Studentships
PhD Studentship in Indian Ocean Linguistic Prehistory
Applications are invited for an ERC-funded PhD studentship to investigate early plant and animal translocations in the Indian Ocean. The 3-year studentship will be based in the Faculty of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Cambridge. The studentship is offered as part of the SEALINKS Project, which is undertaking m ulti-disciplinary studies on the prehistoric emergence of long-distance maritime contacts in the Indian Ocean. The 5-year project will take a unique interdisciplinary approach to maritime prehistory, and is of particular interest to students whose interests bridge the humanities and natural sciences.
The aim of the PhD studentship is to study early biological
translocations in the Indian Ocean through the collection of linguistic
data on plants and/or animals, and its synthesis with relevant historiographic,
archaeological and genetic findings. The student will undertake fieldwork
in areas of interest, which may include East Africa, Madagascar, India
and/or Southeast Asia. The student selected for the project will have
the opportunity to help shape its particular direction and course,
and will work close
ly
with the project PI, Dr. Nicole Boivin (Leverhulme Centre for Human
Evolutionary Studies, University of
Cambridge) and key project partners, Dr. Dorian Fuller (Institute
of Archaeology,
UCL), Dr. Roger Blench (Mallam Dendo, Cambridge), Dr. Martin Walsh
(Department of Social Anthropology, University of Cambridge), Prof.
Dr. George van Driem (Humanities Faculty, Leiden University), and
Dr. Sander Adelaar (Asia Institute, University of Melbourne).
Students should have a very good honours degree (at least a 2.1 or equivalent) or Masters degree in a relevant subject (e.g., historical linguistics, ethnobiology, anthropology or archaeology). Students with a background in historical linguistics are especially encouraged to apply. The project will involve extensive travel abroad, active fieldwork and library research.
The studentship covers the full cost of a home/EU student (tuition, college fees, and living expenses). Funding for fieldwork is also available. The successful candidate will subsequently be required to make a formal application for graduate studies to the University of Cambridge.
Start date: October 2008.
To apply, candidates should send a CV and cover letter outlining their background and interest in the project to Dr. Nicole Boivin (nlb20@cam.ac.uk). Candidates should also arrange for two academic referees to send confidential letters of reference by the closing date. All material, including letters of reference, should be submitted by email as pdf documents.
Key words: Linguistics/Historical Linguistics/Ethnobiology/Archaeology/Anthropology.