The Department of Humanities at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice (Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici dell’Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia) invites applications for a fellowship in “Science and the environment in the eastern Mediterranean in the first millennium CE” on the ERC research project, Science, Society and Environmental Change in the First Millennium CE (SSE1K, grant agreement no. 101044437, PI: Helen Foxhall Forbes).

The post-doctoral researcher will carry out original research into the history of science in the eastern Mediterranean in the first millennium CE, and the connections between the study of pre-modern science and the environmental contexts of the writers. The researcher will examine textual evidence for intellectual and social responses to environmental change, and contemporary awareness of human effects on landscapes. They will contextualise this analysis with reference to relevant archaeological and palaeoenvironmental evidence, supported by project team members (Prof. Lawrence and Prof. Fleitmann). 

In addition to preparing their research for publication, the researcher will participate in the various activities of the SSE1K project, including attending team meetings and undertaking dissemination activities (conferences, seminars, workshops) on the project topics.

The postdoctoral researcher will be a specialist in Greek texts and intellectual culture, and may also have skills in Arabic/Syriac/Aramaic. Prospective candidates are expected to hold a PhD in historical studies or related fields, in particular regarding aspects of the history of science or environmental history in the Eastern Mediterranean and should have a suitable scientific / professional track record.

The research may be carried out in English. 

The fellowship is intended to provide the successful candidate with the opportunity to pursue his/her own research while benefiting from the range of expertise at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice.

Duration of contract: 36 months (approximately starting: 1st September 2023). For needs related to the research project, the renewal of the collaboration with the post-doctoral researcher for an additional year can be envisaged upon successful completion of the research work carried out during the three-year period.