Candidates should be able to reflect and work on literatures and the arts as systems of knowledge and representation; they should also have familiarity with theory, critique, and history of literatures from a comparative and transnational perspective. A general knowledge of crucial issues such as ecological thought, cultures of sustainability, interconnectivity, speculative fiction and climate narratives is highly appreciated.

The selected student will work at the Department of Humanistic Studies of the University of Ferrara. The main responsible of the project will be Doctor Elisa Bolchi, a member of the Scientific Board of the PhD Programme in Environmental Sustainability and Wellbeing. Members of the team have a strong expertise in English literature, literary ecology, ecolinguistics, and the digital humanities. The research environment is strongly interdisciplinary, interdepartmental, and international thanks to the activities of the PhD programme in Environmental Sustainability and Wellbeing (http://www.Unife.It/studenti/dottorato/it/corsi/riforma/environmental-sustainability-and-wellbeing), coordinated by Prof. Paola Spinozzi, an expert in literary ecology and utopia who will also act as co-supervisor.