PhD position in Human Osteology and Paleopathology

The Research Group for Ancient DNA Analysis at the Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University and University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH), Kiel, Germany invites applications for a

In the framework of the Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1266 Scales of Transformation – Human-Environmental Interaction in Prehistoric and Archaic Societies (http://www.sfb1266.uni-kiel.de/en), we are seeking a highly motivated individual to conduct osteological and paleopathological research on prehistoric human populations. The main tasks are acquiring primary demographic data such as age-at-death and biological sex from human remains as well as assessing disease burden, morbidity, and mortality of skeletal samples. The successful candidate will carry out osteological analysis, develop a recording system for data acquisition, reflect on the pathogenesis and etiology of pathological lesions, and evaluate the disease burden documented by following a paleoepidemiological approach. Research activities will include handling human bones, macroscopic and microscopic analysis of skeletal remains using imaging techniques and applying descriptive as well as multivariate statistics.

Your profile:
– An MSc in a discipline relevant for the project (i.e. Human Osteology, Paleopathology, Bioarchaeology, Biological or Forensic Anthropology) is a prerequisite
-Great interest in working in a very interdisciplinary environment and in archaeological questions is a must
– Expertise in archaeology, genetic analysis (preferably aDNA), stable isotope analysis and/or human biology is advantageous
– Good command of German is desirable
– Very good written and spoken English is required

We offer:
– Integration into the exciting projects of the Research Group for Ancient DNA Analysis and access to the exceptional genomic/bioinformatic infrastructure of the Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology
– Integration into the interdisciplinary CRC 1266, stimulating collaborations with geneticists, archaeologists, anthropologists and scientists from the bio- or geosciences
The contract runs until June 30, 2024 and starts as soon as possible. The salary will be according to the German salary scale TV-L (PhD student 65%, German TV-L E13).

For more information, please contact Dr. Katharina Fuchs (k.fuchs@ikmb.uni-kiel.de). Please submit your documents including a motivation letter, CV (both in English), certificates and contact details of two references as one pdf file (10 Mb max). The application deadline is July 31,2020. Please indicate the reference number on your application.