PhD Position in the 'Playful Time Machines: Experiencing the Past through Video Games' project

Key responsibilities:

• Completion of a PhD thesis, based on peer-reviewed articles, within four years (1,0 fte).
• Co-authoring and editing joint research group publications
• Participation in and co-organization of meetings and events of the project group;
• Active participation in the Open Science programme of PlayTime, in the form of (Twitch) live-streams, game jams, stakeholder feedback sessions, and the open project website.
• Presentations of intermediate research results at workshops and conferences;
• Participation in staff meetings and events of the LUCDH, the LUCAS Ludic Collective (LUCAS Play and Game Studies group), and the intellectual life of the department and the LUCAS (PhD) community;
• Co-teaching in the second and third years of the appointment, subject to progress and demand.

Your profile:

You have either:

• A Master's degree, held by time of appointment, in a discipline focused on the study of the human past (incl. but not limited to Heritage Studies, Archaeology, History, Classics, or Memory Studies) and a demonstrable insight in and passion for working with and studying video games.

OR

• A Master's degree, held by time of appointment, in Game Studies or Game Design and a demonstrable insight in and passion for (the study of) the past.

In addition, you have:

• An aptitude for working with digital tools and workflows and you either have experience of working with ontologies or similar formal models or are willing and able to learn how to work with these.
• The ability to finish the proposed PhD research within the allotted time;
• Well-developed research skills, including the ability to formulate relevant and creative research questions and hypotheses, descriptive and analytical skills, and a clear and persuasive style of writing;
• An aptitude for and pro-active interest in Open Science approaches seeking to make a positive and direct contribution to society. You can involve and easily communicate with non-academic stakeholders. If you have done so previously in formats such as blogs, podcasts, video essays and live-streams, this is a plus.
• Taste for interdisciplinary, team-based research;

We offer
A PhD project, 4 years (1.0fte, 38 hrs per week) in a healthy, stimulating academic environment, starting date in February 2023. Initially the employee will receive a one-year contract, with extension for the following 36 months on condition of a positive evaluation. Salary range from €[[salarisMin]].- to €[[salarisMax]].- gross per month for a fulltime appointment (pay scale [[ufoSchaal]]), in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities).

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. For international spouses we have set up a dual career programme. 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.

Diversity and inclusion
Fostering an inclusive community is a central element of the values and vision of Leiden University. Leiden University is committed to becoming an inclusive community which enables all students and staff to feel valued and respected and to develop their full potential. Diversity in experiences and perspectives enriches our teaching and strengthens our research. High quality teaching and research is inclusive.