Vacancies

We are delighted to advertise the following vacancies:

Job vacancies: two fully-funded ERC PhD studentships (4 years each) at Ghent University (Belgium)

The Department of Literary Studies at Ghent University (Belgium) is seeking well-qualified applicants for two fully-funded and full-time doctoral research fellowships attached to the European Research Council Consolidator Grant project Novel Echoes. Ancient novelistic receptions and concepts of fiction in late antique and medieval secular narrative from East to West (for an abstract, see www.novelsaints.ugent.be/projects). Its Principal Investigator is Prof Dr Koen De Temmerman, who specializes in ancient fiction and its persistence in later periods.

The two successful applicants will start employment between 1st October 2019 and 31st March 2020. In order to be eligible, candidates must have obtained their MA degree at the time of application or demonstrate that they will have that degree in hand by the start of their doctoral fellowship.

Within the ERC project, subprojects will be assigned to individual team members. For the current vacancies, these subprojects are situated in the following areas:

  • Position 1: Afterlives of one ancient novel (Latin or Greek) throughout Late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages (e.g. in late antique epic, letter collections and/or historiography);
  • Position 2: Receptions of ancient fiction in the 10th century.

Envisaged profiles: the successful candidates will have

  1. an MA degree in Greek and/or Latin Language and/or Literature;
  2. excellent knowledge of ancient Greek and/or Latin ;
  3. demonstrable interest in (research into) the literary and/or cultural history of the imperial period, Late Antiquity and/or Byzantium;
  4. a strong knowledge of the literary and cultural history of this period as evidenced by their study trajectory (optional courses, subject of papers and dissertations, etc.);
  5. excellent study results (including BA and MA dissertations of high quality).

 

For each of the two positions, we offer

  1. a contract for four years of full-time employment as a PhD student, subject to positive evaluation after one year;
  2. an internationally competitive salary that corresponds to the salary scales for PhD students as established by the Flemish government;
  3. a substantial allowance for travel and other research purposes in addition to the salary;
  4. office space at Ghent University and a solid and engaging academic working environment with a strong international profile (website of the research group: http://www.novelsaints.ugent.be). The ERC project resonates with the interests of a number of other scholars at Ghent University and the successful candidates will be able to interact with scholars and students affiliated with various departments and research institutes, such as the Department of Literary Studies (https://www.letterkunde.ugent.be), the Department of History (http://www.ugent.be/lw/geschiedenis/en), the Department of Oriental Studies (http://www.neareast.ugent.be/), the Ghent Institute for Classical Studies (http://www.giks.ugent.be), the Henri Pirenne Institute for Medieval Studies (http://www.pirenne.ugent.be), the Ghent Centre for the Study of Christian Traditions (http://www.csct.ugent.be) and the Group of Early Modern Studies (https://gemsugent.wordpress.com);
  5. the possibility to acquire transferable skills as part of a Doctoral School programme.
  6. professional support for those applying to the many funding schemes at local, regional and European levels.

 

For each of the two positions, we expect that the successful applicant

  1. will write and successfully defend a PhD dissertation within the four years of the fellowship;
  2. will contribute to the strong research tradition of the Department and the University by pursuing excellence in his/her research and by publishing his/her results in journals and with publishers that are internationally accepted as being of the highest quality;
  3. will come and live in Belgium, work closely together with the other team members and the project’s international advisory board, and contribute to a pleasant and stimulating atmosphere;
  4. will contribute to the scholarly activities of the research group (e.g. by organizing events in collaboration with the Principal Investigator and/or other members of the team, etc.).

 

How to apply?

(a) Applications should include

  1. a cover letter indicating for which of the two positions the applicant is applying (applying for both positions is possible);
  2. a full curriculum vitae (including accurate information on grades and study results, e.g. official results lists if available);
  3. an autobiographical statement highlighting why the applicant is interested in this project, how it resonates with his/her own expertise, what relevant experience/knowledge (s)he has and what added value (s)he expects to bring;
  4. the applicant’s MA dissertation (and possibly other relevant writing samples such as papers or a BA dissertation).

Applications should be sent by email to the Research Coordinator, Dr Evelien Bracke (evelien.bracke@ugent.be).

(b) In addition, we kindly ask candidates to arrange for two letters of reference to be sent directly to evelien.bracke@ugent.be by the referees.

Deadline: applications (both a and b) should arrive no later than 1st September 2019.

 

Please address any queries to the Principal Investigator (koen.detemmerman@ugent.be).

 

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.