Project Description
The Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, seeks to appoint a full-time PhD candidate to carry out research at the intersection of Collection History research, Provenance Studies, and Digital Humanities. The successful candidate will join the Department of Heritage and Society, and be connected to the broader museums/collections-based research structures at Leiden University, in particular the Leiden University Center for the Arts in Society (LUCAS). The research should lead the candidate to obtain a PhD within a four-year timeframe (1.0 FTE).
The PhD candidate will be supervised by Dr. Martin E. Berger (PI), Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University.

The PhD candidate’s research is part of the ERC-funded Starting Grant project BECACO – Between Canon and Coincidence: using data-driven approaches to understand Art Worlds.

The BECACO project will develop a novel interdisciplinary framework for studying the provenance of ethnographic and archaeological collections. Mobilizing the potential of data-driven methodologies (e.g. quantitative analysis, network analysis, data mining), the aim of the project is to create a diachronic, international, and cross-institutional understanding of the collecting of Indigenous Latin American Material in Europe between 1850 and 2000. By studying the collections of 12 museums in 9 European countries, the project will reconstruct how – through the formation of collections – the Indigenous Latin American Art World as it existed in Europe between 1850-2000 constructed an artistic, aesthetic, and academic discourse that shaped how Indigenous Latin America is represented in Europe until today.

The BECACO project team project will consist of two Post-Docs, one PhD, and the PI. The successful candidate for the PhD position will focus reconstructing the Indigenous Latin American Art World in Europe in the period 1850 – 1950. The PhD candidate will work closely with the PI, who will focus on the period after 1950.

Key tasks

• Conduct archival research on object and collector’s biographies in museums around Europe;
• Construct and maintain collection datasets based on museum database records, in collaboration with other team members;
• Carry out network analysis of collecting networks, in collaboration with other team members;
• Communicate with curators/museums in Europe, North America, and Latin America concerning project progress;
• Assist in organizing project-related symposia, conferences, and research fellowships;
• Publish and present research in international conferences and journals, both independently and with team members;
• Follow PhD courses based on an individual training and supervision plan, including through the Graduate School of Archaeology;
• Produce a PhD dissertation within a four-year timeframe;
• Contribute to the overall aims of the BECACO project.

Selection Criteria

• Master’s degree in Museum Studies, (Collections) History, Archaeology, Anthropology, or a related field, completed by the time of appointment;
• An demonstrable interest in the history of museums and collecting, provenance research, and Indigenous cultural material;
• Research and writing skills demonstrated by a master’s thesis and/or publications;
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team in an organized and results-oriented fashion;
• Excellent command of English and passive (reading) knowledge of at least two of the following languages: German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, Italian, Swedish, and/or Hungarian;
• Experience with provenance research and/or work experience in a museum is considered an advantage;
• Experience with Digital Humanities methodologies (e.g. network analysis, linked data) is considered an advantage

We offer

• The selected candidate will be appointed for 4 years in total: initially for a 1 year trial period, followed by an extension of 3 more years, in accordance with the Collective Labor Agreement for Dutch Universities.
• The salary is the standard offered to PhD researchers in the Netherlands in - accordance with the Collective Labor Agreement for Dutch Universities (P scale: P0 to P3 = €2770 - €3539 gross per month).
• Leiden University offers an attractive benefits package with additional holiday (8%) and end-of-year bonuses (8.3 %), training and career development. 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 Graduate School of Archaeology. Our graduate school and Leiden University offer several PhD training courses at various levels.

Diversity
Leiden University attaches great importance to diversity and therefore welcomes applications from people who are currently under-represented at Leiden.

Universiteit Leiden

Our Faculty
The future of the past begins in Leiden. The Faculty of Archaeology is internationally leading for its research, home to a broad array of specializations and notable for the strong connection it fosters between teaching and research. Home to over 500 students in the multidisciplinary world of Archaeology, the Faculty and its researchers from all areas of the Archaeological field determine the future of archaeological research.