PhD in Prehistoric marginal communities

Department

Faculty of Arts

Organisation

Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, University of Groningen, V25.0313

Job description

Applications are invited for a fully funded four-year PhD position in the field of prehistorical archaeology of northwestern Europe. The project will study how local prehistoric farming communities in the northern part of the Netherlands were connected to their wider world. Central to the project will be the analysis of various ceramic assemblages with a wide scope of methods in order to determine the degree of connectivity of local communities with neighbouring communities in the northern part of the Netherlands. This PhD project offers a unique opportunity to work in an international environment and to acquire valuable research experience. The project is funded by a bequest to the university and should include the archaeological record of the southeastern part of the province of Friesland (the Netherlands)

The PhD Project
The defining core of the project is the requirement to include the archaeological record of the southeastern part of the province of Friesland (the Netherlands) – a landscape that can be defined as the westernmost part of the well-studied Frisian-Drenthe Plateau (FDP). While the FDB at large is a region of which the prehistoric occupation history is well known, most information pertains to the eastern part, the Hondsrug. As a result, it remains unclear to what degree communities further east developed distinct group identities or conversely were part of a wider shared FDP regional identity.
The project will make use of prehistoric ceramic assemblages from the FDP and consist of a wide scope of methods including stylistic, scientific and statistical approaches. The goal of the project is to determine the knowledge exchange networks in which prehistoric potters operated, and the changes in these networks over time. To this end, the candidate will combine ceramic analysis with theoretical perspectives on knowledge exchange, communities of practice and identity formation.

Under the daily supervision of Prof. Daan Raemaekers (ceramic archaeology, Neolithic) and dr. Stijn Arnoldussen (ceramic archaeology, Bronze Age and Iron Age), the candidate will develop their personal research project along the lines of inquiry as stated above.

The PhD candidate is expected to:

- Engage in regular meetings with supervisors to discuss their development.
- Produce minimally three peer-reviewed articles, with supervisory guidance.
- Complete the PhD project within 4 years.
- Attend and present ongoing research at conferences, colloquia, or summer/winter schools.
- Participate in the activities of ARCHON (the National Research School in Archaeology).
- Teach a total of 0.4 FTE spread over the second, third and fourth year of their appointment within the BA Archaeology.
- Live in the Netherlands and be present in Groningen at least two to three days a week.

Organisation
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.

Requirements

- A Research Master’s or Master’s degree in Archaeology.
- Excellent academic writing skills in English.
- Experience with the analysis of hand-made ceramics in archaeology.
- Affinity with theoretical approaches to material culture studies in archaeology.
- A well-articulated and convincing motivation for pursuing a PhD project.
- Good interpersonal skills and team spirit.

Conditions of employment

Contract length: 48 months.

We offer in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement for Dutch universities:

- A temporary 1.0 FTE appointment for a specified period of four years. The candidate will first be appointed for twelve months. After 11 months, an assessment will take place of the candidate’s results and the progress of the PhD project, in order to decide whether employment will be continued.
- A salary of € 2,901 gross per month in the first year, up to a maximum of € 3,707 gross per month in the fourth and final year for a full-time working week.
- 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% end-of-year bonus.
- Participation in a pension scheme for employees.
- Favourable tax agreements for non-Dutch applicants may be applicable.
- 232 holiday hours per calendar by full-time employment.
- The PhD candidate is expected to conduct 0.4 FTE teaching spread over the second, third and fourth year of their appointment.
- Willingness to move and reside in the Netherlands.

Job Application

Applications should be made in English and contain the following materials - A short statement (c. 1,000 words), explaining your motivation for applying. - An outline of max 3000 words with your own research proposal in the wider frame of this project. Included are the proposed theoretical framework, methodology and references - A curriculum vitae - Copies of MA diploma and list of grades - Copy of MA thesis - If available, a copy of an article, book chapter or other academic text that you feel best represents your work - Contact details of two academic referees (no letters of recommendation are needed for the application process) You may apply for this position until 10 June Dutch local time (CEST)/ before 11 June by means of the application form (click on “Apply”; below on the advertisement on the university website). Please send in your application as two PDF files (one for the (Re)Master thesis, and one for all other documents). Please submit the merged application under the ‘Letter of motivation’ and the thesis under ‘Extra attachment’. The selection interviews will be held on Wednesday 25 June. The selected candidate is expected to start 1 October 2025. We allow 3 months from selection in case of VISA applications. 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. Daan Raemaekers, for information about the project
[email protected]

Carl de Boer, for questions regarding the submission procedure
[email protected]

In your application, please always include the job opening ID V25.0313

Digital application form