The Amsterdam School of Historical Studies (ASH) represents and fosters the study of the human past from Antiquity to the present day. It brings together more than 200 academics from Amsterdam’s Faculty of Humanities, who participate in ca. 25 research groups. ASH does not limit itself to a particular period, discipline or method, but integrates a variety of (inter)disciplinary perspectives, including history, history of art, literature and religious studies. It encourages collaborations between scholars along thematic lines (e.g. Religion, the City, Conflict), geographical focus (e.g. Mediterranean History,  American Studies, Modern Germany) and in terms of period (e.g. Antiquity, the Middle Ages, Early Modern and Modern History).

ASH invites PhD applications from all these areas, tenable from 1 September 2020 (4 years, 1 FTE). Applications have to be supported by a permanent member of staff willing to act as supervisor.

What are you going to do?

Tasks will include:

• completion and defence of a PhD thesis within the contract period;
• regular presentation of intermediate research results at workshops and conferences;
• participation in the Faculty of Humanities PhD training programme;
• teaching courses at BA-level in the 2^nd and 3^rd year of the contract (0,2 FTE per year).

What do we ask of you?

• A completed Master’s degree in a field relevant to the proposed PhD project and the research areas of ASH (eg. History, Art History, Religious Studies, Classics, Modern Languages, Philosophy). You may apply if you have not yet completed your Master's degree only if you provide a signed letter from your supervisor stating that you will graduate before 1 September 2020;
• excellent command of English and relevant research languages.
• excellent research skills.

Our offer

The PhD candidate at the Faculty of Humanities will be employed within ASH. The employment contract will be for 4 years for 38 hours per week-1 FTE (including 0,2 teaching in the second and third years of the employment contract) under the terms of employment currently valid for the Faculty. Initially, a contract will be given for 16 months, with an extension for the following 32 months on the basis of a positive evaluation after 12 months. The starting date of the contract is 1 September 2020.

The salary for the position (based on a full-time contract) will be €2,325 during the first year (gross per month) and will reach €2,972 during the fourth year, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities. The PhD candidate receives a tuition fee waiver and has free access to courses offered by the Graduate School of the Faculty of Humanities and the Dutch National Research Schools.

Questions

If you have any questions, please contact:

• Simon Speksnijder via ash-fgw@uva.nl

Job application

The UvA is an equal-opportunity employer. We prioritise diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for everyone. We value a spirit of enquiry and perseverance, provide the space to keep asking questions, and promote a culture of curiosity and creativity.

AIHR wants to improve the diversity of its academic community with respect to ethnicity, gender, sexuality and class. Applications that contribute to this are particularly encouraged.

Your application should include the following:

1. Your curriculum vitae, listing at least:
   • full address and contact details
   • previous education
   • professional information (previous university or relevant employment)
   • language proficiency
   • grants/honours
   • conference presentations and publications, if applicable
2. A list of grades (transcript) obtained for your Master (or equivalent) programme; at this stage a certified document is not yet necessary
3. A research proposal of no more than 800 words with the following elements:
   • an outline of central issue/problem/question (why)
   • object(s) of research (what)
   • methodology (how)
   • how your research fits the programme of ASH (e.g. specific research groups or centres within ASH)
4. Motivation for doing PhD research (no more than 200 words)
5. The name of a potential supervisor for your PhD project who is a staff member of ASH (check). You must contact the person whom you have listed as your prospective supervisor to discuss your plans before applying formally, and s/he must confirm via email to ASH their willingness to take on the supervision
6. The name and contact details of one or two academic referees on your behalf
7. A writing sample, such as an article or (part of) a master’s thesis, of up to 10000 words.

Please supply this information in the order given above and submit your full application as one PDF file, using your initials and surname as a file name, via the link below (“apply now”). Please note that your application will not be taken into consideration if you send multiple files, and/or if your application is late and/or incomplete.

The deadline for applications is 31 March 2020. 

The applications will be evaluated by a selection committee composed of representatives of the academic staff and a PhD researcher of ASH. Committee members may not vote in cases of involvement with applicants. The committee will make a selection of candidates to invite for an interview in Amsterdam. The final selection will be made immediately following the interviews; the most promising candidate will be selected.

31 March 2020: Deadline submission applications

1 April: Applications are checked for completeness

Mid-April: Applicants are informed whether they are invited for an interview

Early/Mid-May: Interviews with candidates

End of May: Applicants informed about the result

1 September 2020: Applicants start PhD projects

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