About this vacancy
The postdoc will be responsible for the research project Correspondence and the Creation of International Solidarity: Public Diplomacy in German-Dutch Relations, 1568-1648. The postdoctoral research is part of three closely related projects which analyse the rise and development of public diplomacy within the programme financed by Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO).

The researcher will study diplomatic archives in Germany and The Netherlands to establish how and why early modern diplomats engaged with foreign publics. She/he will work closely with the project assistant, PhD student, and the project leader, Dr Helmers. A detailed research outline, including potential source material, may be obtained from Dr Helmers.

The tasks of the postdoc will include:

• Archival research
• Active participation in the meetings of the project research group and affiliated projects
• Presenting intermediate research results at workshops and conferences
• Writing at least two peer reviewed articles
• Co-organizing outreach activities and the project conference
• Publishing a co-edited volume with the PI
• Preparing an online edition of diplomatic correspondence

Part of the research will be conducted in archives outside The Netherlands.

The successful applicant must have:

• a PhD in early modern history or a closely related field;
• excellent research skills, demonstrated by a track record of publishing in high-ranking journals and/or with leading presses (or a demonstrable capacity to develop such a record);
• a strong cooperative attitude and willingness to engage in collaborative research and publication;
• enthusiasm for communicating academic research to non-academic audiences;
• proficiency in English, reading knowledge of French and/or German;
• strong palaeographical skills

Experience with digital methods and HTR tools such as Transkribus will be considered an advantage. Also a strong command of Italian is a plus.

The appointment at the KNAW for the benefit of the Humanities Cluster concerns an employment contract of 0,8 FTEs for a period of one year with a view to an extension of up to 3 years.

Terms of employment
Depending on relevant work experience, the gross monthly salary ranges between € 2.709,-- and € 4.978,-- based on a fulltime appointment. The salary is supplemented with an 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus. The Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities is applicable.

The Royal Academy of Science offers an attractive pension scheme, 6 weeks of holiday per year, the possibility to buy or sell holiday leave, as well as career development opportunities. Flexible hours and working from home are negotiable. 

Humanities Cluster-KNAW

The Humanities Cluster of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) is a collaboration between three research institutes: the Huygens Institute for Dutch History, the International Institute for Social History and the Meertens Institute for Ethnology and Linguistics. The institutes are committed to groundbreaking research in the humanities, in which innovative (digital) methods play an important role.

As part of Dr Helmer Helmers' NWO-funded VIDI project 'Inventing Public Diplomacy in Early Modern Europe' the Humanities Cluster is currently recruiting a in the field of early modern history.