PhD Position in Archaeology, Ancient Culture and Society, or Egyptology

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

The department has an integrated research culture that includes two centers of excellence (WIVA (https://www.uu.se/en/centre/centre-for-the-world-in-the-viking-age-wiva) and Center for the Human Past (https://centerforthehumanpast.se/)) and competencies across a range of interdisciplinary themes including ancient religious practices, urban societies, conflict and power studies, historical ecology, and critical heritage studies. 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 pursue doctoral education full-time 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 correspondingly.

Applicants accepted into the doctoral program will be employed as PhD students at the department for four years full-time. 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 one of the department's main areas is someone who has:

• completed a master's degree in archaeology, ancient culture and society, or Egyptology, 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 within one of the above main areas, 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 awarded for research concerning Swedish and Nordic material. The applicant is responsible for designing the research plan so that the project clearly falls within the preparatory area of archaeology and aligns with the foundation's priorities. Applications that are not deemed to have realistic prospects of competing for funding from BWS will not be able to 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 doctoral education,
• the applicant's CV showing educational background (max 2 A4 pages),
• contact details for two referees,
• master's thesis (if such was included in the education) and any publications,
• research plan (max 10 A4 pages), including research question, research context, material and method issues, and the project's relevance both to the scientific community in general and the funding body 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 5 chap § 7. The extent is full-time. Start date 2027-01-01 or by agreement. Place of employment: Uppsala or Visby (archaeology), Uppsala (ancient culture and society and Egyptology).

Inquiries about the position can be made to: 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 2026/558

Uppsala University is a broad research university with a strong international position. 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 is like to work at Uppsala University here (https://uu.se/om-uu/jobba-hos-oss/).

The employment may be subject to security clearance. A prerequisite for employment in the event of security clearance 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])