Research Associate (Part Time, Fixed Term)

The Faculty of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Cambridge invites applications for a part-time Postdoctoral Research Associate in the field of the History and Languages of the Eastern Anatolia region. 

The Postdoctoral Research Associate would work in the research team of the ERC-funded project 'Echoes of Vanishing Voices in the Mountains: A Linguistic History of Minorities in the Near East' (ALHOME) supervised by Professor Geoffrey Khan. The project aims to reconstruct the complex, socioreligious past of Aramaic-speaking and Kurdish-speaking communities in Western Asia through a study of the history and interrelationship of their languages.

Key activities associated with the role include:

• Making core contributions to the historical interpretation of contact between Semitic and Indo-European in Eastern Anatolia and surrounding area.
• Assisting in the organisation of a conference about the social and linguistic history of the region and presenting the results.
• Collaborating with Aramaic and Iranian specialists in the study of cultural and linguistic convergence between communities in the region.
• Undertake new research and publish in academic papers in peer-reviewed journals.
• Carry out project administrative tasks.
• Participation in wider activities of the linguistics community in Cambridge, including contributions to seminars and assistance in grant-writing.

The successful candidate should hold a PhD either in the history of Anatolia or in one or more Indo-European languages of Anatolia with a track record in:

Expertise in the linguistic and social history of Eastern Anatolian.

• A good knowledge of one or more modern Indo-European languages of the Eastern Anatolian region.
• A good knowledge of the basic principles of historical and contact linguistics.
• Excellent written, oral communication and presentation skills.
• A demonstrable commitment to team work.

A basic familiarity with Aramaic and/or Iranian would be an advantage.

The post holder will be located at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Sidgwick Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 9DA, UK.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available until 31st August 2025. This is the Grant End Date.

The position is advertised at Part-Time: 0.4 FTE with flexible hours. Hybrid working will be possible.

Ensure that you upload your Curriculum Vitae (CV) with publications and a covering letter in the upload section of the online application. Please include the names of two referees. If you upload any additional documents which have not been requested, we will not be able to consider these as part of your application.

If you have any questions about this vacancy, please contact Professor Geoffrey Khan at [email protected] . If you have any questions about the application process, please contact the School HR Team on [email protected] .

The closing date for applications is midnight (BST) on Sunday 21 March 2024. Interviews are planned for late April/early May 2024, subject to change.

To apply online for this vacancy and to view further information about the role, please click on the Apply button above.

Please quote reference GU41180 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

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