16 PhD positions: IMPRS for the Science of Human History 2130 views

International Max Planck Research School for the Science of Human History (MPI-SHH) pursues an integrative approach to the study of human history. “Hard” facts as bones, teeth, plants, stones and “soft” facts as languages, history, or religions can say a lot about human history. The IMPRS-SHH is inviting for researchers knowing well how to decode such facts and data and looking for new ways of decoding them and inviting applications for 16 PhD positions for 14 projects.

Disciplines:

• Agronomics
• Archaeobotany
• Archaeogenetics
• Prehistoric Archaeology
• Archaeozoology
• Audiology
• Bioinformatics
• Comparative Psychology
• Cognitive Neuro­science
• Contact Linguistics
• Demographic History
• Earth Sciences
• Evolutionary Ecology
• Genetics
• Geoscience
• Hearing Physiology
• Historical Linguistics
• History
• Linguistic Palaeontology
• Linguistics
• Micropalaeontology
• Palaeoecology
• Palaeontology
• Physical Anthropology
• Plant Biology
• Population Genetics
• Psychology
• Radiology

Starting date: September 1st, 2019 / or on individual basis between July 1 and October 1, 2019

Duration: 3 years (extension possible); temporary

Requirements:

• The entry level for PhD students is a Master’s degree or equivalent.
• Applicants are expected to be enthusiastic PhD students with strong interests in the highly interdisciplinary science of human history and with a firm background in one of the related fields of research.
• Applicants are required to provide following materials: motivation (max. 800 words); CV; Certificates (as scans and with translations if they are not written in English or German); Two recommendation letters; Language requirements
• Applicants need to be fluent in written and spoken English. Non-native speakers should provide a TOEFL/Cambridge/IELTS certificate or equivalent.
• German language skills are not mandatory. However, the IMPRS-SHH offers the opportunity to take German language courses.

Projects

01 Ancient proteins as indicators of climatic and evolutionary change. Involved subjects: Archaeology, Earth Sciences, Palaeoenvironments, Palaeontology, Geoscience.

02 Co-estimating Human Mobility and Language Dispersal with Ancient DNA and Linguistic Data. Involved subjects: Population Genetics, Linguistics, Spatial Modeling, Demographic history.

03 A comprehensive analysis of microorganisms and viruses from ancient samples using minion sequencing techniques. Involved subjects: Bioinformatics, Archaeogenetics.

04 Contact and change in the diversification of the Indo-Iranic languages. Involved subjects: Historical Comparative Reconstruction, Language Evolution.

05 Cross Linguistic Strategies of Denotation. Advancing data and methods in lexical typology. Involved subjects: Historical Linguistics, Language Evolution, Cognition.

06 Dog-Human Cooperation – A Comparative Approach. Involved subjects: Comparative Psychology, Animal Cognition, Communication, Cooperation.

07 Environments and the Palaeolithic Cultures of Central Europe. Involved subjects: Archaeology, Earth Sciences.

08 Eurasian Corridors of Communication – Fruits, Crops, and Words. Involved subjects: Historical Comparative Reconstruction, Contact Linguistics, Linguistic Palaeontology, Archaeobotany, Isotope Analysis.

09 The evolution and diversification of the Caucasian languages. Involved subjects: Historical Linguistics, Language Evolution, Caucasian Languages.

10 Evolution of Nonverbal Communication – Music and the Voice“. Involved subjects: Cognitive Neuroscience, Communication, Genetics, Linguistics, Psychology.

11 Functional morphology and variability of the auditory system – frameworks in the search for human speech evolution. Involved subjects: Physical Anthropology, Zoology, Audiology, Hearing Physiology, Cognitive Neuroscience, Linguistics, Radiology.

12 Late Bronze Age Kuckenburg – settlement, burial ground, fortification and-or place of sacrifice? Involved subjects: Archaeology, Isotopes Analysis, Archaeogenetics, Archaebotanic, Archaezoology.

13 Domestication of Perennial Plants – Evolution and Dispersal. Involved subjects: Archaeobotany, Evolutionary Ecology, History, Agronomics, Palaeontology, Plant Biology.

14 Reconstructing lost worlds – Quaternary continental Ostracoda as tools in geoarchaeology. Involved subjects: Micropalaeontology, Palaeoecology, Palaeoclimate.