PhD Position in Cultural Heritage at Uppsala University

The Department of Archaeology, Ancient History, and Conservation invites students with a master's degree in conservation or equivalent to apply for funding for a PhD position at the Wallenberg Foundation (https://bws.wallenberg.org/), with the department as the host for the education.

The Department of Archaeology, Ancient History, and Conservation (https://www.uu.se/institution/arkeologi-antik-historia-och-kulturvard) is a dynamic and expanding research environment with around one hundred staff members conducting activities both in Visby and Uppsala. The environment includes seven main areas at undergraduate and advanced levels, and the department offers doctoral education in conservation, archaeology, ancient culture and society, and Egyptology. Conservation is located in Visby, archaeology is available in both Uppsala and Visby, and ancient culture and society and Egyptology are offered in Uppsala.

The department has an integrated research culture that includes the graduate school Grass (https://www.uu.se/campus/gotland/forskning/grass) in Visby and two centers of excellence in Uppsala. Competencies in conservation include sustainable management of cultural heritage, building and environmental conservation, cultural heritage and community safety, as well as research on the role of cultural heritage in social, ecological, and economic sustainable development. It is significant that this profile is strengthened in the future with competencies in preventive conservation and collection management. More information about research projects (https://www.uu.se/institution/arkeologi-antik-historia-och-kulturvard/forskning/forskningsprojekt) can be found on the department's website.

Job Responsibilities

Doctoral education through employment as a PhD student comprises four years of net studies. As a PhD student, you are expected to engage in full-time doctoral education and actively participate in the department's seminar activities. For further information, see here (https://www.uu.se/fakultet/historisk-filosofiska/utbildning/forskarutbildning/amnen-och-behorigheter). Teaching or administrative duties at the department corresponding to a maximum of 20 percent may occur by agreement. The employment will be extended accordingly.

Applicants accepted into the doctoral program will be employed as PhD students at the department for four years on a full-time basis. Salary according to the local collective agreement for PhD students. PhD employees are covered by the employment conditions that apply to all employees at Uppsala University regarding insurance, vacation, and parental leave rights.

Qualification Requirements

Eligible for doctoral education in the main field of conservation is someone who has:

• obtained a master's degree in conservation, or
• completed at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 higher education credits at the advanced level including an independent project of at least 15 higher education credits in conservation, or
• acquired equivalent knowledge in some other way.

Additional Information about the PhD Position

Please note that the PhD position can only be filled if the applicant receives funding from the Berit Wallenberg Foundation. The foundation funds research in archaeology and art history, preferably up to the end of the 19th century. Grants are primarily given for research concerning Swedish and Nordic material. The applicant is responsible for designing the research plan so that the project clearly falls within one of the foundation's areas of preparation (archaeology or art) and responds to the foundation's priorities. Applications that are not deemed to have realistic prospects of competing for funding from the foundation will not be nominated by the department. The department board decides after internal review which applications the department can host. The Berit Wallenberg Foundation then makes the final selection and decides on funding.

Application

The application, which can be written in Swedish or English, should include:

• an introductory letter (max 2 A4 pages) describing yourself, why you want to pursue a PhD, and why you are suitable for admission to the doctoral program,
• the applicant's CV showing educational background (max 2 A4 pages),
• contact details for two referees,
• master's thesis at the advanced level (if such was included in the education) and any publications,
• research plan (max 10 A4 pages), including research questions, research context, material and methodological issues, as well as the project's relevance both to the scientific community in general and the funding agency in particular,
• copies of degree certificates or equivalent documenting eligibility.

Assessment Criteria

The department board makes decisions based on 1) the quality, feasibility, and relevance of the research plan; 2) the applicant's qualifications for the intended research task; 3) the applicant's ability to benefit from doctoral education in general; 4) the quality of the applicant's submitted thesis; 5) the applicant's ability to carry out the research task within set time frames; 6) the department's ability to offer qualified supervision; 7) other publications and relevant employment. In the admission process, a selection of applicants will be invited for an interview.

About the Employment

The employment is temporary, according to HF Chapter 5 § 7. The extent is full-time. Start date 2027-01-01 or by agreement. Place of employment: Visby.

For inquiries about the position, please contact: Head of Department Karl-Johan Lindholm, [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]), 018-471 20 81; Director of Doctoral Education Michael Lindblom, [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]), 018-471 75 53.

Welcome with your application by April 1, 2026, UFV-PA 2026/559.

Uppsala University is a broad research university with a strong international standing. The ultimate goal is to conduct education and research of the highest quality and relevance to make a difference in society. Our most important asset is all 7,600 employees and 53,000 students who, with curiosity and commitment, make Uppsala University one of the country's most exciting workplaces.

Read more about our benefits and what it's like to work at Uppsala University here (https://uu.se/om-uu/jobba-hos-oss/).

The employment may be subject to security screening. A prerequisite for employment during security screening is that the applicant is approved.

We kindly decline offers of recruitment and advertising assistance.

Applications are received in Uppsala University's recruitment system.

Union representatives: Saco-S - [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]), Seko - [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]), ST (OFR/S) - [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])