Postdoctoral position in Indo-European Studies at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen

The Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics, Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen (UCPH), invites applications for a postdoctoral position in Indo-European Studies from 1 April 2026.

The position is a fixed-term position for 20 months.

Introduction
The collective research project The Indo-European Dark Ages Illuminated, funded by VELUX FONDEN, aims to reconstruct the cultural vocabulary – words referring to technologies (e.g. the wheel) and socioeconomic phenomena (e.g. dowry) – of the IE “Dark Ages”, the poorly lit period between the dissolution of Proto-Indo-European (PIE) and the emergence of the individual daughter branches. The semantic fields treated in the project are (1) clothing and textiles, (2) metals and metal production, (3) animal husbandry, (4) agriculture, (5) foods and utensils, (6) social structure and jurisdiction, (7) religious practices, (8) warfare, (9) transport, (10) economy and commerce, (11) construction and buildings.

After compiling a comprehensive database of vocabulary items across the IE branches, the project members carry out a computer-assisted phylogenetic analysis to determine the minimal age of each vocabulary item. Since the vocabulary is indicative of the culture of the speakers of a language, the project will lead to new insights, based on historical linguistic evidence, into the cultural and technological stages and transitions in western Eurasia at the dawn of history. It thus corroborates the thriving cross-pollination between historical linguistics, archaeology and historical population genetics.

Duties and Responsibilities
The position will be heavily weighted in favour of research. In addition, a certain amount of teaching may also be required. Other duties may be required to a limited extent. The university determines the exact ratio between the various responsibilities. The ratio may vary over time.

The postdoc is expected to collect and assure the quality of data from the Anatolian and Tocharian branches, generally assumed to be the first branches to split off and therefore potentially contributing indispensable information on the oldest linguistic layers. The postdoc coauthors one article and writes two articles independently. The papers could concern semantic fields for which the position of Anatolian and/or Tocharian in the family tree has been argued to be of significance (e.g. on terms for clothing and textiles in non-Anatolian Indo-European).

The candidate is expected to collaborate closely with the other members of the Dark Ages project, to participate in group meetings at the Roots of Europe research centre and to integrate with the research group Language History.

Applicants are invited to familiarise themselves with the the Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics.

Qualification requirements and assessment criteria
The applicant should have or be about to receive a PhD degree in Indo-European Studies or a related field and must possess skills in written and spoken academic English at a high level.

Reading proficiency in German is a requirement.

Furthermore, it is an advantage if the applicant has knowledge of computational linguistic phylogenetics and its relation to traditional subgrouping methodologies, as well as a basic knowledge of questions pertaining to the correlation of linguistic, archaeological and genetic evidence.

Applicants will primarily be assessed in relation to their research qualifications, including their publications, ability to conduct independent research and participate in research collaborations, and their experience of research management. In addition, the applicant’s research plan and research potential will be assessed in relation to the overall project as described above.

Teaching qualifications are not a requirement, but documented teaching experience can be included in the overall assessment. 

More information on careers at UCPH and the requirement for the different academic positions is available on:
Career at The University of Copenhagen – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

For more about postdoc positions and qualification requirements, see the Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities: Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities (ufm.dk).

Application
Applications must be submitted online in PDF or Word format. Click on the “Apply now” button at the bottom of this advertisement to apply.

Applications may be written in English or Danish and must include the following attachments:  

1. Letter of motivation

2. CV

3. Documentation of qualifications (exam certificates and PhD diploma) 

4. Complete publication list (attached publications must be marked with an asterisk). The list must be structured systematically and divided into the following categories:

• Peer-reviewed publications:
  • Monographs and anthologies
  • Articles in journals
  • Book chapters/anthology contributions, etc.
• Non-peer-reviewed publications:
  • Publications disseminating research findings, etc.

Applicants can attach a maximum of 5 publications. The publication dates must be clearly marked on the list. The selected publications must be uploaded as attachments and numbered 1–5. 

5. Research plan, consisting of a short description of previous research related to the Dark Ages project, a plan for the employment period (including a description of the planned subproject and of the proposed papers) and a brief outline of career plans beyond the postdoc.

6. Documentation of teaching competencies/teaching portfolio (see the UCPH guidelines for teaching portfolios here and other work on the dissemination of research.

Applicants are invited to familiarize themselves with the faculty´s strategic landmarks here: Strategic landmarks – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk).

Salary and terms of employment
Terms of appointment and salary will be in accordance with an agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). The salary range starts at DKK 39,200 (EUR 5,200) + 18,07% contribution to the pension scheme. It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis.

The recruitment process
Once the deadline for applications has expired, the Head of Department will consider advice from the appointment committee and select applicants for assessment. All applicants will be notified whether they have been shortlisted. The Head of Department will then set up an expert assessment committee to consider the applications. The selected applicants will be informed who is serving on the committee. They will be offered the opportunity to comment on the committee’s assessment of their application before the appointment is announced.

Further information on the recruitment process at University of Copenhagen can be found here:  Recruitment process – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk).

As an applicant to the University of Copenhagen, you should be prepared to undergo a security screening related to international research collaboration as part of the recruitment process. The security screening will be conducted in cases where the University deems it appropriate based on an overall assessment.

An Equal Opportunity Workplace
The University of Copenhagen is committed in its pursuit of academic excellence to equality of opportunity and 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. For more on the diverse working place environment at the University and the University’s participation in the HRS4R HR Excellence in Research, see HR Excellence in Research – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

International applicant?
The University of Copenhagen offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including support before and during your relocation and career counselling to expat partners. Please find more information about these services as well as information on entering and working in Denmark here: For international researchers at the University of Copenhagen – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

Contact information
Information about the recruitment process is available from HR, email: HR-Soendre@adm.ku.dk. Please refer to ID number: 211-2367/25-2I #2.

Additional information about the position can be obtained from Professor Thomas Olander, email: olander@hum.ku.dk.

The deadline for applications is 23:59 [CET] on 6 January 2026.

Any applications or additional material submitted after the deadline will not be considered.