10 vacant PhD positions with the ArCHe project

The Doctoral network ArCHe now offers ten attractive PhD-positions in the fields of archaeology, archaeobiology, biology, social anthropology, cultural heritage studies, coastal engineering, geography or geology. The positions are hosted by six beneficiaries in five countries: Norway, Sweden, Latvia, France and Spain.

Benefits of being an ArCHe PhD student

The Doctoral network ArCHe explores Europe's Stone Age coastal heritage and develops best practices for its preservation.

ArCHe's 10 PhD candidates will contribute to the investigation, visibility, preservation and sustainable integration of this vulnerable cultural heritage in coastal areas facing global environmental and development challenges.

In a unique combination of a joint and personal training program, ArCHe's PhD students will be provided with:

• core scientific training on their respective PhD-topics which will allow specialization, supported by the respective joint training elements.
• participation in the encompassing joint training program, including joint training events.
• non-academic secondments for each fellow to develop further skills.
• acquisition of transferrable and intersectoral skills through theoretical and practical learning.

Thus equipped with specialized and broad skills ArCHe-fellows will be most apt for international green and blue careers, as they are trained to work from innovative, creative and sustainable perspectives for future better practices, which involve both academic and non-academic sectors.

ArCHe recruitment strategy

The recruitment process for all Doctoral candidates in the HORIZON-MSCA-2022-DN ArCHe follows a common recruitment strategy, which is based on the European Commission’s Code of Conduct of Recruitment.

MSCA criteria

• MSCA Mobility Rule: researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the recruiting beneficiary for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their date of recruitment
• All researchers recruited in a Doctoral network must be doctoral candidates (i.e. not already in possession of a doctoral degree at the date of the recruitment)

Eligibility criteria

• Formal qualifications following local requirements at the recruiting beneficiary
• Appropriate academic knowledge and skills
• Enrolment in local PhD-programme at the beneficiary

Position-specific criteria

For the specific criteria for each PhD position please look at the individual presentations of the projects (DC1–DC 10) below.

Documents to be sent in by applicants

• Letter of motivation
• Project proposal (approximately 14,000 characters including spaces, references in addition) describing how the candidate would approach the given PhD-topic, including substantial reflections (not more than 4,200 characters including spaces) on how the specific PhD-project topic will contribute to achieving the general aims of the Doctoral network ArCHe as described on the ArCHe homepage (https://www.arche.uio.no/). A progress plan should be included.
• CV (summarizing education, positions and academic work)
• Complete list of publications and academic works
• Proof of language proficiencies
• Two reference persons to be contacted by the selection committee (name, relation to candidate, e-mail address and phone number)
• Copy of MA degree diploma(s) and academic transcripts
• Applicants may be asked to submit their M.A.-thesis

Assessment criteria

• Scientific excellence to fit the PhD project including the comparative ArCHe-perspective: international, interdisciplinary, intersectoral and with a past-present-future perspective
• Fluent (oral and written) English skills as the project operates in English language. Knowledge of the language of the host country may be considered a merit. For DC6, DC8, Dc9 and DC10 see the respective job advertisements.
• Interdisciplinary knowledge
• Regarding the project proposal:

Originality, independent thinking

Knowledge of the state of the art and how the applicant goes beyond this

Theoretical and methodological foundation

Scientific ambition and innovativeness

Feasibility and progress plan

Suitability of the proposal not least in terms of the Doctoral network thought, and specifically regarding to ArCHe

Ethics implications

All of the above is assessed based on submitted documentation and the interview. In addition, the following soft skills are assessed during the interview:

• High motivation for doing their PhD in a MSCA-Doctoral network, and specifically ArCHe
• Flexibility
• Team-mindedness

Note: Beneficiary FIHAC will claim the same documentation as the other beneficiaries. Following FIHAC’s internal procedures, first the PhD candidates will be ranked using a point system, which counts merits in numbers according to their academic, professional and scientific backgrounds. The highest-ranked candidates will be invited to an interview, where all the documentation collected from the candidate will be assessed and the skills necessary for being part of ArCHe (motivation for participating in this DN and understanding of how the project would fit into the overall network) will be put to the test.

Salary for MSCA-fellows in ArCHe

The salary for each PhD student in the Doctoral network ArCHe is indicated in each job vacancy. It consists of the gross salary (without the employer's social contribution), the amount of which variates according to the recruiting country due to the country co-efficiency rates. In addition there is paid a mobility allowance (EUR 600/month) to each recruited researcher contributing to the private mobility related expenses of the researcher.

A family allowance is given if the recruited researcher is eligible to these conditions: Family” means persons linked to the researcher by marriage (or a relationship with equivalent status to a marriage recognised by the legislation of the country where this relationship was formalized) or dependent children who are actually maintained by the researcher).

Long-term leave allowance or special need allowance are applicable in case the necessary condition are eligible.

How to apply

Candidates apply for the positions via the website of the beneficiary who hosts the specific PhD. You will find contact information and links to the relevant application procedure at each individual project description (DC1–10) listed below.

It is possible to apply for several ArCHe PhD positions. In case you apply for more than one ArCHe PhD position, please indicate this in the Letter of motivation as part of the application procedure at each beneficiary.

The recruitment at each beneficiary follows the common ArCHe recruitment strategy, including the MSCA-eligibility criteria and local requirements at the beneficiary.

Application deadline at all beneficiaries: February 4th 2024. Find more information here (please copy link into browser): https://www.arche.uio.no/vacancies/index.html.

List of available positions

To learn more about the individual positions, follow the link for each PhD project (https://www.arche.uio.no/vacancies/index.html).

DC1: Vulnerable Coastal Stone Age: Current environmental threats, challenges and prospects for the preservation of archaeological locations

Beneficiary: Fundacion Instituto de Hidraulica Ambiental de Cantabria (FIHAC), Spain

DC2: Lost coastal territories: Searching and mapping Late Paleolithic and early Mesolithic coastal landscapes and sites under water and on land

Beneficiary: University of Cantabria, Spain

DC3: Anchor points in a fluid world: Stone Age HFG sites in the coastal zone and their social, economic and communicative significance

Beneficiary: University of Oslo, Norway

DC4: Ritual by the sea: Marine symbolism during the late Palaeolithic and the Mesolithic of Atlantic Europe

Beneficiary: University of Cantabria, Spain

DC5: For a history of maritime techniques in Europe: Norms and uses of techniques in prehistoric coastal communities

Beneficiary: The French National Centre for Scientific Research, University of Rennes, France

DC6: Geographical and seasonal patterns in marine mammal exploitation – ethnographic insights into prehistoric practices

Beneficiary: University of Latvia, Latvia

DC7 The meaning of prehistoric shell-middens: From their common background to their singularity

Beneficiary: CReAAH, University of Rennes, France

DC8: Stone Age heritage as shared landscapes: Mapping concerns, actors and perspectives

Beneficiary: University of Gothenburg, Sweden

DC9: The management of Stone Age coastal sites in different environments across Europe: status, challenges, prospects

Beneficiary: University of Oslo, Norway

DC10: Communicating Stone Age HFG heritage for a sustainable future

Beneficiary: University of Gothenburg, Sweden