UKRI Research Fellow in early medieval Jewish astronomy and related sciences

Job title:

UKRI Research Fellow in early medieval Jewish astronomy and related sciences

Company

University College London

Job description

About usUCL Arts & Humanities is globally renowned for both our teaching and research excellence. Our subjects are ranked 6th in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024 by Subject and joint 10th in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024. For research, our disciplines were recognised as 6th for Research Power in the recent Research Assessment Framework (2021) within the UK. We are known for our ethos of collaboration and innovation, as well as our commitment to the holistic development of our staff and students.We consist of 10 departments, around which our teaching and research is based. Some of our departments cover disciplines traditionally associated with the arts and humanities, such as English, Philosophy, Greek & Latin, the Slade School of Fine Art, and the School of European Languages, Culture & Society. Others are interdisciplinary by design, such as Arts & Sciences (offering the BASc/MASc programmes), Information Studies, Hebrew & Jewish Studies, the School of Slavonic & Eastern European Studies, and European & International Social & Political Studies.Our c.4,600 students and 815 staff work and study across both UCL campuses in Bloomsbury and Stratford, the latter, UCL East, located on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. We offer degrees at all levels – Undergraduate, Postgraduate Taught and PhD. Many of our degree programmes are highly competitive with demanding entry tariffs. With unrivalled expertise in languages and area studies, study abroad and the international student experience are important elements of our education profile.The UCL Department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies is a world-leading centre in the heart of London, noted for its innovative research and teaching. Drawing on UCL’s tradition of secularism and open-mindedness, we integrate all aspects of Jewish Studies, from antiquity to modernity, through the prism of history, literature, and languages. We are the only university department in the UK dedicated to the field of Hebrew and Jewish Studies and its comprehensive, integrated study. We train future scholars and educate the wider community.About the roleThis Research Fellowship is part of a five-year project on ‘Astronomy, calendar, and related sciences in Near Eastern cultures, third-eighth centuries CE’ (NEAstr), funded by a UKRI Frontier Research grant (ERC Advanced Grant funded by UKRI). The Principal Investigator is Professor Sacha Stern (UCL Department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies).NEAstr investigates the history of astronomy, calendar computation, and related sciences (astrology, cosmology, chronology) in the Near East from the third to eighth centuries CE. This period has been marginalised by falling between two periods of Near Eastern pre-eminence in these sciences: ancient Mesopotamia before it (cuneiform ceased in the first century CE), and after it, the Arabic scientific renaissance under the Abbasids. Yet in the intervening period, astronomy and calendar sciences thrived and continued developing in local Near Eastern languages, in a variety of religious and cultural traditions.The research focuses on a still poorly known body of literature in Syriac, Aramaic, Hebrew and Armenian, mainly in the Christian and Jewish traditions, and also extends to old Arabic, Middle Persian, and Mandaic. The project will produce historical studies, critical editions and translations, and a purposely constructed, open-access website incorporating a database and a multi-lingual scientific glossary.NEAstr evaluates the extent to which astronomy and calendar sciences in Near Eastern cultures preserved the earlier, Mesopotamian astronomical tradition, drew on contemporary Hellenistic scholarship, and impacted the later rise of Arabic astronomy. As a multi-disciplinary team, we investigate the fluid, trans-disciplinary relationship between these sciences, their broader cultural impact, and how they transcended, in the late antique and early medieval Near East, the boundaries of languages, religions and cultural difference.About youThe Research Fellow will be responsible for the Hebrew and Jewish Aramaic body of literature within this project. Research tasks will include (1-3 are in order of priority): * Prepare a critical edition, translation, and commentary of Baraita de-Shemuel and Baraita de-Mazzalot.

• Prepare a critical edition, translation, and commentary of Pirqei de-Rabbi Eliezer, chapters 6-8.
• Compile a comprehensive inventory of relevant Hebrew and Aramaic texts from the Palestinian and Babylonian Talmudim, other early rabbinic literature, liturgical poetry, and Genizah and other manuscript sources. Edit and investigate a selection of the sources.
• Contribute to the construction of the multi-lingual scientific glossary.
• Participate in person at weekly team meetings and at the project workshops, and collaborate with team members on the overall research questions of the project.
• Publish two peer-reviewed articles (in addition to the critical editions)

The appointed researcher will be mentored by the PI and reside in or near London.The appointment will start from 1 February 2025 or as soon thereafter as possible, for three years until 31 January 2028. The appointment is at Grade 7 (currently starting from £43,124 per annum including London allowance).**As a part of your application – Please use the ‘Cover letter upload’ option to provide a detailed response on how you meet the criteria set out in the person specification and detailed in the job description.Please attach the following additional documentation as a single PDF file: * A CV (maximum 2 pages), including the contact details of two referees.

• A letter of application (maximum 3 pages) explaining the reasons for your interest in the post and outlining why you are well qualified for it.
• A writing sample (one research-based chapter or article, max. 15,000 words). Please send a published piece if possible; if not, a chapter of your PhD thesis

**The job description and person specification can be accessed in the attached Candidate Pack. To apply please click the ‘Apply Now’ button.What we offerAs well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits some of which are below.Please visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/reward-and-benefits to find out more:

• 41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
• Additional 5 days’ annual leave purchase scheme
• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
• Immigration loan
• Relocation scheme for certain posts
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
• Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
• Discounted medical insurance

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and InclusionAs London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce. These include people of Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.Available documents

Expected salary

£43124 per year

Location

North West London

Job date

Sat, 16 Nov 2024 03:16:03 GMT

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