ERC post-doctoral researcher in Bronze Age Aegean architecture (26874)

30 Jan 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

Ghent University

Research Field

History » Archaeology
Architecture » Design
Architecture » Other
Cultural studies » Other

Researcher Profile

Recognised Researcher (R2)

Country

Belgium

Application Deadline

29 Feb 2024 - 22:59 (UTC)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Hours Per Week

38

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

   →  Apply before 29/02/2024 (DD/MM/YYYY) 23:59 (Brussels Time)
   →  Faculty of Arts and Philosophy  
   →  Department: LW02 - Archeologie
   →  Occupancy rate: 100%
   →  Number of positions: 1    
   →  Type of employment: Contract of limited duration 
   →  Term of assignment: 3 maanden 
   →  Wage scale:  PD1 to PD4 (doctoral degree) 
   →  Required diploma: PhD 

The Department of Archaeology at Ghent University (Belgium) is seeking two well-qualified applicants for full-time post-doctoral research contracts attached to the European Research Council Consolidator Grant project DAEDALOS. Conceptualising Processes of Monumental Architectural Creation in the Eastern Mediterranean Bronze Age. Prof. Maud Devolder, with her interest in ancient building projects, is the Principal Investigator.

ABOUT GHENT UNIVERSITY

Ghent University (Belgium) is a world of its own. Employing more than 15,000 people, it is actively involved in education and research, management and administration, as well as technical and social service provision on a daily basis. With its 11 faculties and more than 80 departments offering state-of-the-art study programmes grounded in research in a wide range of academic fields, Ghent University is one of the top universities in Belgium.

Ghent is an attractive medieval town, with a strong economic base and lively cultural scene. Just 30 minutes by train from Brussels, two hours from Paris and Amsterdam, and two and a half hours from London, it is ideally situated at the heart of European intellectual life.

YOUR TASKS

Area of research of DAEDALOS

Most human societies produce monumental edifices, the construction of which required vast amounts of human and material resources. It is generally presumed that only centralised hierarchical socio-political systems have the ability to mobilise and organise countless builders and impressive quantities of building materials. To say it otherwise, power is often deemed a necessary precondition for monumental architectural creation. This assumption has been integral to many New Archaeological or Processual analyses world-wide for some 50 years, and it is especially pervasive in the study of societies of the 2nd mill. BCE in Mainland Greece, Western Anatolia, and the islands of Crete, Cyprus and the Cyclades. Because of the lack of explicit written sources, the socio-political organisation in most of these regions is still undefined; but their monuments – whether we call them palaces, or administrative or elite buildings – are still systematically taken as the proof for the existence of powerful rulers. However, recent research has shown the incremental construction and the marked heterogeneity in the materials and techniques of monuments in these regions and during this period, far from the material homogeneity that is expected from highly controlled building projects. These observations challenge the predominant view that conflates power and architecture, and DAEDALOS wants to explore the possibility that monuments could also be produced by building groups that cooperated within a non-hierarchical socio-political setting, a dynamic rarely considered in traditional architectural studies. 

Area of your post-doctoral research
Your task will be to process primary published evidence pertaining to the building components, masonries, structural connections, layout, and decorative elements of a selection of Western Anatolian edifices. As a participant to the data-processing phase of the ERC project, you will be responsible for the collecting of architectural information based on literature review; for identifying features related to the construction process (acquisition, transport, shaping and assembly of building components); for encoding the acquired information in a database; and for producing synthetic architectural reports for the buildings assigned to you. You will be working in collaboration with and under the supervision of the principal investigator.

We expect you to be an enthusiastic and meticulous researcher. You should be interested in actively participating in team meetings, international conferences and the research life of the Department of Archaeology in Ghent University. The ability to join a collaborative working environment is a requirement.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

The successful candidates will have:

• A PhD in disciplines relevant to DAEDALOS: Archaeology; Architecture. The PhD must have been obtained more than 4 years before the starting date of the contract (01/06/2024).
• A demonstrable experience in the study of the Bronze Age Aegean architectural record.
• A strong interest in studying Eastern Mediterranean Bronze Age building materials and techniques.
• Excellent command of English, and good reading knowledge of Greek and of at least one of the following languages: German, Turkish, Italian and Dutch.

