Research assistant in archaeology

The Centre for Urban Network Evolutions (UrbNet) and the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies at the School of Culture and Society, Aarhus University, is looking to recruit a full-time (37 hours/week) research assistant for the period 1 July 2025 – 30 June 2026. The position is affiliated with the project Samfundsbrud og indførelsen af kristendommen i Danmarks senvikingetid. The project will track down how and how quickly social dynamics among local communities transformed as Christianization progressed in Denmark in the late Viking Age. It will apply the principles of high-definition chronologies to assess tempi of change in the mortuary landscape of selected regions of Northern and Eastern Jutland.

Place of employment: Centre for Urban Network Evolutions (UrbNet) / Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, Moesgaard Allé 20, 8270 Højbjerg, Denmark.

In its pursuit of academic excellence, The Faculty of Arts is committed to creating an inclusive working environment and therefore encourages all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of personal background, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, ethnicity etc.

The positionWe are seeking a resourceful and dedicated research assistant with experience in research or the will to develop their competences further. The successful candidate is expected to work closely with the project’s PI, Associate Professor Sarah Croix. The main tasks will involve:

- carrying out data collection, management and analysis of different kinds of archaeological data from Viking-Age Denmark, including digitalization and registration.
- supporting the project’s logistics with the partner institutions (packing and delivery of samples and materials for analysis) and the organisation of a project workshop.

QualificationsApplicants are expected to have the following qualifications:

- an MA in prehistoric or historical archaeology or a related discipline
- a strong interest and knowledge in the project’s subject
- a good knowledge of Excel and QGIS
- English (spoken and written) and Danish (written)
- attention to detail and consistency
- flexibility and the ability to shift focus
- a methodological and structured approach to work, and good organisational skills
- good time-management skills and ability to meet deadlines.
- good interpersonal and collaborative skills.

Applicants who can document experience from similar roles will have an advantage.

References or recommendations should not be included with the application. Applicants who are selected for a job interview may be asked to provide professional references.

Applicants are expected to contribute to the workplace’s academic environment. We emphasise the importance of good working relationships, both among colleagues and with our students. The person appointed is expected to be present on a daily basis.

Further informationFor further information about the position, please contact Associate Professor Sarah Croix (marksc@cas.au.dk).

For more information about applications, please contact HR supporter Gerd Cecilie Bech Thomsen (gebeth@au.dk).

About UrbNetThe Centre for Urban Network Evolutions (UrbNet) was founded in 2015 as a groundbreaking archaeological research initiative exploring the evolution of urbanism and urban networks from the Hellenistic Period to the Middle Ages. The centre is based at Aarhus University, School of Culture and Society, and is funded as a Centre of Excellence by the Danish National Research Foundation.

UrbNet aims to compare the archaeology of urbanism from medieval Northern Europe to the ancient Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean World and determine how – and to what extent – urban networks catalysed societal and environmental expansions and crises in the past. The centre is firmly rooted in the humanities but enjoys close, collaborative ties with the natural sciences.

UrbNet aims to advance the understanding of the historical process of urban evolution, and it does so by developing the ability of archaeology to characterise the scale and pace of events and processes. Recently developed scientific techniques afford the potential for archaeology to refine the precision of dates, contexts and provenance ascribed to excavated materials. UrbNet’s key ambition has been to integrate these new forms of data as a new “high-definition” approach to the study of global and interregional dynamics.

UrbNet’s work comprises projects that intersect questions and problems concerning urban development and networks in the regions from Northern Europe via the Levant to the East Coast of Africa. It involves elaborate work on empirical material from a number of existing excavation projects, and the centre aims to make substantial contributions to theoretical and methodological developments in the field.

The Department of Archaeology and Heritage StudiesAt the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies and its associated Research Programme Materials, Culture and Heritage (MCH), we are concerned with people and the environment and culture and society from the earliest to modern times. On the basis of fieldwork and library and laboratory studies, including anthropology, history and a variety of scientific approaches, the programme investigates and challenges our understanding of the past and its role in the present.

The MCH Research Programme at Aarhus University has an international profile and strong research networks. The environment is versatile and cross-disciplinary, and the academic staff’s research competences span a broad range of topics and approaches to archaeology and heritage.

For a more detailed description please visit this website. [...]

The School of Culture and SocietyAt the School of Culture and Society, the object of research and teaching is the interplay between culture and society in time and space:

- From the traditional disciplines of the humanities and theology to applied social research
- From Antiquity to the issues facing contemporary societies
- From local questions to global challenges

The school’s ambition is to produce compelling research with an international resonance as well as to offer teaching and talent development of the highest quality. The school has a broad cooperative interface with society as a whole, both in Denmark and abroad, and contributes to social innovation, research communication and further and continuing education.

For further information about the school, please see http://cas.au.dk/en/.

International applicantsInternational applicants are encouraged to check Family and work-life balance and Attractive working conditions for further information about the benefits of working at Aarhus University and in Denmark, including healthcare, paid holidays and, if relevant, maternity/paternity leave, childcare and schooling. Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including a relocation service and career counselling for expat partners. For information about taxation, see Taxation aspects of international researchers’ employment by AU.

Deadline: 28 February 2025.

FormalitiesFaculty of Arts refers to the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities (the Appointment Order).

- Appointment shall be in accordance with the collective labour agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations.
- Further information on qualification requirements and job content may be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities .
- Further information on the application and supplementary materials may be found in Application Guidelines.

Shortlists may be prepared with the candidates that have been selected for a detailed academic assessment. A committee set up by the head of school is responsible for selecting the most qualified candidates. See this link for further information about shortlisting at the Faculty of Arts: shortlisting

Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants.

Faculty of ArtsThe Faculty of Arts is one of five main academic areas at Aarhus University.

The faculty contributes to Aarhus University's research, talent development, knowledge exchange and degree programmes.

With its 700 academic staff members, 200 PhD students, 9,000 BA and MA students, and 1,500 students following continuing/further education programmes, the faculty constitutes a strong and diverse research and teaching environment.

The Faculty of Arts consists of the School of Communication and Culture, the School of Culture and Society and the Danish School of Education. Each of these units has strong academic environments and forms the basis for interdisciplinary research and education.

The faculty's academic environments and degree programmes engage in international collaboration and share the common goal of contributing to the development of knowledge, welfare and culture in interaction with society.

Read more at arts.au.dk/en

The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website.

Aarhus University
Aarhus University is an academically diverse and research-intensive university with a strong commitment to high-quality research and education and the development of society nationally and globally. The university offers an inspiring research and teaching environment to its 38,000 students (FTEs) and 8,300 employees, and has an annual revenues of EUR 935 million. Learn more at www.international.au.dk/