The Department for Medieval Studies at the Central European University in Vienna invites applications for five fully funded PhD positions, on topics decided by the student and potential supervisor.  

Our doctoral program builds on the deep interconnectedness of disciplines. You will engage in comparative research and seminar work on political, social, economic and religious history and of art, archeology and material culture of the late antiquity, the Middle Ages and the early modern period. You can also perfect your knowledge of source languages. Your future degree opens opportunities in a wealth of careers, especially, but not limited to, teaching and research. 

Our faculty’s research interests span continents and eras, from the Fall of Rome to the height of the Ottoman Empire. Current projects include Poetics Before Modernity, The Mongol Invasion of Hungary in its Eurasian Context and the European Historic Towns Atlas. We particularly focus on language acquisition and development, particularly for rarely taught languages like Syriac and Old Church Slavonic. 

You will be joining a lively intellectual community where civil debate is encouraged and disciplines intermingle. CEU was founded on the principles of Open Society, to help rebuild Central Europe after the fall of totalitarian regimes. In the Department of Medieval Studies, we look to previous times to help us understand and improve the futures of students and states. We are dedicated to interdisciplinary research, cultural heritage and the principles of free and open communication.  

CEU is an English-language, student-focused research university located in Vienna and accredited both in Austria and the United States. CEU is committed to attracting talented students and scholars from around the world. Our student/faculty ratio (7:1) allows for small, research-driven and discussion-based seminars and close guidance from faculty members.    

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS 

Applicants for PhD positions and funding must hold a master's degree in any field of Medieval, Late Antique, Byzantine or early Ottoman studies including art history and archaeology of the Middle Ages. We also admit Classicists with an interest in later periods.  

Applications must include a summary of their master's thesis, a PhD dissertation proposal and a dissertation timeline. Funding decisions will be made solely based on the merit of the applicants’ materials. Nationality and current visa status is not a consideration.

Application Deadline: 17 April 2023

More details on the role are available here.