POSTDOCTORAL POSITION in Landscape archaeology AD 600-1050

The Saxo Institute at the University of Copenhagen is pleased to announce a call for applications for a 1-year postdoctoral position in the project Textiles Resources in Viking Age landscape funded by DFF 2022-2025. The position is available from 1 April 2023.

TRiVal combines landscape analysis of textile resources with analysis of textiles, textile tools, and contexts investigations to determine the variation, organization and impact of textile production on the known Viking Age landscape on northern Jutland, Limfjorden and south-west Zealand.

The successful postdoctoral candidate will focus on to what extent the landscape was used to provide the raw materials for clothing, sails and furnishing textiles in the Viking Age. While also contributing to the overall research aims of Textiles Resources in Viking Age landscape. The Viking Age was a period of transition and change, characterized by overseas trade, warfare, and colonization, where the socio-political development supported the formation of centralized kingdoms within the Scandinavian homelands. The Viking Age is a period in which textile production gets a deeper impact on society, clearly indicating a new consumption of sails that supported long-distance travels as well as a new fascination and use of luxury clothing. The introduction of the sail in the 7th century was without a doubt one of the most important and innovative technological developments of the period and allowed the Scandinavian communities to travel long distances over the open sea, in order to engage more efficiently in trade and raiding and to explore new lands. The project hypothesis is that the use of sailcloth and changes in textile production demanded physical labour as well as a large supply of raw material, which would result in an increase in land use for sheep grazing and large-scale cultivation of textile crops as well as changes in settlement structures.

The successful candidate will be part of an international research group consisting of the Principal Investigator (PI), two postdoctoral fellows, one PhD-student, one research assistant based at the Saxo Institute, University of Copenhagen, under the supervision of the PI. The candidate will also be supervised by and collaborate with Dr. Morten Fischer Mortenson at the department of Environmental Archaeology and Materials Science, National Museum of Denmark.

JOB DESCRIPTION
The candidate will work with quantitative landscape reconstructions (such as REVEALS/LOVE) based on both new pollen studies and already existing pollen data from the two core areas in the project. The candidate will also be conducting a literature study of textile plants from the Danish area based on pollen- and macrofossil data. Knowledge of the Scandinavian languages is therefore preferable.

The research team of TRiVal closely collaborates in all stages of the research process and the selected candidate is expected to contribute substantially to this research method. Collaborative research elements include:

• Teaming up during research trips to museums, workshops, and conferences.
• Participating in monthly research seminars.
• Contributing to the construction of databases and maps
• Publishing within the framework of TRiVaL
  

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
To be eligible for the position, the candidate should demonstrate a thorough working knowledge of landscape archaeology, including working experiences with pollen- and/or macrofossil analysis. In addition, the applicants must have research qualifications at least corresponding those achieved through a successfully completed PhD.

For further details about the qualification requirements for postdocs, please refer to the job structure for Academic Staff at Universities 2020. For further details about the qualification requirements for the post.doc, please read more in the job structure for academics at the Universities:www.retsinformation.dk/eli/lta/2019/1443  (only in Danish)

For further information about the position, please contact the PI of the research project Associate professor Eva Andersson Strand, e-mail: [email protected]

Submit the application online in Adobe PDF or Word format.

Please click on the “Apply now” icon at the bottom of the page and fill in the application form.

The application must be in English and include the following enclosures:

• Cover letter (maximum 1 page) specifying how the applicant’s qualifications and experiences match overall research aims of Textile resources in Viking Age landscapes.
• Research proposal (maximum 3 pages) describing how the applicant would design a landscape study
• Curriculum vitae (with the applicant’s email and phone number).
• Documentation of qualifications (examination certificates, PhD diploma, etc.).
• Complete list of publications. The enclosed publications must be marked with*.
• 1-3 enclosed publications*.

*Applicants may choose a maximum of three publications for assessment. Publication dates must be clearly marked on the publication list. The publications selected must be uploaded as attachments and listed from no. 1 to 3.

Should any of the submitted publications consist of work with named co-authors, or work that is otherwise the result of collective academic endeavours, the extent of the applicant’s contribution to the work must be clearly indicated. The Faculty may ask for a signed statement from the co-authors stipulating the extent and nature of each individual’s contribution.

Only material in Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, German and English can be expected to be assessed.

APPOINTMENT PROCEDURE
After the application deadline, the Head of the Saxo Institute at the University of Copenhagen selects applicants for assessment on the advice of an appointment committee.  All applicants are notified whether their application has been accepted for assessment. The Dean subsequently appoints an expert assessment committee tasked with carrying out an assessment of the selected applicants for the specific post. Selected applicants are notified of the composition of the committee. Applicants are ultimately offered the opportunity of commenting on the part of the assessment relating to themselves before the appointment is finalized.

Further information about the application procedure is available from is available from HR, e-mail: [email protected] Please refer to ID number 211-1245/22-2I

SALARY AND EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS
Terms of appointment and salary will be in accordance with an agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). The salary range starts at DKK 35,700 (EUR 4,798) per month + a 17,1 % contribution to the pension scheme. It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis.

The Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC) have further agreed on a protocol that makes it possible for international researchers employed by the University to achieve a pension exemption, whereby the pension contribution will be paid out as salary. For more information about the different pension schemes, please see: ism.ku.dk/salary-tax-pension/pension/

A special tax scheme is offered to researchers recruited abroad, ism.ku.dk/onarrival.

If you consider applying from abroad, you may find useful information on how it is to work in Denmark and at UCPH here: ism.ku.dk , ​​www.nyidanmark.dk/en-us/frontpage.htm and www.workindenmark.dk

UCPH wishes to encourage everyone interested in this post to apply, regardless of personal background.

The closing date for applications is 30 December 2022 at 23:59 CET
Applications or supplementary material received thereafter will not be considered. 

Application deadline: 30 December 2022
Employment start: 1 April 2023
Department/Location: Saxo Institute, University of Copenhagen, Karen Blixen Plads 8, 2300 Copenhagen, DK-Denmark

Part of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), and among Europe’s top-ranking universities, the University of Copenhagen promotes research and teaching of the highest international standard. Rich in tradition and modern in outlook, the University gives students and staff the opportunity to cultivate their talent in an ambitious and informal environment. An effective organisation – with good working conditions and a collaborative work culture – creates the ideal framework for a successful academic career.