faculty and has not yet graduated.

Requirements for the position are that you:

• are studying at the Faculty of Humanities and Theology at Lund University
• have at least 60 credit points in history
• have very good knowledge of Swedish and English, both spoken and written
• can read handwritten material from the 19th and 20th centuries
• have the ability to work independently and structure tasks
• have good collaboration skills

Merits for the position include that you:

• have a bachelor's degree in history
• are studying or have studied history at an advanced level
• have an interest in historical research themes such as social relations, property, equality, inheritance, and family relations
• have documented experience of working with handwritten source material as well as probate inventories or similar
• have experience of working with quantitative data collection and analysis
• have experience of working with databases, especially in Excel

Other information

The position is temporary with a planned start date of 2026-07-01 and an end date of 2026-12-31, covering 20% of a full-time position. The employment must not negatively affect the research assistant's studies and cannot be combined with other employments. Regulations regarding educational employment as a research assistant are found in the Higher Education Ordinance (SFS 2017:284), Chapter 5, Sections 8-12.

How to apply

The application is made in Lund University's recruitment system. You apply with your CV and by answering a number of questions in the recruitment system. You also need to attach an extract from LADOK certifying your eligibility. The application should also include other information you wish to cite (work samples in the form of a bachelor's thesis, copies of transcripts, reference information, etc.).

Welcome with your application!

About the Faculty of Humanities and Theology

The Faculty of Humanities and Theology has eight departments and conducts a large and varied activity within research and education. We have approximately 700 employees and approximately 4,000 full-time students.

About the Department of History

The Department of History is one of eight departments at the Faculty of Humanities and Theology. It is a large department with three divisions: the Division of History, the Division of Human Rights, and the Centre for East and Southeast Asian Studies. There are around 100 teachers and researchers here. Teaching within the department is primarily conducted within the framework of bachelor's programs in history and human rights, master's programs in history, and international master's programs in human rights and Asian studies. The department also has a large doctoral education with doctoral students in history, human rights, and East and Southeast Asian studies, among others through a doctoral school in historical studies.

We decline all contacts from ad salespeople, recruitment, and staffing companies due to public procurement regulations.