Offre d’emploi – Fully Funded Four-Year PhD Position. The Role of Women Religious and their Artefacts in Shaping Liturgical Leadership in the Iberian World, ca. 1300–1700

The Role of Women Religious and their Artefacts in Shaping Liturgical Leadership in the Iberian World, ca. 1300–1700 (LITLEAD, PID2025-169595NB-I00)

Offer Description

Applications are invited for a fully-funded four-year PhD position within the project LITLEAD – The Role of Women Religious and their Artefacts in Shaping Liturgical Leadership in the Iberian World, ca. 1300–1700 (PID2025-169595NB-I00).

Funded by the Spanish State Research Agency (AEI) through the “Proyectos de Generación de Conocimiento 2025” programme and co-financed by the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), LITLEAD investigates the role of women religious and their artefacts in shaping liturgical culture and leadership across the Iberian world between the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern period.

The project combines women’s religious studies, material culture, manuscript studies, art history, musicology, liturgical studies, gender studies, and digital humanities. The successful candidate will join an international and interdisciplinary research team of sixteen researchers and collaborate with partner institutions in Spain and abroad. The candidate will develop an original doctoral dissertation under the supervision of Dr Mercedes Pérez Vidal within the UAM Doctoral Programme in Artistic, Literary and Cultural Studies: https://www.uam.es/uam/doctorado-eeartisticos.

Possible doctoral research topics include Women’s religious communities; manuscripts and written culture; material culture; visual culture; music and liturgical performance; gender studies; religious history; digital humanities; cultural heritage.

Applicants are not required to submit a fully developed doctoral proposal. The doctoral project will be refined in consultation with the Principal Investigator after appointment.

The position offers specialised training, mentoring, participation in conferences and publications, fieldwork opportunities, international mobility, and funding for research stays and doctoral training.

The successful candidate will:

Conduct research leading to the completion of a PhD dissertation.
Participate in project activities, including documentation, seminars, conferences, publications, and dissemination initiatives.
Contribute to collaborative research outputs.
Undertake research stays and training activities where appropriate.
Participate in teaching activities within the limits established by Spanish legislation governing predoctoral contracts (maximum 60 hours per academic year and 180 hours throughout the contract)

Training and Mobility

The successful candidate will be enrolled in the UAM Doctoral Programme in Artistic, Literary and Cultural Studies. https://www.uam.es/uam/doctorado-eeartisticos

The project provides:

Structured supervision and mentoring
Financial support for specialised training and conferences
Participation in collaborative publications and research activities
Two planned research stays at partner institutions, depending on the doctoral project and available opportunities within the project’s international network

Researcher Profile

R1 – First Stage Researcher (Predoctoral Researcher)

Research Fields

Arts | History | Cultural Studies | Religious Studies | Digital Humanities

Sub research fields

Medieval Studies; Early Modern Studies; Material Culture; Visual Arts and Art History; Comparative Literature; Theology and Religious Studies; Digital Humanities; Cultural Heritage Preservation.

Type of Contract

Full-time predoctoral employment contract
Duration: 4 years
Possible extension through a Postdoctoral Orientation Period (POP), subject to applicable Spanish regulations
Expected starting date: between January 2027 and August 2027, depending on administrative procedures and candidate availability.

Requirements

Education

Applicants must hold:

A Master’s degree (or equivalent, MECES Level 3) in a relevant discipline, including History, Art History, Musicology, Philology, Gender Studies, Classical Studies, Humanities, or related fields.
A Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent qualification recognised at MECES Level 2) in Arts and Humanities or related disciplines such as History, Art History, Musicology, Philology, Gender Studies, Classical Studies, Humanities, or related fields.

Additional conditions:

Degrees obtained outside Spain are fully eligible.
Applicants must not already hold a PhD degree.

Essential Qualifications

Strong academic record
Good written and spoken English
Ability to conduct independent research
Commitment to interdisciplinary and collaborative work

Desirable Qualifications

Experience in material culture, liturgy, religious history, gender studies, or digital humanities
Knowledge of Late Medieval or Early Modern religious culture
Experience with Latin or willingness to acquire reading skills
Experience working with primary sources

Languages

English: Good written and spoken communication skills.
Spanish: Good communication skills or willingness to acquire sufficient proficiency for research and academic activities.

No formal language certificates are required.

Residence

The successful candidate should be willing to relocate to or reside in Madrid for the duration of the contract.

Candidates from all linguistic, cultural, and national backgrounds are warmly encouraged to apply.

Benefits

Total project allocation supporting the position: €134,615
Annual funding allocated to the contract by the project: €31,100 (including employer social-security contributions).
Approximate gross monthly salary: €2,121.34
End-of-contract compensation: €3,215
Research, training and mobility budget: €7,000

The contract is co-financed by the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+).

Social Benefits

Full Social Security coverage
Unemployment protection
Sick leave
Maternity and paternity leave
Occupational accident coverage
Full employment rights under Spanish labour legislation

Required Application Documents

Applicants must submit:

Identification document (passport, DNI or NIE).
Curriculum Vitae.
Official academic transcripts.
Certified translations of documents issued in languages other than English or Spanish.
For international degrees, documentation indicating grading scale, minimum passing grade, and maximum attainable grade.
Proof of pre-admission to the UAM Doctoral Programme for the 2026/2027 academic year.

Applications must be submitted through the official recruitment platform of Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.

https://www.uam.es/uam/investigacion/ofertas-empleo/contrato-fpi2026-mam

Prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the Principal Investigator before applying.

Selection Process

The recruitment procedure will follow the principles of OTM-R (Open, Transparent and Merit-Based Recruitment), ensuring equal opportunities, transparency, non-discrimination, and selection based exclusively on merit and qualifications.

Applications will be evaluated by a selection committee appointed by Universidad Autónoma de Madrid in accordance with applicable institutional procedures.

The criteria to be followed in the selection process are detailed in Article 12.2 of the AEI call for Proyectos de Generación de Conocimiento 2025: https://www.aei.gob.es/convocatorias/buscador-convocatorias/proyectos-generacion-conocimiento-actuaciones-formacion-0

Selection Criteria

Applications will be evaluated based on:

1. Academic and Scientific-Technical Record (up to 50 points)

Academic excellence and academic record.
Relevant academic, research and professional achievements.
Relevance of previous training and experience to the proposed research activities.

2. Mobility and Internationalisation (up to 5 points)

Research stays, academic exchanges, or mobility experiences in national or international institutions.
Relevance and impact of these experiences on the candidate’s research trajectory.

3. Suitability for the Research Activities (up to 50 points)

Alignment between the candidate’s profile and the objectives of the LITLEAD project.
Potential added value for the candidate’s research career and for the host research team.

Universidad Autónoma de Madrid is committed to equal opportunities and encourages applications from qualified candidates regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic origin, disability, religion, age, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic.

Contact

Dr Mercedes Pérez Vidal
Principal Investigator

Email: mercedes.pvidal@uam.es

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0573-0681

Academic profile: https://uam.academia.edu/MercedesPerezVidal

Workplace

Department of Art History and Theory
Faculty of Philosophy and Letters
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Madrid, Spain

https://www.uam.es/fyl/facultad/departamentos/historia-teoria-arte The successful candidate will join an interdisciplinary research team investigating women’s religious culture, materiality, and liturgical practices across the Iberian world from the Late Middle Ages to the Early Modern period.