(ref. BAP-2021-869)
LECTIO, the KU Leuven Institute for the Study of the Transmission of Texts, Ideas and Images in Antiquity, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, gathers more than 35 professors and 150+ researchers from the KU Leuven’s Faculties of Arts, Law & Criminology, Philosophy and Theology & Religious Studies. It is committed to advancing the study of the intellectual heritage of pre-modern and early modern Europe. Within the frame of its current research programme on ‘Scholars, Schools and Societies’, LECTIO invites applications for a postdoctoral research position. The successful applicant will serve as LECTIO’s Research Manager. S/he will contribute to advancing LECTIO’s research on the science of text editing and intellectual history by further integrating methodologies from the Digital Humanities (DH) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) and supporting researchers working in these areas.
Responsibilities
The successful candidate will play a central role in advancing the integration of DH and AI into traditional research and will assist the Director and the Executive Board in the day-to-day management of LECTIO’s activities. S/he will manage LECTIO’s research programme and act as a liaison person with the following responsibilities:
- to keep LECTIO members up-to-date about new methods and good practices for the integration of DH and AI in historical and textual scholarship and to assist them in applying these methods
- to actively explore opportunities for research funding and prepare external funding applications linked to the integration of DH/AI in LECTIO’s research
- to coordinate research projects on LECTIO’s core topics and provide logistic and administrative support for these projects
- to conduct (independent and/or collaborative) research on the application of DH and/or AI within LECTIO’s core disciplines
- to maintain and expand connections between LECTIO and experts in DH/AI both at KU Leuven and at other universities
- to act as a liaison person with technical experts in the Group of Science and Technology and at KU Leuven Libraries
- to identify opportunities to extend LECTIO’s international network with relevant partners and establish formal connections through joint research or network applications
- to enhance the visibility of LECTIO as place of first choice for the integration of computational methods into pre-modern intellectual history and digital philology
- to provide assistance for the organization of scientific meetings and events
Profile
- You hold a PhD degree in any relevant field of the humanities
- You have a good track record of academic research in one of LECTIO’s core disciplines
- You have demonstrable experience in applying DH and/or AI in the fields of pre-modern intellectual history or philology
- You easily develop new ideas for project applications and know what it takes to materialize them
- You have good management skills and have experience in project management, relative to your career stage
- You are a team-player and prosper in an interdisciplinary working environment
- You like to organize events and communicate with both specialists and laymen in the field
- You have an excellent command of English in both speaking and writing
- Knowledge of Greek and/or Latin is an asset, as is a working knowledge of Dutch (the official language for administration at KU Leuven)
Offer
We offer a fulltime postdoctoral position for 2 years, subject to positive evaluation at the end of the first year, with a competitive wage according to Salary Scale 44. The position is possibly extendable for a period of 3 more years.
You will work in the stimulating environment of the interdisciplinary institute LECTIO at one of Europe’s leading research universities. You will have the unique opportunity to work together with experts in the field of intellectual and textual history from 4 different faculties (arts, law, philosophy and theology & religious studies).
Your appointment will start on 1 March 2022, or as soon as possible thereafter.
Interested?
For more information please contact Prof. dr. Pieter d’Hoine, tel.: +32 16 32 63 45, mail: pieter.dhoine@kuleuven.be.
Selected candidates will be invited for an (online) interview on January 18.
You can apply for this job no later than January 11, 2022 via the online application tool
KU Leuven seeks to foster an environment where all talents can flourish, regardless of gender, age, cultural background, nationality or impairments. If you have any questions relating to accessibility or support, please contact us at diversiteit.HR@kuleuven.be.