CLOSED – Postdoctoral researcher – GLOSSAM Project

School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures

College of Arts, Social Sciences & Celtic Studies

Ref. No. University of Galway 101-23

Applications are invited from suitably qualified candidates for a full-time, fixed term position as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Moore Institute, University of Galway.

This position is funded by the Irish Research Council Laureate Awards and is available from 1 September 2023 to 31 August 2025.

The Project

Global and Local Scholarship on Annotated Manuscripts (GLOSSAM; http://glossam.ie) is a four-year research project (2022–2026) based in the Moore Institute at the University of Galway, directed by Dr Pádraic Moran.

GLOSSAM will enhance our understanding of reading, education, scholarship, and knowledge transfer in the pre-modern world, by creating new narratives, conceptual frameworks, digital tools and methodological models for the study of glosses.

Glosses are the paratexts transmitted between the lines and in the margins of manuscript books, micro-texts that control how the central texts were read and interpreted. Glosses are as ubiquitous as books themselves. Recent research has discovered that they are a truly global phenomenon, found throughout the literate cultures of Europe, the Middle East, and South and East Asia. The potential now exists to create a new narrative for the history of glossing in an expanded global context.

Environment

This post will be based in the Moore Institute for Research in the Humanities and Social Studies, located in the Hardiman Research Building at the University of Galway. The researcher will work with the other members of the research team and will benefit from dedicated training, mentorship and networking activities.

The research team will comprise of the PI, two postdoctoral researchers and one PhD researcher. One of the postdoctoral researchers will be a Humanities specialist (this position) and the other a Computer Science specialist. The latter will be working on textual analysis of glosses using the latest techniques of Natural Language Processing and machine learning. The project will therefore also provide opportunities to build significant expertise in Digital Humanities.

Job description

The Humanities postdoctoral researcher will explore the role of glosses in the transmission of knowledge in Europe, by focusing on the glossing tradition on one text, namely the sixth-century Latin grammar of Priscian. This encyclopaedic text was the pinnacle of the Graeco-Roman tradition of linguistic and literary study, and an important conduit for knowledge of Classical literary culture.

The work will involve surveying 25 manuscripts dating mainly from the ninth century. It will achieve results much more comprehensive and systematic than has been possible before, thanks to the new digital resources described above.

Duties

Duties include:

  • Research on the early manuscript transmission of Priscian.
  • Making full or sample transcriptions of glosses from the corpus of eighth- or ninth-century Priscian manuscripts.
  • Basic text-encoding in XML.
  • Analysis of the textual relationships between glossed manuscripts, using both traditional philological and computer-assisted techniques.
  • Interpretation of results in the context of the known history of intellectual production and knowledge exchange in early medieval Europe.
  • Dissemination of results at conferences and in peer-reviewed publications.
  • Contributing to the regular activities of the project team.

Requirements

Essential criteria:

  • PhD in Classics, Medieval Studies, Celtic Studies or a closely related field.
  • Excellent knowledge of Latin.
  • Excellent familiarity with Latin manuscripts from the ninth and tenth centuries.
  • Knowledge of early medieval Latin palaeography.
  • Excellent organisation and interpersonal skills.

Desirable criteria:

  • Previous peer-reviewed publications.
  • Prior experience of research on Priscian and/or Latin grammars.
  • Experience in Digital Humanities, particularly text-encoding.
  • Experience working on collaborative, multidisciplinary research projects.

Salary

Postdoctoral Researcher Scale point 1 to point 2 (€42,033 – €42621) per annum pro rata for shorter and/or part-time contracts (public sector pay policy rules pertaining to new entrants will apply).

Start date: Position is available from September 1, 2023.

Informal enquiries may be made to Dr Pádraic Moran: padraic.moran@universityofgalway.ie

Continuing Professional Development

Further information on research and working at University of Galway is available on Research at University of Galway
Researchers at University of Galway are encouraged to avail of a range of training and development opportunities designed to support their personal career development plans. University of Galway provides continuing professional development supports for all researchers seeking to build their own career pathways either within or beyond academia.

Researchers are encouraged to engage with our Researcher Development Centre (RDC) upon commencing employment: see https://www.universityofgalway.ie/rdc/ for further information.

For information on moving to Ireland, see http://www.euraxess.ie.

How to apply

Applications should include a covering letter outlining the applicant’s suitability for the role, a sample of academic written work (e.g. published article, thesis chapter), a CV, and the contact details of two referees. Applications should be sent as one PDF file via email to: mooreinstitute@universityofgalway.ie.

Please put reference number University of Galway 101-23 in subject line of e-mail application.

Closing date for receipt of applications is 5.00 pm, Wednesday, May 24, 2023.

 Interviews are planned to be held during the week of 12 June, 2023.

We reserve the right to re-advertise or extend the closing date for this post.

The University of Galway is an equal opportunities employer.

All positions are recruited in line with Open, Transparent, Merit (OTM) and Competency based recruitment.