We expect the succesful applicants will:

• efficiently review scientific literature in order to collect architectural data pertaining to the process of monumental creation as expected in the framwork of DAEDALOS;
• reside in Belgium, work together with the other member of the team, and contribute to a pleasant and stimulating working atmosphere;
• contribute to scholarly activities organised in the framework of the research project and actively participate to the scientific life of the Department of Archaeology in Ghen University.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

• We offer you a contract of definite duratoin for 3 months of full-time employment as a post-doctoral researcher, starting on June 1st, 2024.
• An internationally competitive salary that corresponds to the salary scales for post-doctoral researchers as established by the Flemish government.
• The possibility to acquire transferable skills as part of an ERC-funded project.
• Experience in the processing of architectural evidence produced by excavations.
• Office space at Ghent University, an enviable research infrastructure, and a solid and engaging academic working environment with a strong international profile. The ERC project resonates with the interests of a number of other researchers at Ghent University, and the successful candidates will be able to interact with scholars and students affiliated with various departments and research institutes working alongside the Department of Archaeology (https://www.ugent.be/lw/archeologie/en ).
• Your remuneration will be determined by salary scale WM1 to WM4 (if you hold a Master’s degree) or salary scale PD1 to PD4 (if you hold a doctorate).  Click here for more information about our salary scales .
• All Ghent University staff members enjoy a number of benefits, such as a wide range of training and education opportunities, 36 days of holiday leave (on an annual basis for a full-time job) supplemented by annual fixed bridge days, a bicycle allowance and eco vouchers. Click here for a complete overview of all the staff benefits (in Dutch).

INTERESTED?

Apply online through the e-recruitment system before the application deadline (see above). We can not accept applications that are not submitted through the online system.
Your application must include the following documents:

• In the field ‘CV’: your CV merged into one pdf file.
• In the field ‘Cover letter’: your application letter in pdf format, in which you highlight why you are interested in the project, how it resonates with your own expertise, what relevant experience/knowledge you have, and what knowledge and experience you expect to acquire from the project;
• In the field ‘Diploma’: a transcript of the required degree (if already in your possession). If you have a foreign diploma in a language other than our national languages (Dutch, French or German) or English, please add a translation in one of the mentioned languages.
• In the field ‘other documents’: your PhD dissertation; Other relevant writing samples (max. 2 scientific papers).

Note that the maximum file size for each field is 10 MB.

As Ghent University maintains an equal opportunities and diversity policy, everyone is encouraged to apply for these positions.

MORE INFORMATION
Shortlisted candidates will be notified by March 4, 2024.
Interviews will take place in the second week of March 2024.
For more information about this vacancy, please contact Prof. Maud Devolder at: [email protected]
Universiteit Gent
Faculty of Arts and Philosophy
Department of Archaeology
Campus Ufo, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 35
B-9000 Ghent – Belgium
Important: do NOT send your application by email but apply online.
Do you have a question regarding the online application process? Please read our FAQ.

Do you have a question regarding the online application process? Please read our FAQ or contact helpdesk ([email protected] - tel. 09/264 98 98).

Requirements

Research Field

History

Years of Research Experience

4 - 10

Research Field

Architecture

Years of Research Experience

4 - 10

Research Field

Architecture

Years of Research Experience

4 - 10

Research Field

Cultural studies

Years of Research Experience

4 - 10

Additional Information

Website for additional job details

https://academicpositions.com

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Ghent University

Country

Belgium

City

Ghent

Postal Code

9000

Street

Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 33

Where to apply

Website

https://academicpositions.com/ad/ghent-university/2024/erc-post-doctoral-resear…

Contact

City

Ghent

Website

http://www.ugent.be/en

Postal Code

9000

STATUS: EXPIRED