Postdoctoral Research Associate; Assyriology

Department

The Archaeology Data Service (ADS) is a world‑leading accredited digital repository which provides digital data archiving services for United Kingdom archaeology. Founded in 1996, we are part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)’s research infrastructure, and from 2024 we are building the Heritage Science Data Service (HSDS), a £14.4m investment from the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council to develop digital research services for Heritage Science and Conservation.

We are based at the University of York and have c.30 members of staff, located within the Department of Archaeology. The Department is ranked 26th in the world and 5th in the UK in the QS rankings. Its vibrant, diverse and international community consists of over 100 staff and about 600 students. We also work closely with external partners, both in Higher Education and in the public and commercial archaeological sectors.

This is a particularly exciting time in our development, as with UK infrastructure funding for our services for archaeology and heritage science, and a new generation of international research projects, we are working to progress a number of challenges in finding, accessing, producing and reusing digital resources. We are also working with a range of leading European digital infrastructures, including taking a lead role in ARIADNE, and with collaborations with DARIAH, CLARIN, OPERAS and E‑RIHS.

The Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI) is an essential Research Infrastructure in cuneiform studies which curates more than 430,000 records of cuneiform artifacts. Towards Universal Access to Cuneiform Heritage (TUA‑CH) is a research programme closely linked to CDLI, focused on access and dissemination of information about cuneiform heritage. The advertised role will contribute to the objectives of the project “Cuneiform in Translation:
Arabic” part of the TUA‑CH programme, led from the ADS by Dr Émilie Pagé‑Perron.

We are looking for an outstanding research associate who will be at the forefront in our project “Cuneiform in Translation:
Arabic” with the responsibility to open up access to Sumerian literature, Akkadian classics, and other texts, through translations to Arabic from the original languages. The chosen candidate will prepare critical editions, translations, linguistic annotations and glossary records for Sumerian and Akkadian texts of different genres, but mostly literary. They will do so using the infrastructure of the Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative and in collaboration with the larger team of the TUA‑CH project.

Other responsibilities include presenting their research at conferences and in scholarly publications.

• PhD in Assyriology or equivalent experience
• Excellent knowledge of the ancient languages Sumerian and Akkadian
• Excellent knowledge of the Arabic language (C2/native) and good knowledge of the English language (B1 minimum)
• Excellent communication skills to engage effectively with a wide ranging audience, both orally and in writing (in Arabic)
• Competency at working both independently and collaboratively

Interview date:
To be confirmed

Successfully shortlisted applicants will be required to submit the following before their interview date:

1. An example of their research output (e.g. a chapter of their thesis, an article, or a paper they have written for a graduate class, etc).

2. A short original translation & commentary for a Sumerian text and for an Akkadian text. This can be new work, from prior studies, or an excerpt from their thesis.

For informal enquiries: please contact Emilie Page‑Perron at e