Postdoctoral Researcher (m/f/d) in the field of Prehistoric Archaeology

Einleitung

The Leibniz Centre for Archaeology (LEIZA), a member of the Leibniz Association, is an archaeological research institute and museum operating worldwide, with its headquarters in Mainz and further locations in Neuwied, Mayen and Schleswig. Since its foundation in 1852, the museum has been dedicated to the material legacy of three million years of human history, with the aim of understanding human behaviour and actions, as well as the development and transformation of societies.

For our Schleswig location, we are looking for a

Postdoctoral Researcher (m/f/d)

in the field of

Prehistoric Archaeology

(Grade 13 TV-L)

on a full-time basis, on a fixed-term contract for 15 months

starting as soon as possible

Research project and applicant requirements:

During the late Pleistocene and early Holocene, Northern Europe was inhabited by mobile hunter-gatherers. Due to their nomadic lifestyle, traces of these societies are hard to find, which makes it difficult to understand their way of life and development. However, some parts of the south-western Baltic Sea were only flooded during the Holocene and may therefore contain anthropogenic structures and landscapes from this Palaeolithic/early Mesolithic period. A sunken stone wall, likely dating from the Stone Age and used for hunting, was recently discovered in the south-western Baltic Sea. Similar hunting structures, which appear to have been used for the mass hunting of ungulate herds, have also been found in other parts of the world.

A three-year project (SEASCAPE), funded by the Leibniz Association, aims to gain a more detailed understanding of this structure, to identify other previously unknown Stone Age megastructures on the Baltic Sea seabed, and to reconstruct the palaeoenvironmental conditions under which these structures were built. The SEASCAPE project involves researchers from the fields of archaeology, geology, geophysics and palaeo-climatology at the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW), the Leibniz-Centre for Archaeology, Schleswig location (LEIZA), the University of Rostock and Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel.

As part of the SEASCAPE project, LEIZA Competence Area 1, ‘Pleistocene and Early Holocene Archaeology’, at the Schleswig location is responsible, within Work Package 1, for identifying common global characteristics of such structures that are crucial to their function. In addition, their impact on settlement patterns and the socio-economic structures of hunter-gatherer communities is to be investigated.

Your responsibilities:

• Creation of a GIS database on sub-recent megastructures in Arctic regions, constructed for the hunting or herding of reindeer or caribou, as well as on comparable prehistoric megastructures worldwide
• In-depth analysis of the key features essential to the function of such structures, as well as the identification of functional differences and chronological developments
• Investigation of morphologically similar sub-recent hunting or fishing structures, identification of diagnostic differences, and their integration into the natural environment
• Analysis of the significance of these structures for settlement patterns and for the socio-economic structures of the human communities involved
• Co-operation with the doctoral research projects currently underway within the project
• Where appropriate, active participation in the project’s research expeditions in the western Baltic Sea

Your profile:

• A degree in Prehistoric Archaeology, preferably with a PhD in Stone Age hunter-gatherer archaeology
• Very good written and spoken English
• Enjoy working in interdisciplinary teams
• Sound GIS skills to carry out feature-based data collection on prehistoric and more recent megastructures, followed by GIS-supported comparative data analysis
• Experience in ethno-archaeological research
• Knowledge of the geo-stratigraphy of the Baltic Sea is also an advantage

Benefits and contact information

We offer:

• Remuneration up to pay grade 13 under the TV-L collective agreement, subject to meeting the relevant personal and contractual requirements
• Social benefits in accordance with public sector regulations, including an additional company pension scheme (VBL) and an annual bonus in line with the TV-L, plus a 50% subsidy towards the “Deutschlandticket”
• Flexible working hours with up to five full or ten half flex days per month and generous arrangements for remote working
• A varied workplace in the immediate vicinity of the Baltic Sea
• Excellent facilities with modern laboratory and office equipment, and the traditionally close on-site collaboration with colleagues from the Schleswig Museum of Archaeology and the Schleswig-Holstein State Office for Archaeology
• A working environment in which equal opportunities and equality for all employees are actively promoted. Family-friendliness and work-life balance are important to us. We are certified under the “audit berufundfamilie” scheme.

In addition to job security and a family-friendly working environment, we offer an attractive and diverse workplace, reliable structures and a varied role.

LEIZA aims to reflect the diversity of society and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of age, disability, gender, nationality, religion or sexual orientation.

Applicants with severe disabilities (please enclose supporting documentation!) and women will be given preferential consideration where qualifications and suitability are equal.

We look forward to receiving your full application:

• Cover letter (max. 1 page)
• Statement of purpose (max. 1 page)
• CV
• Summary of your doctoral thesis (1 page)
• Doctoral degree certificate
• Any additional qualifications
• References

in a PDF file – by email by 25.08.2026. Please send this to: bewerbung@leiza.de.

Any costs incurred in connection with your application cannot be reimbursed.

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Harald Lübke (harald.luebke@leiza.de).

For further information on LEIZA, please visit www.leiza.de.