Job description

Applicants are invited for a 3-year position as Postdoctoral Fellow in the ERC-funded research project Storyworlds in Transition: Coptic Apocrypha in Changing Contexts in the Byzantine and Early Islamic Periods (APOCRYPHA), based at the Faculty of Theology, University of Oslo.

The APOCRYPHA project aims to provide the first systematic study of Coptic apocrypha covering the entire timespan of Coptic literary production. It will investigate the contents, development, and functions of apocrypha over time, as they were copied, adapted, and used in Egypt’s changing socio-religious contexts. The project will investigate how these changing contexts are reflected in the Coptic apocrypha, and what functions this literature had throughout the period under investigation.

The postdoc is expected to work in close collaboration with the PI of the APOCRYPHA project to locate and systematically analyze with regard to the material features all Coptic manuscripts containing apocryphal materials, and to study from the perspective of Material Philology the production and transmission of Coptic apocrypha. Material Philology is here understood on the one hand as an approach that takes the fluidity of textual transmission in a manuscript culture fully into consideration, studying its causes, mechanisms, and effects; and on the other it entails an in-depth focus on the material artifacts constituted by the extant manuscripts.

The position is funded by the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (grant agreement no. 865971).

More about the position

The appointment is a fulltime position for a period of three years, starting 1st August, 2020. It is part of the APOCRYPHA project, and the applicant is expected to be physically based in Oslo for the duration of the appointment. The successful applicant will be expected to work closely together with the PI and the rest of the APOCRYPHA research team, to represent the project at

relevant seminars and conferences, and to travel to manuscript collections to study the artefacts.

The successful applicant is expected to produce a scientific monograph connected to the APOCRYPHA project by the end of the period of appointment, as well as high-level academic articles.

Qualification requirements

• Applicants must hold a PhD degree, or the equivalent, in a relevant field (History of Religions, Theology, Coptology, Classics, Medieval Studies, or similar). Doctoral dissertation must be submitted for evaluation by the application deadline. Appointment is dependent on the approval of the doctoral dissertation
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English
• High proficiency in Coptic

The following qualifications will also count in the assessment of the applicants:

• Experience with manuscript studies and material philology
• Proficiency in other relevant ancient languages, such as Greek, Latin, Arabic, or Syriac
• Other relevant research experience

Personal skills

The following personal skills are highly desirable:

• The ability to work closely together with other researchers in a team
• A commitment to work towards the project’s common goals
• An open mind towards new methodological approaches and interdisciplinary collaboration
• High personal motivation for scholarship
• The ability to inspire others

We offer

• salary NOK 523.200-573.100 per annum depending on qualifications in position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow (position code 1352)
• a professionally stimulating working environment
• attractive welfare benefits and a generous pension agreement, in addition to Oslo’s family-friendly environment with its rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities

How to apply

The application must include

• cover letter (statement of motivation, summarizing scientific work and research interest)
• a short project description, including progress plan (max. 5 pages). Applicants are encouraged to contact the PI of the APOCRYPHA project, professor Hugo Lundhaug, for guidance.
• CV (summarizing education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activity)
• copies of educational certificates (academic transcripts only)
• a complete list of publications
• up to 3 academic works relevant to the project position that the applicant wishes to be considered
• list of reference persons: 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number)

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system. Foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their University's grading system. Please note that all documents should be in English (or a Scandinavian language).

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on the documented, academic qualifications, the project description (whenever this is required in the call for applicants), and the quality of the project as well as the candidates motivation and personal suitability. Interviews with the best qualified candidates will be arranged.It is expected that the successful candidate will be able to complete the project in the course of the period of employment.

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Oslo.

No one can be appointed for more than one Postdoctoral Fellow period at the University of Oslo.

According to the Norwegian Freedom of Information Act (Offentleglova) information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure.

The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results etc.

The University of Oslo aims to achieve a balanced gender composition in the workforce and to recruit people with ethnic minority backgrounds.

Contact information

• Title: Professor Hugo Lundhaug, +47 22850317, hugo.lundhaug@teologi.uio.no
• Title: Senior Adviser Rigmor Smith-Gahrsen, +47 22850311, rigmor.smith-gahrsen@teologi.uio.no

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