Assistant Professor Medieval History (1.0 FTE)

Department

Faculty of Arts

Organisation

Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, University of Groningen, V25.0116

Job description

The Chair Group in Medieval History is looking for an enthusiastic and collaborative colleague with an excellent research track record to complement its multifaceted team. In view of recent developments in the interdisciplinary field of Medieval Studies, we are looking for an all-round medievalist with in-depth expertise in a non-European region, preferably the Eastern and Islamic Mediterranean or/and Africa in the Central and/or Later Middle Ages, who deploys comparative, cross-cultural, global and/or transregional approaches.
You will actively contribute to the teaching of the Chair Group in Medieval History within the BA and MA programmes in History, the Research MA programmes and other programmes in which the Chair Group is involved. Furthermore, you will develop new areas of specialisation within the History programmes and across programmes within and beyond the Faculty of Arts and actively participate in administrative and organisational activities (60% of your task allocation).

We expect you to develop a promising line of research, to present research results at and organise national and international panels, workshops or conferences and to write applications for national or international research grants (40% of your task allocation). The new assistant professor will be affiliated to the Groningen Research Institute for the Study of Culture (ICOG) and participate into the activities of the Centre for Historical Studies (CHS).

The University of Groningen
Since its foundation in 1614, the University of Groningen has established an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative university offering high-quality teaching and research. Its 34,000 students are encouraged to develop their own individual talents through challenging study and career paths. The University of Groningen is an international centre of knowledge: It belongs to the best research universities in Europe and is allied with prestigious partner universities and networks worldwide.

The Faculty of Arts
The Faculty of Arts is a large, dynamic faculty in the heart of the city of Groningen. It has more than 5000 students and 700 staff members, who are working at the frontiers of knowledge every day. The Faculty offers a wide range of degree programmes: 15 Bachelor's programmes and over 35 Master's specialisations. Our research, which is internationally widely acclaimed, covers Archaeology, Cultural Studies, History, International Relations, Language and Literary Studies, Linguistics and Media and Journalism Studies.

History is a large and dynamic department with a strong regional anchor and an international outlook. It accommodates and facilitates international state-of-the-art research in several major historiographical and interdisciplinary fields. We introduce our students to the diversity and complexity of human experience in the past and in present societies around the globe through the study of civilisations, regions, nations, communities, and individuals across all historical periods. We organise our teaching and research around a variety of thematic, geographical and theoretical approaches including, among others, network theories, connected history, reading history, medical humanities, material culture studies, postcolonial perspectives, inequalities, sustainability, and digital humanities.

The Chair Group in Medieval History is a vibrant and diverse research team, with expertise ranging from the early to the later Middle Ages. It has particular interests in the history of books and reading, the history of political cultures, the development of literacy in medieval society, cultural and intellectual history, historical anthropology and urban history. For further information, see https://www.rug.nl/staff/departments/11241

Requirements

- You have a PhD in History or in a closely related humanities discipline.
- You preferably have expertise in languages required for the study of the medieval Mediterranean and Arab world.
- You have at least one year of postdoctoral experience in a teaching and/or research position.
- You have an excellent publication record for the stage of your career, including at least one monograph (under review) and peer reviewed articles.
- You have a demonstrable capacity and willingness to operate beyond narrow disciplinary boundaries within and beyond the field of History, in teaching and in research.
- You bring a strong cooperative attitude and willingness to engage in collaborative research and teaching duties.
- You have teaching experience and relevant teaching qualifications (such as BKO-Basiskwalificatie Onderwijs/University Teaching Qualification), or willingness to obtain one in the first two years of your appointment.
- You have a capacity and willingness to undertake administrative duties.
- You bring enthusiasm for communicating academic research to non-academic audiences.
- International experience and outlook will be considered an advantage.
- You have the ability to communicate and teach in English (CEFR C1 level for reading, listening, writing, speaking).
- You have knowledge of Dutch or are willing to learn it within a reasonable period of time (within two years). This will be one of the criteria of the job (CEFR B2 for reading and listening, and CEFR B1 for writing and speaking).

Conditions of employment

Contract length: 18 months.

We offer you in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities:

- A salary, depending on qualifications and work experience, with a minimum of € 4,537 to a maximum of € 6,209 (salary scale 11) gross per month for a full-time position.
- Excluding 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus and participation in a pension scheme for employees. Favourable tax agreements may apply to non-Dutch applicants. We offer 232 holiday hours per calendar year for full-time employment.
- An appointment for 1.0 FTE on a temporary basis for 18 months, with the possibility to grow into a permanent position after the first-year evaluation.

The Faculty is considering only those applicants who are ready to move to Groningen and live in the near environment of Groningen.

The appointment will commence on 1 September 2025 (or as soon as possible thereafter)

For more detailed information about working conditions and working for the University of Groningen, please check: https://www.rug.nl/about-ug/work-with-us/new-staff/conditions-of-employment

Job Application

You can fill in the form and upload 4 PDF files (all in English): 1. A letter of motivation. 2. A CV with a list of (up to) three self-selected “best papers”; the complete list of publications and the names and contact details of two referees who may be approached by the selection committee. 3. A brief description of scientific interests and plans and a statement about teaching goals and experience (maximum two pages in total). You can upload this under “extra document” on the website. 4. An appropriate writing sample. You may apply for this position until 23 March 11:59pm / before 24 March 2025 Dutch local time (CEST) by means of the application form (click on "Apply" below on the advertisement on the university website). Only complete applications submitted by the deadline will be taken into consideration. The selection interviews will take place in April 2025. The University of Groningen strives to be a university in which students and staff are respected and feel at home, regardless of differences in background, experiences, perspectives, and identities. We believe that working on our core values of inclusion and equality are a joint responsibility and we are constructively working on creating a socially safe environment. Diversity among students and staff members enriches academic debate and contributes to the quality of our teaching and research. We therefore invite applicants from underrepresented groups in particular to apply. For more information, see also our diversity policy webpage: https://www.rug.nl/about-ug/policy-and-strategy/diversity-and-inclusion/ Our selection procedure follows the guidelines of the Recruitment code (NVP): https://www.nvp-hrnetwerk.nl/nl/sollicitatiecode and European Commission's European Code of Conduct for recruitment of researchers: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/charter/code We provide career services for partners of new faculty members moving to Groningen. Unsolicited marketing is not appreciated.

Additional information

For additional information, please contact:

Prof. Sabrina Corbellini
[email protected]

In your application, please always include the job opening ID V25.0116

Digital application form