Central European University’s Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies (CEMS) invites applications for a two-year fixed-term post-doctoral Research Fellowship in the field of Eastern Mediterranean Studies, commencing September 2011.
The post is advertised in connection with the university’s twentieth anniversary celebrations in 2011. The successful candidate is expected to undertake research that complements (under the theme of ‘Explorations east of the Mediterranean’) and interfaces with the research of the Center's faculty and students.
About Central European University
Central European University (CEU) is a graduate research-intensive university specializing primarily in the social sciences. It is located in Budapest, and accredited in the United States and Hungary. CEU’s mission is to promote academic excellence, state-of-the-art research, and civic engagement, in order to contribute to the development of open societies in Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, and other emerging democracies throughout the world. CEU offers both Master’s and doctoral programs, and enrolls more than 1,500 students from nearly 100 countries. The teaching staff consists of more than 140 resident faculty, from over 40 countries, and a large number of prominent visiting scholars from around the world. The language of instruction is English.
About the Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies
The Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies (CEMS) promotes the study of the eastern Mediterranean and adjacent regions from antiquity, especially the Hellenistic oikoumene (323–30 BCE), to the end of the Ottoman period (1923).
The center perceives the Mediterranean as an ideal framework for the analysis of interconnections across geographical, chronological, imperial, religious and disciplinary boundaries, focusing on east-west interaction and exchanges, the movement of people, objects and ideas to and from the eastern Mediterranean, as well as imperial (dis)continuities through the Roman, Byzantine, medieval Islamic, and Ottoman eras.
In terms of teaching, CEMS faculty currently offers a non-degree specialization in Late Antique, Byzantine & Early Ottoman Studies under the auspices of CEU’s Department of Medieval Studies while contributing to the departmental core area of The Eastern Mediterranean from Constantine the Great to Suleyman the Magnificent as well as Ottoman & Turkish Studies at CEU.
CEMS currently has seventeen senior members affiliated with five CEU teaching units – the Departments of Philosophy, Medieval Studies, and History as well as the Jewish Studies Project and the recently established Source Language Teaching Group (SLTG) – and about twenty junior members among CEU’s postgraduate research students.
In addition to various research projects conducted by individual senior and junior members the Center is currently engaged in a collective curriculum development project on ‘The Caucasus and Byzantium from Late Antiquity through the Middle Ages’, involving colleagues from Armenia, Georgia and Turkey next to a group of international advisors (2011–2013).
Description of post
Duties of post
The successful candidate is expected
- to conduct advanced research in any sub-discipline of the larger field of Eastern Mediterranean Studies (Hellenistic through early modern eras) under the theme of ‘Explorations east of the Mediterranean’, leading to a major publication (e.g., turning a doctoral thesis into a monograph, producing a peer-reviewed journal article, or similar);
- to promote the Center’s reputation and increase its visibility through his/her academic work (by means of publications, conference participation, etc.);
- to actively participate in and contribute to the academic life of the Center;
- to give advice to those research students affiliated with the Center who work in the Fellow’s field of expertise.
Title and affiliation of post
The title of the Fellow will be ‘20th Anniversary Post-doctoral Research Fellow’, with the field of research to be determined upon appointment in a way that will suit both the interests of the successful candidate and the Center.
The Fellow will be a senior member of the Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies.
Duration of post
Twenty-four months commencing September 1, 2011, or as soon as possible therafter. The Research Fellowship is fixed-term and non-renewable.
Requirements
Applicants should have their PhD in hand by the beginning of the appointment in September 2011 and show promise of a distinguished career as a scholar; on the other hand, the PhD degree should not have been obtained earlier than 2007. Applicants should not hold a permanent university post. There is no citizenship requirement.
Selection criteria
- Innovativeness of the proposed project in combination with the candidate’s academic merits;
- relevance of the project to the Center’s and university's wider research environment, including the Departments of Philosophy, Medieval Studies and/or History – ideally, the project will tie into the expertise currently exisiting in the Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies while exploring new frontiers in humanities at CEU.
Knowledge of source languages currently underrepresented in the Center, such as Armenian, Coptic, Georgian or Persian, will be an advantage. Fluency in English is a requirement.
Stipend and benefits
The Research Fellow will receive a monthly non-taxable stipend of 2,000 EUR and is entitled to a research and travel allowance of 1,100 EUR per annum.
CEU will assist the successful candidate in obtaining a residence permit and provide health insurance cover if necessary.
Living in Budapest
The Fellow will have to arrange for his/her own accommodation, with assistance from the Center. It is no problem to find suitable downtown accommodation at very affordable rates.
How to apply
Applicants need to submit
- a letter of motivation,
- a project proposal of no more than 2,000 words outlining the research the candidate wishes to pursue while holding the fellowship,
- a curriculum vitae including a list of publications,
- an article-length writing sample
- and the names and addresses of two referees.
Please send your complete application package either to
cems@ceu.hu, including job code in subject line: 2011/RF
or to
The Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies
Central European University
Nádor utca 9,
1051 Budapest,
Hungary.
Potential applicants wishing to enquire informally about the position are encouraged to contact either co-director of the center, Prof. Volker Menze or Prof. Niels Gaul.
For full consideration applications must be received by April 30, 2011.
The Center expects to hold interviews – via phone or in person – in late May or early June.
CEU is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive community.