• Position 1 on Balto-Slavic – PhD (4 years) or postdoc (2 years)
• Position 2 on Greek – PhD (4 years) or postdoc (3 years)
• Position 3 on Italo-Celtic –  PhD (4 years) or Celtic – postdoc (2 or 3 years)
• Position 4 on Armenian – PhD (4 years) or postdoc (2 years)

Project Description
LUCL is hosting the ERC Starting Grant project entitled The Linguistic Roots of Europe’s Agricultural Transition (principal investigator Dr. G.J. Kroonen). The EUROLITHIC project will be carried out in cooperation with the Leiden University Faculty of Archaeology, the Towards a New European Prehistory project at the University of Gothenburg and the Copenhagen University Center for Geogenetics.

The aim of the EUROLITHIC project is to approximate the exact timing, routes and cultural encounters by which the different Indo-European subgroups settled prehistoric Europe. This will be done by working towards maximally complete linguistic reconstruction of the palaeoeconomies of their speakers focusing on the lexicon related to agricultural, pastoralist and metallurgical practices, and comparing the result to the archaeological and genetic record.

For the key responsibilities read further under Additional information.

• Completed an MA (for PhD candidates) or PhD dissertation (for postdocs) in comparative Indo-European linguistics or any other relevant field;
• Affinity with archaeology, the study of ancient DNA, and European prehistory in general;
• A curious, enterprising and creative mind and excellent analytical skills, evidence of which should emerge from the MA and/or PhD thesis;
• Good writing skills;
• Proficiency in English;
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team;
• Depending on the career stage of the most qualified applicants, the positions will be filled in on the PhD or postdoc level. 

Terms and conditions
The employment of PhD candidates will be for a period of four years (first a contract of 18 months with an extension of 30 months after positive evaluation of capabilities and compatibility, starting July 2018) and must lead to the completion of a PhD thesis. Appointment will be under the terms of the Collective Labour Agreement of the Dutch Universities. The gross monthly salary is set on €2,222 in the first year up to €2,840 gross per month in year four, based on fulltime employment.

The employment of Postdocs will be for a period of two or three years (first a contract of 12 months with an extension of 12 or 24 months after positive evaluation of capabilities and compatibility, starting between July 2018 and January 2020) and must lead to the successful submission of at least one peer-reviewed article. Appointment will be under the terms of the Collective Labour Agreement of the Dutch Universities. Salary range, depending on education and work experience, from €2,588  to €4,757 gross per month (pay scale 10 or 11), based on a full-time appointment.

Leiden University offers an attractive benefits package with additional holiday (8%) and end-of-year bonuses (8.3 %), training and career development and sabbatical leave. Our individual choices model gives you some freedom to assemble your own set of terms and conditions. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break. More at https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/working-at/job-application-procedure-and-employment-conditions.

All our PhD students are embedded in the Leiden University Graduate School of Linguistics. In addition to thorough research training, our graduate school offers a variety of courses aimed at training of professional and personal skills. In addition, advanced courses to deepen scientific knowledge are offered by the national research school (LOT).

Diversity
University is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from members of underrepresented groups.

Universiteit Leiden

Leiden is a typical university city, hosting the oldest university in the Netherlands (1575). The University permeates the local surroundings; University premises are scattered throughout the city, and the students who live and study in Leiden give the city its relaxed yet vibrant atmosphere.

Leiden University is one of Europe's foremost research universities. This prominent position gives our graduates a leading edge in applying for academic posts and for functions outside academia. More at https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/working-at.

https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/werken-bij

Faculty of Humanities

The Faculty of Humanities is rich in expertise in fields such as philosophy, religious studies, history, art history, literature, linguistics and area studies covering nearly every region of the world. With its staff of 995, the faculty provides 27 master’s and 25 bachelor’s programmes for over 7,000 students based at locations in Leiden’s historic city centre and in modern buildings in The Hague.

Leiden University has a longstanding tradition in research in the world’s languages and features unique linguistic expertise. LUCL (https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/humanities/leiden-university-centre-for-linguistics) combines current theoretical insights and modern experimental methods in its research profile area “Language Diversity in the World”. For more information https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/research-dossiers/language-diversity.

https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/humanities