PhD-candidate (4 years) for the project ‘Fluidity in the Medieval Aristotle. Readers and Readings of the Greek-Latin Translations’ (FitMA)

We currently invite applications for a PhD-candidate (4 years). The successful candidate will carry out research in the context of the project ‘Fluidity in the Medieval Aristotle. Readers and Readings of the Greek-Latin Translations’ (FitMA), funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme (grant agreement N°101164582 – FitMA). The project’s aim is to study the impact of the manuscript transmission of medieval Latin translations on their reception history, with a focus on the interventions by translators, scribes, and readers of the texts. The PI of the project is Pieter Beullens (KU Leuven).
The successful candidate will prepare a dissertation that realises one of the goals set in the FitMA project, i.e. the study of the connection between the annotations by readers preserved in manuscripts of the translatio vetus of Aristotle’s 'De anima' and the emerging Latin commentary tradition of the 13th century. As part of their research, the candidate will produce a digital edition of these annotations that will be openly accessible online. The research will be supervised by the PI of the FitMA project. More information on the project can be found here:

Website unit

Project

The selected applicant will conduct the research leading to their own PhD as a member of the FitMA team and within the aims of the project. They will be expected to participate in the organization of common activities related to the project, such as team meetings, presentations, and conferences, and in the research activities of the De Wulf-Mansion Centre for Ancient, Medieval and Renaissance Studies, in which the project is embedded.

Profile

The candidate has

• a Master’s degree in Arts, Philosophy, or another relevant subject, concluded with excellent study results (or will have it before the start of the employment) and meets the admission requirements of the PhD program of the Institute of Philosophy
• excellent knowledge of Latin
• good command of academic English

The candidate is

• prepared to acquire a deeper background in medieval philosophy 
• aware that acquaintance with Latin medieval palaeography, (digital) edition methods, and/or ancient Greek is considered a plus
• motivated to contribute to the overall goals of the project as a team player

Offer

The successful candidate will be employed at KU Leuven under the standard conditions. The fellowship provides for training opportunities, social and health benefits, and office space. Remote working is possible within the rules of KU Leuven insofar as it does not interfere with the necessities of functioning as a team member.

Interested?

Please submit your application by using the application tool. The application should include

- A short cover letter

- CV (including at least the obtained degrees and other relevant experience)

- A motivational statement (1 page max.) that explains why you want to acquire a PhD-degree on this specific research topic

Preferred starting date: September 1, 2025 or earlier

For further information, please contact Pieter Beullens ([email protected])

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