PhD in late ancient philosophical historiography

KU LEUVEN; Vlaams-Brabant; On-site; EUR 26,000 - 30,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Research group environment

4-year doctoral position

Residency in Belgium required

Job summary

KU Leuven invites applications for a four-year, full-time PhD fellowship in late ancient philosophical historiography, focusing on Damascius’ Vita Isidori and Photius’ excerpts. The project blends ancient history, philosophy, philology, and digital annotation for a new model of edition of fragments.

Candidates should have a broad competence in ancient Greek, with a strong Classics background, and ideally skills in Digital Humanities.

Qualifications

• Broad competence in ancient Greek.
• Ability to combine historical, philological and philosophical methods.
• Experience with Digital Humanities is an asset.
• Excellent graduate degree (MA) in Classics or related disciplines.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the annotation and commentary of the online edition of Vita Isidori.
• Focus PhD studies on Photius’ methodology and the edition of Damascius’ Vita Isidori.
• Possibly identify further excerpts in Suda and conduct prosopography of named persons.

Skills

Ancient Greek

Interdisciplinary methods

Digital Humanities

Academic English

Education

Master's degree in Classics

MA in related fields (Ancient History or Philosophy)

Job description

PhD in late ancient philosophical historiography

Following a grant of the Research Fund of the University of Leuven, an interdisciplinary research project “A New Model for the Edition of Ancient Philosophical Fragments” was launched in October 2025. In its present phase, the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Philosophy seek to hire a doctoral student who will prepare a PhD dissertation in (Ancient) History.

The project intends to develop a new model for editions of fragments, making use of the possibilities of digital editions. By ‘fragments’ we mean instances of incomplete text reuse. The goal is not exclusively to reconstruct what would otherwise be lost, but to map text reuse as a whole. Fragments are not treated as chunks of text extracted from source texts but as a demarcation of the relevant data in the latter plus a set of annotations with metadata and comments. A new, complex digital annotation scheme will allow for overlapping and mixed categorizations, document editorial decisions, and signal uncertainty. Texts in which concepts, doctrines, and arguments are central demand special treatment. They require philosophical and historical analyses of source context and of the reused text.

Currently three editions from the history of Platonism serve as test cases for the premises of the project. One of those texts is Damascius’ Vita Isidori, preserved in excerpts and fragments compiled by Photius and the Suda.

Candidates can apply for a full-time, four-year fellowship for the study of Damascius’ Vita Isidori, focusing on Photius’ methodology in compiling the excerpts, on the genre of Damascius’ work (biography/historiography of the Platonic school), the relationship between the different sets of excerpts (including the possibility of finding further as yet unidentified excerpts in Suda), the possibility of reconstructing the text, and especially the prosopography of the persons named in Damascius’ text and the history of the Platonic schools described in that work. The PhD student will also contribute to the annotation of, and the commentary on, the online edition of the Vita Isidori. The PhD thesis, supervised by an ancient historian and a historian of philosophy, is supposed to lead to a doctorate in History.

Profile

Selected candidates will have a broad, solid competence in ancient Greek, and preferably also in late ancient philosophy. They should also have the ability to combine historical, philological and philosophical methodologies in an interdisciplinary fashion. Candidates demonstrating relevant experience with Digital Humanities will have an asset. Applications from candidates with an excellent graduate degree (typically M.A.) in Classics are especially welcome, and candidates with an excellent degree in related disciplines (e.g. Ancient History, Philosophy) are also strongly invited to apply, providing that they have the necessary competence in Greek. Candidates are expected to be able to write and speak English on an academic level and to read relevant secondary literature in French, German, and Italian.

Candidates are, in addition, willing to perform a limited number of administrative and teaching tasks that the university expects of doctoral students.

Offer

• This fellowship provides the opportunity to participate in an enthusiastic research group within the context of a dynamic, internationally-oriented academic environment possessing unrivalled library resources.
• We are offering a 4-year full-time doctoral position. Initially, a 1-year contract will be offered. Following a positive evaluation, the contract will be extended for 3 years.
• You will be paid as a doctoral researcher (100%). From a legal standpoint, it is therefore necessary to reside in Belgium.

For more information please contact Prof. dr. Stefan Schorn, mail: [e-mail] or Prof. dr. Gerd Van Riel, mail: [e-mail].

KU Leuven strives for an inclusive, respectful and socially safe environment. We embrace diversity among individuals and groups as an asset. Open dialogue and differences in perspective are essential for an ambitious research and educational environment. In our commitment to equal opportunity, we recognize the consequences of historical inequalities. We do not accept any form of discrimination based on, but not limited to, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, ethnic or national background, skin colour, religious and philosophical diversity, neurodivergence, employment disability, health, or socioeconomic status. For questions about accessibility or support offered, we are happy to assist you at this email address.

location_city Locatie: Leuven