Postdoc in Archaeology: Submerged Stone Age Heritage - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

We are now offering a two-year Postdoc position to investigate the research potentials of “Blue Frontiers Archaeology” within the wider Kattegatt region. Rising sea levels and other shoreline adjustments after the end of the last Ice Age drowned human landscapes in many world regions. Some of the best-studied submerged landscapes have been discovered in southern Scandinavia, and record the important cultural and environmental developments that shaped the Stone Age societies of the Late Pleistocene and early Holocene. In recent years, growing collaborations with Aarhus University in Denmark have explored the rich opportunities presented by submerged archaeological heritage. The Postdoc will be tasked with building deeper momentum in this strategic research theme. The goal for the postdoc is to “activate” this area’s rich bio-cultural heritage by integrating currently available data and completing a new synthesis that will define a new generation of research questions that can be addressed by application of new and existing methods and approaches.

Duties
The first year will involve working with team members in Lund and Aarhus to generate a new synthesis of existing archaeological, paleo-environmental and other proxy data from the Kattegatt region. These results should also be embedded in improved spatial, chronological and geological frameworks. The focus of the second year has deliberately been left more open, enabling the candidate to explore new research themes and questions, including application of new technical and methodological developments, ranging from biomolecular scales through to larger-scale GIS modelling of evolving sites, networks and landscapes. The second year will also involve submission of large- and medium-sized funding proposals.

Applicants trained in archaeology, ideally with knowledge of neighbouring disciplines, and possessing some familiarity with GIS, combined with the capacity to address archaeological and cultural questions from a holistic and inter-disciplinary perspective, are particularly encouraged to apply. Detailed knowledge of the Stone Age prehistory of southern Scandinavia and surrounding regions is a prerequisite.

Teaching, supervision and other administrative duties comprise a maximum of 20 % of the position.

Essential qualifications
The candidate must have been awarded a Ph.D. or an international degree deemed equivalent not more than three years before the application deadline. If the degree was awarded earlier, the candidate must provide certificates of parental leave, illness or similar reasons for leave in the application. Applicants must be able to document advanced proficiency in English and be able to assess and read source material in Swedish, Danish and Norwegian.

Assessment
The grounds for assessment are a good ability to develop and conduct high-quality research, and teaching skills. The main criterion for a postdoctoral fellowship is research expertise. In all other respects, the assessment will be based on the requirements specified for the post. As documentation for the assessment of qualifications, applicants are to submit a project plan of the research they intend to carry out during their appointment. Only applicants whose research plan and previous work could strengthen the research environment will be considered for the position of postdoc.

Desired qualifications in order of priority are:

• PhD in Archaeology, or in a related subject
• Documented knowledge of , and experience of, working with problems related to Stone Age
  Scandinavia, especially regarding submerged landscape
• Documented experience of working inter-disciplinary, combining humanistic research with methods and techniques from the natural sciences
• Demonstrated ability to cooperate with others

The application must include:

• A signed complete CV and copy of the Ph.D. degree.
• A list of publications (including DOI, ISBN or ISSN numbers).
• A signed plan of no more than 1500 words (not including list of references) of the research project the candidate intends to pursue during the fellowship.

The research plan is to contain a description of:

• Aim and research question.
• Theory and method.
• Relation to the international research front including the most important international work in the field of research.
• Schedule and expected results.
• The applicant’s qualifications and competence to conduct the project.

NB! The applicant is responsible for ensuring that the application is complete in accordance with the
instructions above, that all documents are submitted to the University through the e-recruitment portal no later than the application deadline.

Conditions

The appointment is a fixed-term position for a maximum of two years and is full time in accordance with “Agreement on fixed-term employment as a postdoc” between labour market parties dated 4 September 2008 (Swedish Agency for Government Employers, OFRs, SACO-S and SEKO).