The Cyprus Institute (CyI), coordinator of the Horizon 2020 MSCA-ETN-ITN project Training the next generation of archaeological scientists: Interdisciplinary studies of pre-modern Plasters and Ceramics from the eastern Mediterranean (PlaCe-ITN), offers three fully funded six-month fellowships for the analytical study of premodern pottery from the eastern Mediterranean. This high-profile Innovative Training Network aims at training Early-Stage Researchers to conduct state-of-the-art, science-based research on the provenance, use, and technology of plasters and ceramics, in pre-modern societies in different regions of the eastern Mediterranean.

These short-term Early-Stage Research fellowships are designed for Researchers that are already doctoral students at other institutions and seek to receive training and develop their analytical skills in the interdisciplinary study of archaeological plasters and ceramics. The research to be conducted during these fellowships is expected to directly support and contribute to the main doctoral studies of the applicants, as well as having a close link to the main topic of PlaCe-ITN and the analytical and supervisory capabilities of the CyI. These fellowships will be co-supervised by the CyI and the respective PhD supervisors at the external host universities. 

The short fellowships will take place at the CyI labs with the potential for secondments to other laboratories of the consortium, according to the needs of the pursued doctoral research topics. The selected candidates will need to have already secured the plaster or ceramic materials intended for analysis by the commencement of their fellowships, together with all the necessary permits for their study and sampling by the relevant authorities.

During their six-month fellowships at STARC, the fellows will be trained through practice in one or more of the following:

• Research project design and sampling strategies
• Sample preparation for analysis (thin sections and/or polished blocks)
• Analytical techniques for the technological, compositional, microstructural characterisation of plaster or ceramic samples (hhpXRF, petrography, and/or SEM)
• Data processing
• Data interpretation and integration in cultural and historical contexts 

According to the eligibility criteria set by the European Commission and the particular MSCA-ITN-2020 call, the recruited Early-Stage Researchers (ESRs) will have to comply with the following conditions:

• not have resided in Cyprus for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the recruitment date, and not have carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Cyprus. Short stays, such as holidays, are not taken into account;
• be — at the date of recruitment — an ‘early-stage researcher’ (i.e., in the first four years of his/her research career and not have a doctoral degree). 

Qualified applicants from all countries are welcome to submit an application, provided they meet the above mentioned eligibility.

Required Experience and Qualifications

• MSc/MA in Material Sciences, Archaeological Sciences, Artefact studies, Archaeology, Cultural Heritage, Geology, or related fields
• BSc/BA in Archaeology, Cultural Heritage, Archaeological Sciences, Material Sciences, or related fields
• Enrolled in a PhD programme and be — at the date of recruitment — an ‘early-stage researcher’ as defined by MSCA rules (i.e., in the first four years of their research career and not have a doctoral degree).
• Excellent knowledge English language both verbal and written.