Doctoral student: Human-environment interactions in floodplains since the 18th century

Project
This is one of two interdisciplinary PhD positions within a project that aims at providing a long-term reconstruction of human-environment interactions in floodplains in Flanders. During this project the various direct and indirect human interventions in three case study floodplain sites will be mapped by combining an archaeological, historic and geographical analysis. The goal of this PhD is to analyse how human societies through time have responded towards changes in the floodplain environment, whereby particular attention will be paid to rural communities. The time-depth analysis of past human-environment interactions in floodplains will learn us 1) how the present-day cultural palimpsest landscape came about and to which time period specific landscape features can be traced back, but also 2) how resilient the use and management of floodplains has evolved through time. This should allow us to better manage and preserve our cultural heritage within floodplains and to better assess the robustness of floodplain use and sustainable management in future. Chronologically, this position will focus on the early modern and modern period, with a special focus on 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. The PhD-researcher will make use of a wide range of written sources, produced and formed by several actors, and includes among others census data, historical maps, images, official and private archival records, but also oral histories recorded through depth-interviews.

Profile
Applicants are expected to have the following qualifications and attitudes:

• An MA in History or MSc in Geography, with demonstrable interest for and/or experience in the other discipline.
• Collaborative attitude; ability to work independently; ability to contribute creatively to the project.
• Skilled in academic writing, oral communication of research results, present research in international conferences and intermediate publications, strong analytical skills.

Interested?
Applications should include a cover letter, CV and the names of up to three referees. Interviews will be held with shortlisted candidates on 16-17 September. A decision will be communicated before the end of September.

For more information please contact Prof. dr. Gert Verstraeten, tel.: +32 16 32 64 11, mail: gert.verstraeten@kuleuven.be or
Prof. dr. Yves Segers, tel.: +32 16 32 35 43, mail: yves.segers@kuleuven.be.
You can apply for this job no later than September 06, 2019. For more information, click here.