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 project Novel Saints. Ancient novelistic heroism in the hagiography of Late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages. The Principal Investigator of this project is Prof Dr Koen De Temmerman, who, as a classicist, specializes in ancient fiction and its persistence in later periods.

The two successful applicants will start employment on 1 October 2014. In order to be eligible, candidates must have obtained their Ma degree at the time of application or demonstrate convincingly that they will have that degree in hand by 1 October 2014.

The ERC project deals with the persistence of ancient novels in (Greek, Latin, Syriac and Arabic) hagiographical narrative traditions in the Mediterranean between the 4th and the 12th centuries. It also investigates the impact of these narrative traditions on medieval fiction in the West, Byzantium and Persia. An abstract of the project can be found at http://erc.europa.eu/cordis_search/project_details/109905.

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

Position 1: Latin late antique hagiography – Position 2: Greek late antique hagiography

Envisaged profiles: the successful candidates will have

1. an Ma degree in (preferably Latin and/or Greek) Languages and/or Literature (candidates who have an Ma in either Latin or Greek are welcome to apply if they have at least some knowledge of the other language);
2. excellent knowledge of Latin and/or ancient Greek (see number 1 above);
3. demonstrable interest in (research into) the literary and/or cultural history of the imperial period, Late Antiquity and/or early Christianity;
4. good 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. very good 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, continuation being subject to positive evaluation after one year;
2. a 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 the University 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 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, the Department of History, the Department of Oriental Studies, the Ghent Institute for Classical Studies, the Henri Pirenne Institute for Medieval Studies and the Ghent Centre for the Study of Christian Traditions;
5. the possibility to acquire transferable skills as part of a Doctoral School programme.

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 applies (applying for both positions is possible);
2. a full curriculum vitae (incl. accurate information on grades and study results, e.g. official results lists if available);
3. a brief autobiographical statement (no more than one page) highlighting why the applicant is interested in this project 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).

and should be sent by snail mail to
Prof Dr Koen De Temmerman Ghent University
Department of Literary Studies Blandijnberg 2
B-9000 Ghent Belgium

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

Deadline: applications (both a and b) should arrive no later than 15 July 2014.

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

The University offers professional support for those applying to the many funding schemes at the local, regional and European levels.

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.

Source de l’information : Universiteit Gent