CRIA is Portugal’s leading research center in Anthropology, hosted by four public universities: Iscte, NOVA FCSH, the University of Coimbra, and the University of Minho. Its team includes 90 PhD researchers, 63 PhD students, and 69 collaborators. 

Recently, CRIA was rated Excellent - the highest classification - by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology. The center's strategic research areas include topics such as heritage, environment, sustainability, public policies, inequality, religion, migration, documentaries and archives. Driven by a strong commitment to societal relevance and grounded in rigorous ethnographic research, CRIA actively addresses social, cultural, and environmental challenges. The international profile of CRIA's researchers is reflected in their global presence, conducting research projects from Angola to India, from Brazil to Antarctica. They are actively involved in international partnerships and networks with R&D institutions, public bodies, and NGOs across Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. 

CRIA is organized into four research groups: Circulation and Place-Making; Environment, Sustainability and Ethnography; Livelihoods, Politics and Inequalities; and Practices and Politics of Culture. These were complemented by bottom-up Thematic Lines focusing on Health, Visual Anthropology and Arts, Studies in Arab and Islamic Contexts, Religion, South Asian Studies and Political Ecology. In addition, CRIA hosts four laboratories - dedicated to Visual Anthropology, Environment and Sustainability, Archives, and Human Remains. This broad and diverse structure creates a dynamic and collaborative environment, where early-career and senior researchers from over 20 nationalities work together and regularly engage in a wide range of academic activities. CRIA has extensive experience in welcoming and integrating visiting researchers, actively promoting and supporting their involvement in its Research Groups and across all institutional activities. 

Applicants must hold a PhD in Anthropology or Social Sciences and demonstrate strong motivation to establish long-term collaborations with CRIA researchers, aiming to develop future research projects and funding applications. While proposals from other areas and topics may be considered, priority will be given to applicants whose research interests align with the following themes: 

  • Colonial and post-colonial dimensions of migrations 
  • Tangible and intangible cultural heritage 
  • Visual culture and ethnographic film  
  • Processes of restitution and reconciliation 
  • Public policies aimed at mitigating the effects of crises and promoting livelihood well-being 
  • Ethnographic archives, and the preservation and accessibility of ethnographic materials 
  • Interaction between humans and the environment, human/non-human relationships 
  • Proficiency in English, both spoken and written, is required.