PhD Student - Department of Languages and Cultures

Last application date Dec 31, 2024 00:00

Department LW21 - Department of Languages and Cultures

Contract Limited duration

Degree Master

Occupancy rate 100%

Vacancy type Research staff

Job description

ABOUT GHENT UNIVERSITY
Ghent University is a world of its own. Employing more than 15.000 people, it is actively involved in education and research, management and administration, as well as technical and social service provision on a daily basis. It is one of the largest, most exciting employers in the area and offers great career opportunities.
With its 11 faculties and more than 85 departments offering state-of-the-art study programmes grounded in research in a wide range of academic fields, Ghent University is a logical choice for its staff and students.

YOUR ROLE AND TASKS
As a PhD student at Ghent University, you will join the ERC-Consolidator Grant project “Polymathy and Interdisciplinarity in Premodern Islamic Epistemic Cultures (KNOW)”, under the supervision of the principal investigator, Professor Islam Dayeh.
The KNOW project examines the interaction between scholarly disciplines in the post-formative period (1200–1800 CE), a time marked by the rise of new institutions of learning, the expansion of libraries, the establishment and integration of academic disciplines, and an increase in scholarly travel. These developments fostered interdisciplinary cooperation, competition, and conflict, shaping the intellectual landscape of the era. Previous scholarship on this period has generally focused on intellectual products (i.e., doctrines and texts) and has tended to project our contemporary disciplinary divisions onto the premodern period (e.g., humanities v. sciences; religious v. secular). The KNOW project departs from these approaches by focusing on epistemic processes and practices rather than products and artefacts. By applying the lens of polymathy and interdisciplinarity, the project seeks to reshape our understanding of the intellectual dynamics of this period. Interdisciplinarity refers to the interaction and exchange between disciplines, while polymathy describes the qualities of breadth, depth, and synthesis found in individuals engaged in interdisciplinary work.
We invite proposals for doctoral research subprojects that fit within the wider context of the KNOW project. Such proposals can focus on any aspect of the history of knowledge within the broad remit of the KNOW project, yet in all cases they should address (inter)disciplinary formations, polymathic education and the role of institutions of knowledge. We are interested in proposals that seek to investigate the ways in which post-formative disciplines interacted to find solutions to new, complex problems and were integrated in order to bridge fragmented and disconnected knowledge. Such proposals may include (but are not limited to) the intersections between medicine, mathematics, astronomy and law (fiqh).

Within the context of the KNOW project, the successful candidate will:

• Write a PhD dissertation for a degree in Arabic, Islamic and Middle East Studies
• Submit at least 1 article for publication with a peer-reviewed journal
• Attend regular in-person team meetings
• Assist in event planning and organization
• Assist in promoting the visibility of the project

Job profile

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• You hold a thesis-based master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., History, Islamic Studies, Middle East Studies, Near Eastern Languages & Cultures)
• You have the ability to develop an original research project
• You have command of the relevant languages, especially of Arabic
• You have an excellent command of written and spoken English
• You are a dynamic and enthusiastic team player

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

• We offer a full-time position as a doctoral fellow, consisting of an initial period of 12 months, which - after a positive evaluation, will be extended to a total maximum of 48 months.
• Your contract will start on 01/05/2025 at the earliest.
• The fellowship amount is 100% of the net salary of an AAP member in equal family circumstances. The individual fellowship amount is determined by the Department of Personnel and Organization based on family status and seniority. A grant that meets the conditions and criteria of the regulations for doctoral fellowships is considered free of personal income tax. Click here for more information about our salary scales
• All Ghent University staff members enjoy a number of benefits, such as a wide range of training and education opportunities, 36 days of holiday leave (on an annual basis for a full-time job) supplemented by annual fixed bridge days, bicycle allowance and eco vouchers. Click here for a complete overview of all the staff benefits.

How to apply

INTERESTED?

Send your application to Prof. Islam Dayeh (islam.dayeh@ugent.be) and to els.bourgeois@ugent.be.

Your application must include the following documents:

• your CV and an overview of your study results (merged into one pdf file)
• your application letter in pdf format
• a transcript of the required degree (if already in your possession). If you have a foreign diploma in a language other than our national languages (Dutch, French or German) or English, please add a translation in one of the mentioned languages.
• 1) a research proposal (max. 2000 words) that outlines a research subproject you will undertake within the context of the broader aims of KNOW, and 2) names, positions, and email address of two referees (no reference letters)

As Ghent University maintains an equal opportunities and diversity policy, everyone is encouraged to apply for this position.

MORE INFORMATION

Applications will be assessed after the closing date and a select number of applicants will be invited for an interview via teleconferencing.

For more information about this vacancy, please contact Prof. Islam Dayeh (islam.dayeh@ugent.be). Important: do NOT send your application by email but apply online.