/ Forschung
Job: Postdoctoral Researcher in African Palaeoenvironmental Studies and Archaeobotany
Ghent University Belgium
Job description
Applications are invited for a one-year renewable postdoctoral research position starting in April 2019 to coordinate and carry out anthracological and archaeobotanical research within the ERC-funded BantuFirst project led by Prof. Dr. Koen Bostoen at the Department of Languages and Cultures of Ghent University. The BantuFirst project website is available on bantufirst.ugent.be
- You will be part of the UGent Department of Languages and Cultures (http://talenenculturen.ugent.be) and operate within the UGent Centre for Bantu Studies (research.flw.ugent.be/en/bantugent), associated with the UGent African Studies program (africanstudies.ugent.be);
- You will collaborate closely with and report to the PI of the BantuFirst project, who is a historical linguist and work with him and other BantuFirst team members on bodies of evidence from different disciplines. A keen interest in interdisciplinary approaches to the African past is required;
- You will be responsible for the analysis of the anthracological and archaeobotanical data collected by the project team and for the coordination of all other palaeoenvironmental research within the BantuFirst project;
- You will collaborate with the international partners of the BantuFirst project, including archaeologists, archaeobotanists, geneticists, and linguists;
- You will collaborate with the Wood Biology Lab from the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren led by Dr. Hans Beeckman, who is an associate partner of the BantuFirst project;
- You will participate in the project’s fieldwork campaigns;
- You will be expected to carry out both independent and joint research, and to disseminate research results together with the BantuFirst research team through publication in international peer-reviewed journals as, conference participation and popularization for a wider audience.
Profile of the candidate
- You hold a PhD;
- You have done palaeoenvironmental and/or archaeobotanical fieldwork in Africa, preferably Central Africa;
- You have strong affinities with Central African floristics and experience with state-of-the-art methods for processing ecological data sets;
- You have experience with the analysis of charcoal and/or archaeobotanical remains;
- You have published in international peer-reviewed journals;
- You have presented at international conferences;
- You have good knowledge of English as well as sufficient knowledge of French to do fieldwork in francophone Africa;
- You are a dynamic and enthusiastic team player.
How to apply
Send CV and Statement of Purpose in English to Prof. Dr. Koen Bostoen, koen.bostoen@clutterugent.be, Department of Languages and Cultures, Blandijnberg 2, 9000 Ghent. Ask also two referees to send a letter of reference before the deadline, one of these from your most recent employer/supervisor.
Last application date: March 7, 2019 17:00
Department: LW21 - Department of Languages and Cultures
Contract: Limited duration
Degree: PhD
Occupancy rate: 100%
Vacancy Type: Research staff