Postdoctoral Research Associate in Archaeology and Agent-Based Modelling

Durham University; North East; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A UK research university is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate to explore the agent-based modelling of past societies as part of a project on environmental change in the Mediterranean. The successful candidate will have a PhD and experience in data analysis, contributing to publications and collaboration on significant research activities.

Qualifications

• PhD in a relevant field such as archaeology or environmental science.
• Experience with agent-based modelling and data analysis.
• Strong research and publication track record.

Responsibilities

• Conduct agent-based modelling of social-ecological systems.
• Participate in research publications and dissemination efforts.
• Collaborate with project team members on data analysis.

Skills

Agent-based modelling

Data analysis

Research skills

Education

PhD in relevant field

Tools

Supercomputing services

Job description

The Role

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the field of agent-based modelling of past societies, working on the Science, Society and Environmental Change in the First Millennium CE (SSE1K) project. The project is funded by the ERC and began in 2023. It is led by Professor Helen Foxhall Forbes at the University of Ca' Foscari in Venice, with collaborators in Basel, Tübingen, and Durham. The postholder will be based in Durham and will report to the Durham project lead, Professor Dan Lawrence.

SSE1K explores the environmental and climatic changes that have been identified as causes for societal and political processes and events in the Mediterranean in the first millennium CE, combining historical and archaeological approaches. The central questions of the project are:

1. How did humans experience and perceive climatic and environmental fluctuation across the Mediterranean in the first millennium CE?
2. How did they respond both intellectually and socially to these changing conditions?

The postholder will help to answer these questions using agent-based modelling (ABM) of social-ecological systems, drawing on archaeological and historical datasets collated through the project for various regions in the Mediterranean, with a likely focus on Central and Southern Italy. They will have access to university supercomputing services to support this work.

The role may also involve producing maps and performing simple spatial analysis for other members of the project. The postholder will be involved in publications, with opportunities to be both a first and co-author, and will also engage in dissemination, administration, and other project-related activities.