Postdoc in Archaeology and Ancient History with focus on Material Studies

Lund University, Department of Archaeology and Ancient History

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world’s top 100 universities. The University has 40 000 students and more than 8 000 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition.

The Joint Faculties of the Humanities and Theology have eight departments and carries out large and varied work within research and education with the purpose to understand people as cultural and social beings. The faculties have some 700 employees and around 4000 students.

The Department of Archaeology and Ancient History at Lund University is one of the oldest and largest archaeology departments in Sweden, and one of the top 100 in the world according to the QS World University Ranking. We provide a lively environment for research and teaching and have done so since 1805.

The department covers four subjects: Classical Archaeology and Ancient History, Archaeology, Historical Archaeology and Historical Osteology. The subjects cooperate with each other, while having different backgrounds with respect to history of ideas and are working partly with different source materials, methods and theoretical perspectives. This is the department’s strength from both a research and education perspective. Our students therefore often choose to combine our different subjects in their studies in order to obtain a personalised degree.

In recent years, the link between humanities research questions and methods from the natural sciences has become increasingly clear. At Lund University, this has been illustrated by a geoarchaeological collaboration within LINXS (www.linxs.se), which coordinates research and research strategies connected to MAX IV and ESS. However, the research commenced in this field so far has been mainly initiated from the science side with a primary focus on developing methods and techniques, whereas more far-reaching interpretations and analyses of the past have played a lesser role.

Duties
The postdoc is to develop strategic archaeological research questions by utilising the technical and methodological possibilities that analyses using, for example, synchrotron light or neutron radiation (MAX IV, ESS) can contribute to the field of archaeological research. Other scientific appraches may also be relevant. The ultimate focus of the position, i.e. which research questions will be posed and which scientific methods will be used, is up to the candidate to decide. In addition to working on their own research project, the postdoc is expected to work on strategic research applications during the second year.

The kind of research questions that may be relevant are those that are linked to archaeological materials in a broad sense. These can be artefacts but also other archaeological source materials, such as osteological, biological and geoarchaeological. The position is therefore open to applicants from several disciplines. The focus is on materials from archaeological excavations or museum collections and the use of new analytical methods, rather than on a specific chronological period or geographical area. The applicant may thus have a PhD in archaeology, historical archaeology, historical osteology or classical archaeology and ancient history, or in a closely related discipline concerned with the analysis of cultural history and interpretation of artefacts and materials.

Teaching, supervision and other administrative duties comprise a maximum of 20 % of the position.

Qualifications
The candidate must have been awarded a Ph.D. or an international degree deemed equivalent not more than three years before the application deadline. If the degree was awarded earlier, the candidate must provide certificates of parental leave, illness or similar reasons for leave in the application. Applicants must be able to document advanced proficiency in English.

Assessment
The grounds for assessment are a good ability to develop and conduct high-quality research, and teaching skills. The main criterion for a postdoctoral fellowship is research expertise. In all other respects, the assessment will be based on the requirements specified for the post. As documentation for the assessment of qualifications, applicants are to submit a project plan of the research they intend to carry out during their appointment. Only applicants whose research plan and previous work could strengthen the research environment will be considered for the position of postdoc.

Specific qualifications are, in order of priority:

• Documented experience of combining humanistic research with methods and techniques from the naturalsciences.
• Documented experience of using and processing laboratory data in order to obtain an understanding of cultural history.
• Interest in, and experience of, developing humanistic research in different scientific researchenvironments.
• Demonstrated ability to cooperate with others.

The application must include:

• A signed complete CV and attested copy of the Ph.D. degree.
• A list of publications (including DOI, ISBN or ISSN numbers).
• A signed plan of no more than 1500 words (not including list of references) of theresearch project the candidate intends to pursue during the fellowship.

*with signature, name in block letters and telephone number of two people who have no conflicts of interest with the applicant and who can confirm that the copy corresponds with the original.

The research plan is to contain a description of:

• Aim and research question.
• Theory and method.
• Relation to the international research front including the most important internationalwork in the field of research.
• Schedule and expected results.
• The applicant’s qualifications and competence to conduct the project.

NB! The applicant is responsible for ensuring that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions above, that all documents are scanned (as a single PDF file) and that the file has reached the University through the e-recruitment portal no later than the application deadline.

Conditions
The appointment is a fixed-term position for a maximum of two years and is full time in accordance with “Agreement on fixed-term employment as a postdoc” between labour market parties dated 4 September 2008 (Swedish Agency for Government Employers, OFRs, SACO-S and SEKO).

Lund University welcomes applicants with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We regard gender equality and diversity as a strength and an asset. We kindly decline all sales and marketing contacts.