Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) in Munich is one of the leading European universities with a tradition reaching back more than 500 years. The university established in 2012 the Graduate School "Distant Worlds: Munich Graduate School for Ancient Studies" which is funded by the German Excellence Initiative. The Graduate School is an interdisciplinary research network that brings together LMU Munich and research institutions in Munich to provide an optimal environment for disciplinary research and the promotion of junior academics in the field of ancient studies. As part of its doctoral study and postdoctoral training programme, the Graduate School combines research from a broad spectrum of disciplines within the field of ancient studies.

The Graduate School invites applications for Postdoctoral Fellowships. The starting date will be November 1, 2015. The positions are limited to two years; the possibility of applying for a one-year extension is currently under consideration and will be decided as of 2016.

The School has seven focus-areas:

1. Constructions of norms
2. Constructions of elites
3. Constructions of the "beautiful"
4. Organisation of coexistence
5. Organisation of exchange
6. Organisation of dealing with dissent
7. Organisation of memory an forgetting

Responsibilities:

• Successful candidates will conduct an independent research project contributing to one of the seven focus areas, to be chosen by the candidates themselves. In pursuing their research, candidates will be supported by mentors chosen from the group of Principal Investigators of the School.
• They will collaborate with doctoral students in an interdisciplinary junior research group and coordinate the activities of that group (supported by mentors).
• They will develop new research perspectives in the field of ancient studies together with doctoral students, Principal Investigators and other members of the Münchner Zentrum für Antike Welten.

Requirements:

• In order to apply, candidates will need to have completed their doctorate in the field of ancient studies with outstanding results.
• Applicants will need to submit a proposal for an independent research project.
• They should demonstrate their willingness to work in an interdisciplinary context as well as an interest in basic and theoretical questions.