Every year NINO opens one full-time postdoctoral position for the duration of two years (overlapping tenures). Each NINO Postdoctoral Fellow carries out original research at NINO, organises an international workshop on a related theme, publishes the proceedings in a NINO volume, and teaches a seminar for graduate students at OIKOS, the National Research School in Classical Studies in the Netherlands.
Candidates are recruited through an open call for application, alternating between the three core research areas of the NINO: Archaeology, Egyptology and Cuneiform Studies. In 2025, the call is open for researchers in the field of ancient Near Eastern archaeology, in 2026 for researchers in Egyptology, and in 2027 for researchers in the field of cuneiform studies. Successful candidates will have completed their PhD and possess a research CV commensurate to career stage.
A call is opened every year in February, starting from February 2019. The selected Postdoctoral Fellow will start his or her fellowship in September.
Please refer to Leiden University’s terms and conditions, described in the vacancy posting.
One of the requirements is: A PhD degree in a relevant field of study, completed between January 2021 and February 2025. To clarify, a NINO Postdoc Fellow can be appointed only if and when they have their PhD degree in hand. For the Fellow to start their position at the fixed date of 1 September 2025, administration of the appointment must start several months earlier. For candidates who obtain their PhD degree shortly after the cut-off date of 28 February 2025, we therefore require to see official confirmation that the candidate’s defense/graduation date will be achieved by the time of the interviews in early April, at the very latest.
In 2025 we invite applications of researchers who work in the field of ancient Near Eastern archaeology. The call for applications is posted on Leiden University’s website (vacancy number 15410), and the application is processed through that website.
Please note: Leiden University’s application system is inflexible and forces the applicant to upload separate documents. The NINO Selection Committee will appreciate to receive applications as a single PDF document named ‘FAMILY NAME – Given name – vacancy number’ (a merged document consisting of CV, letter of motivation, research proposal, conference proposal, sample publication, and list of two referees).
The closing date of the call for applications is Saturday 15 March 2025.
The Annual Postdoc Conference is convened by NINO’s Postdoctoral Fellow at the end of the first year, or beginning of the second year, of his/her tenure. The topic of the international conference is relevant to the Postdoc Fellow’s own research, and academic research interests represented in the Netherlands (at NINO and elsewhere). Applicants to the fellowship will include a description of the workshop envisioned in their research proposal, including a list of invited speakers.
The Postdoctoral Fellow will collect the papers presented at the workshop in a volume to be published in one of NINO’s book series, after peer review. Funds are available for the organisation of the conference and for editorial support.
The yearly MA Seminar on “Methods and Concepts in ancient Near Eastern Studies” at OIKOS is taught by NINO’s Postdoctoral Fellow during the spring term, in the last quarter of his/her tenure. S/he will design a graduate course relating to his/her research theme. The topic should be suitable for students in Egyptology, Archaeology of the Near East and Assyriology, and may also be attended by students in Classics.