Postdoctoral Fellow in Economic History - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

The Department of economic history is hiring one Postdoctoral fellow in the research program The legacy of a settler colony: Quantitative panel studies of the political economy of the Cape Colony. The program is funded by the The Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation. It currently employs 13 researchers based in Sweden, South Africa, The Netherlands, and USA and 5 research assistants based in South Africa. 

Associate professor Erik Green leads the program. The main objective of the research project is to contribute to the large literature on European colonialism and global inequality by – for the first time – using big data and machine learning techniques to analyze the roots and gradual development of a settler economy - the Cape Colony - its institutions and their impact on growth, inequality, and welfare over time and space. To capture these gradual processes the program is constructing the most comprehensive panel database for the global south – The Cape of Good Hope Panel database. The database provides us with economic and demographic micro-level panel data for almost the entire settler population in the Cape Colony for almost 200 years (c. 1660-1840).

Job assignments

A postdoctoral position is a position that shall provide opportunities for research and teaching qualifications. The position shall first and foremost provide scope for developing research qualifications.

The Postdoctoral fellow is expected to create data linkage strategies and link the various sources in the Cape of Good Hope Panel Project. S/he is also expected to produce research papers broadly related to themes such as economic development, living standards, and inequality.

The Fellow must be willing to interact with students at the Department of Economic History and to participate actively in the common activities of the Department. The position involves a limited amount of teaching and/or supervision of Bachelor and Master's Theses (maximum of 20%). The scope of the position shall also provide an opportunity for training in teaching and learning in higher education corresponding to at least three weeks.

Eligibility

To be qualified for employment as a Postdoctoral fellow, the candidate must hold a PhD in Economic History or related discipline (e.g. Economics, Sociology, Economic Geography, Statistics, History).

The candidates who received their PhD degree at most three years ago will be considered in the first place. If there are special reasons, the degree may have been taken earlier. Special reasons are illness, parental leave, positions of trust within trade unions, and service in the total defense, and other similar circumstances.

Applications will also be accepted from persons who have not yet completed their PhD, but this condition must be satisfied at the time of the decision of employment.

Basis of Assessment

Scholarly proficiency is the main requirement for employment. The candidate must have demonstrated a high degree of research expertise as manifested in the quality of the PhD dissertation and/or publications. Documented experience of working with large databases and linking strategies is required, as well as experience with scripting languages such as R or Python.

The evaluation will take personal qualities, such as willingness to collaborate, academic independence, and communication skills, into consideration.

Conditions

Time-limited employment, full time, two years. The employment is regulated in a central collective agreement.

Application

You apply for the position online by clicking on the ”Apply for position” button in the vacancy notice.

Applications should be written in English and must include:

1. Cover letter
2. Curriculum Vitae
3. Publication list
4. Certificates, references, etc

About us

The Department of Economic History is a research-intensive department that employs about 100 people: researchers, teachers, technical/administrative staff, and Ph.D. candidates. The department has a large PhD programme and co-ordinates three international Master programmes. The Department has a well-established reputation for wide-ranging research with an emphasis on long-term processes, and with economic theory and quantitative methods as important methodological tools. Strong research areas at the department include economic growth and structural change, innovation, energy and sustainability, development economics, and economic demography, as well as financial history and education and the labour market. More information is available at the Department’s website: www.lusem.lu.se/economic-history.

Lund University is a government agency, which means that you receive special benefits, generous vacation and a favourable occupational pension. Wellness reimbursement and a paid wellness hour are a given. Read more on the University's website about being employed at Lund University: Work at Lund University.