PhD Student

Job description

Ghent University’s Department of Literary Studies (Section of Greek) is looking for a Doctoral Fellow. The fellow will become a member of the research team of the GOA (Concerted Research Action) project “Interconnected texts. A graph-based computational approach to Byzantine paratexts as nodes between textual transmission and cultural and linguistic developments” (Faculty of Arts, Department of Literary Studies). The project is based upon the corpus of Byzantine book epigrams available at https://www.dbbe.ugent.be/. It aims to investigate book epigrams as texts at the threshold between the material and the textual, and to explore the possibilities of innovative technologies to pursue multifaceted humanities research. The project brings together linguistic, literary, historical and computational experts. For the next years (2024-2028), we want to expand our team with a doctoral student in Byzantine Greek philology. 

Your job

• You conduct research on Byzantine book epigrams and on medieval-Greek book culture in general, resulting in a doctoral thesis. This is your main task.
• You contribute to the maintenance and further development of the Database of Byzantine Book Epigrams.
• You contribute intellectually to the research team, participate actively in team meetings and share research findings with the other team members.
• You take part in the public outreach activities of the section of Greek at Ghent University.

Job profile

• You hold a Master’s degree in Classics (with a focus on Greek), Byzantine Studies, or a diploma in the same field, or you will have acquired that diploma before the start of the job (i.e. Autumn 2024 at the latest). You obtained very good grades, with BA and/or MA dissertations of high quality.
• You have an excellent knowledge of ancient Greek, and at least good notions of medieval Greek.
• You have an interest in literary and/or cultural history, evidenced by your study trajectory (e.g. optional courses, subject of papers and dissertations, etc.).
• You communicate fluently in English, both orally and in writing. You have a good command, at least passively, of several other languages important to Byzantine studies.
• You like working independently, but you also function excellently in a research team and contribute to a pleasant and stimulating atmosphere.
  
  

What we can offer you

• A full-time position as a doctoral fellow, consisting of an initial period of 12 months, which - after a positive evaluation – will be extended to a total of 48 months.
• Your contract will start between September 1, 2024 and January 1, 2025.
• The fellowship amount is 100% of the net salary of an AAP member in equal family circumstances. The individual fellowship amount is determined by the Department of Personnel and Organization based on family status and seniority. A grant that meets the conditions and criteria of the regulations for doctoral fellowships is considered free of personal income tax. Click here for more information about our salary scales
• All Ghent University staff members enjoy a number of benefits, such as a wide range of training and education opportunities, 36 days of holiday leave (on an annual basis for a full-time job) supplemented by annual fixed bridge days, bicycle allowance and eco vouchers. Click here for a complete overview of all the staff benefits (in Dutch).
• Working experience in a dynamic collaborative research environment, with other doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers working on related topics. You will be supervised by a team of experienced supervisors, with Kristoffel Demoen acting as main promotor, and Floris Bernard as co-promotor.

How to apply

Send your CV, copy of your diploma (if already in your possession) and a motivation letter to Kristoffel.Demoen@UGent.be and Floris.Bernard@UGent.be by July 15. We do not accept late applications.

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to write a brief assignment on a specific topic related to book epigrams in Byzantine manuscripts, and will be invited to Ghent for a job interview in the second half of August.

For more information about this vacancy, please contact Professor Kristoffel Demoen and Professor Floris Bernard (e-mails as above).