Medieval anti-heretical hate speech: Support in submitting a Marie Skłodowska Curie postdoc application (MSCA-PF)

The Dissident Networks Project (DISSINET, https://dissinet.cz/), a research group based at Masaryk University (Brno, Czech Republic), is searching for holders of a doctoral degree interested in submitting a Marie Skłodowska Curie Action postdoctoral fellowship application (MSCA-PF) to become part of the team. DISSINET currently hosts research projects funded by an ERC Consolidator Grant and a Johannes Amos Comenius Programme grant.

The focus of the DISSINET-supported applications should be on digital and quantitative research into medieval anti-heretical hate speech, that is, derogatory language used by Christian writers to delegitimize, exclude, and harm heterodox Christians. We are interested in detecting and explaining broader patterns and trends (e.g., evolution over time). The work will involve:

• studying sources, their contexts, and related historiography;
• intensively annotating hate speech in Latin anti-heretical works in an online application;
• writing research articles with collaborators, both as lead author and co-author.

We are looking for candidates with a background in history, medieval studies, study of religions, medieval Latin philology and literature or a similar field, interested in receiving our intense and targeted support to write and submit an application for a MSCA postdoctoral fellowship with Masaryk University on the topic outlined above. The time to get in touch is now, as 2025 is the last year when a system of 3 grant schemes with the same MSCA-PF application is in place, meaning that Masaryk University has a ca. 75% (!) success rate in getting the funding, by contrast to the ca. 10-15% success rate in just the main scheme.

The fellowship would last for 24 months. The MSCA-PF living allowance amounts to 4,181 EUR / month (for Czech Republic based projects), the research budget amounts to 1,000 EUR / month, and the mobility allowance to 527 EUR / month. The position is residential.Brno is a pleasant university town ca. 2 hours by direct train connection from Vienna and Prague and offers all the opportunities of a vibrant modern city.

We require:

• Ph.D. degree in history, medieval studies, medieval Latin philology and literature or a similar field.
• Latin language (excellent reading competence).
• Competence in historical research.
• Computer-friendly mindset.
• Competence in academic writing.
• English language (C1 or higher).

(We do not require any previous research background concerning medieval heresy, anti-heretical literature, medieval religious hate speech, or digital methods.)

We offer:

• Dedicated individual mentorship from the PI and other senior team members, both during the preparation of your application and after joining the team.
• Strong track record of success in applications for funding.
• Career-enhancing experience in digital and computational history.
• Creative work across disciplines in an exciting frontier-research project.
• Participation in writing high-profile publications in history, social sciences, and the digital humanities.
• Friendly and informal working environment.

MSCA-PF eligibility:

• Doctoral degree by the application deadline (10 September 2025).
• Max. 8 years after Ph.D. by the application deadline.
• Max. 12 months residence or main activity (work, studies) in Czechia over the last 3 years (as of 10 September 2025).

Details: https://marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu/actions/postdoctoral-fellowships

Useful fact sheet. 

The DISSINET deadline for submitting a CV, a brief (ca. 1 page) preliminary research proposal, and an academic writing sample authored by the candidate to the PI and head of the research group, Prof. Dr. David Zbíral (david.zbiral@mail.muni.cz), is 15 April 2025.

We will then perform an internal pre-selection to identify candidates whose applications we will support and help develop. The pre-selection will involve a Latin translation test and a digital data entry test, both taking place online. To candidates who pass the pre-selection, we will offer intensive support in devising a research project related to medieval anti-heretical hate speech and submitting a MSCA-PF application.

The final submission deadline in the MSCA-PF scheme is 10 September 2025.