Assistant professorship in ecological modelling of Late Pleistocene human populations a...

The Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, School of Culture and Society, Faculty of Arts, Aarhus University invites applications for a three-year, fixed-term assistant professorship in ecological modelling of Late Pleistocene human populations.

The appointment begins on 1 February 2020 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Place of employment: Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, School of Culture and Society, Aarhus University, Moesgaard Allé 20, 8270 Højbjerg, Denmark.

The university wants its staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified applicants regardless of their personal background.

The position
We are looking for an innovative scholar with a background in palaeoecology, ecological modelling or quantitative archaeology, preferably with a specialisation in distribution modelling.

The position is part of the project CLIOARCH (CLIOdynamic ARCHaeology: Computational approaches to Final Palaeolithic/earliest Mesolithic archaeology and climate change), an interdisciplinary project funded by the European Research Council’s Consolidator Grant funding scheme under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No. 817564). The project is focused on the Final Palaeolithic and earliest Mesolithic (15,000-11,000 cal BP) in Europe and aims to qualify and quantify the research history and cultural taxonomy of this period as well as the interplay between social transmission dynamics and environmental changes/events in relation to the material culture changes documented in the archaeological record. The project is grounded in cultural evolutionary theory, works across disciplinary boundaries and has a strong Open Science focus. One key research objective during the project’s core phase is to adopt and adapt palaeo-species distribution modelling approaches to archaeological datasets. CLIOARCH collaborates with BIOCHANGE (Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World) at the Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity at AU Bioscience and the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Hamburg.

The successful applicant is expected to participate in project activities (workshops, conferences, fieldwork), and in activities at the department such as lectures and seminars as well as in teaching.

Research
The successful applicant and the PI will share responsibility for Work Package 2 and 3 of the project, which are aimed at using state-of-the-art climate models produced in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Hamburg in conjunction with species distribution models to (a) reconstruct palaeodemographic dynamics in the period under study, and (b) improve our understanding of the patterns and processes of adaptions during this period as reflected in the various cultural taxa’s spatial distributions and their changes.

The previous research achievements of applicants will be evaluated in the light of the actual research time that has been available to them. So we encourage applicants to specify any periods of leave they may have taken in the past (maternity/paternity or illness, for instance). This will enable us to evaluate their productivity in a fair and reasonable manner.

Teaching
The successful applicant must be prepared to teach on the Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes in ecology and/or archaeology, including courses in their specific field of expertise and general and advanced-level courses in quantitative archaeological methods and ecological modelling where relevant, including PhD courses/summer schools. The successful applicant will be required to complete a course in university teaching designed especially for assistant professors.

Knowledge exchange
The successful applicant will be expected to exchange knowledge with various sectors of society and to contribute actively to public debate in areas related to the position.

Qualifications
Applicants for this position must hold a PhD degree in ecology, palaeoanthropology, Palaeolithic archaeology or allied fields.

Applicants must document:

• doctoral-level experience of ecological modelling, preferably with the focus on distribution models
• an interest in human palaeoecology
• knowledge of climate models and model downscaling
• an international research profile
• experience of (or the potential for obtaining) external research funding
• teaching experience corresponding at least to the experience gained during a PhD degree programme
• an interest in talent development and supervision.

Applicants should be interested in collaborative, interdisciplinary work.

Please upload a maximum of five publications alongside your application.

The application must be submitted in English.

Please note that only publications which are actually submitted alongside applications will be assessed; a list of publications is not sufficient. Applications which are not accompanied by such publications will not be assessed.

Professional references or recommendations should not be included. Applicants who are selected for an interview may be asked to provide professional references.

For further information about the position, please contact Professor MSO Felix Riede by telephone +45 8716 2083 or by e-mail [email protected].

For more information about the application and the employment procedure, please contact HR supporter Marianne Birn, tel. +45 21 66 58 13, e-mail [email protected].

The work environment
At the Department of Archaeology and its associated research programme known as Materials, Culture and Heritage (MCH), we are concerned with people and the environment and culture and society from the earliest to modern times, with a focus on studies of material culture. On the basis of fieldwork and library and laboratory studies – including methods from anthropology, history and a variety of natural scientific approaches – the programme investigates and challenges our understanding of past societies seen in a deep historical perspective.

The MCH research programme at Aarhus University has an international profile and strong research networks. A dynamic research environment provides the framework for large research projects, international conferences and a variety of visiting researchers. The environment is versatile and cross-disciplinary, and the academic staff’s research competences span topics ranging from war and power, mobility and globalisation, family and individual, religion and rituals, landscape and settlement, palaeo-demography and evolution, trade and networks, technology and knowledge exchange to (in particular) quantitative analysis methods, field methodology and digital representation.

For a more detailed description, please visit http://cas.au.dk/en/about-the-school/departments/archaeology-and-heritage-studies/

School of Culture and Society
At the School of Culture and Society, the object of research and teaching is the interplay between culture and society in time and space:

- From the traditional disciplines of the humanities and theology to applied social research
- From Antiquity to the issues facing contemporary societies
- From familiar Danish cultural forms to other very different worlds
- From local questions to global challenges.

The school’s ambition is to produce compelling research with an international resonance, as well as offering teaching and talent development of the highest quality. The school has a broad cooperative interface with society as a whole, both in Denmark and abroad, and contributes to social innovation, research communication and further and continuing education.

For more details about the school, please see http://cas.au.dk/en/.

Qualification requirements
Applicants should hold a PhD or equivalent academic qualifications.

Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including relocation service and career counselling to expat partners: http://ias.au.dk/au-relocation-service/. Please find more information about entering and working in Denmark here: http://international.au.dk/research/.

Formalities

• Faculty of Arts refers to the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities (the Appointment Order).
• Appointment shall be in accordance with the collective labour agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations.
• Further information on qualification requirements and job content may be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities .
• Further information on the application and supplementary materials may be found in Application Guidelines.
• The application must outline the applicant's motivation for applying for the position, attaching a curriculum vitae, a teaching portfolio, a complete list of published works, copies of degree certificates and examples of academic production (mandatory, but no more than five examples). Please upload this material electronically along with your application.

If nothing else is noted, applications must be submitted in English. Application deadline is at 11.59 pm Danish time (same as Central European Time) on the deadline day.

All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background.

Faculty of Arts
The Faculty of Arts is one of four main academic areas at Aarhus University.

The faculty contributes to Aarhus University's research, talent development, knowledge exchange and degree programmes.

With its 500 academic staff members, 260 PhD students, 10,500 BA and MA students, and 1,500 students following continuing/further education programmes, the faculty constitutes a strong and diverse research and teaching environment.

The Faculty of Arts consists of the School of Communication and Culture, the School of Culture and Society, the Danish School of Education, and the Centre for Teaching Development and Digital Media. Each of these units has strong academic environments and forms the basis for interdisciplinary research and education.

The faculty's academic environments and degree programmes engage in international collaboration and share the common goal of contributing to the development of knowledge, welfare and culture in interaction with society.

Read more at arts.au.dk/en

Deadline
24 September 2019

Apply

The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website.

Aarhus University
Aarhus University is an academically diverse and research-intensive university with a strong commitment to high-quality research and education and the development of society nationally and globally. The university offers an inspiring research and teaching environment to its 38,000 students (FTEs) and 8,000 employees, and has an annual revenues of EUR 885 million. Learn more at www.international.au.dk/
Kilde: Jobnet.dk