PhD Scholarship in Environmental Humanities

Applications are invited for a fully-funded PhD scholarship at Ghent University, tenable for a period of up to four years. The successful candidate will be co-supervised by Professors Marco Caracciolo, Stef Craps, and Elly McCausland. Candidates are invited to propose their own project, situated firmly within the environmental humanities and combining theoretical exploration with textual analysis. 

Expectations for the proposed project

We seek candidates whose research intersects meaningfully with the research domains represented across our supervisory team. These include:

• Narrative theory and narratology, particularly in relation to ecological and environmental questions.
• Memory and affect studies, with attention to how cultural narratives address experiences of crisis, loss, and transformation.
• Children’s and young adult literature, including its engagements with risk, trust, imagination, and the environment.
• Ecocriticism and the environmental humanities, with an openness to decolonial, interdisciplinary, and cross-cultural perspectives.

We are especially interested in projects that cut across (some of) these areas, bringing them into dialogue in innovative ways. Proposals should demonstrate both a solid grounding in theoretical debates and a capacity for original analytical work.

Candidates should have:

• A Master’s degree or equivalent qualification in a relevant field, such as English Literature, Literary Studies, or Comparative Literature (candidates near completion may also apply, indicating the expected date of the degree)
• An outstanding record of undergraduate and Master’s-level work
• Research experience in one or more relevant fields
• Excellent writing and speaking skills in English 

Conditions of employment

• We offer you a full-time PhD scholarship, starting on 1 February 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.
• You will be appointed for one year. After a positive evaluation, the scholarship will be extended for three more years.
• The fellowship amount corresponds to 100% of the net salary of an AAP staff member with the same family circumstances. The exact amount is determined by Ghent University’s HR Department, based on family status and seniority. Fellowships that meet the conditions of the doctoral fellowship regulations are exempt from personal income tax. Click here for more information about our salary scales.
• Additional financial support is available for conference and workshop attendance.
• As a Ghent University staff member, you will also enjoy a wide range of benefits, including extensive training and professional development opportunities, 36 days of annual holiday leave (for a full-time position), additional fixed bridge days, a bicycle allowance, and eco vouchers. Click here for a complete overview of staff benefits.
• You will be based at Ghent University, as the project is funded by the university’s Special Research Fund (BOF).
• You will complete the doctoral training programme offered by Ghent University’s Doctoral School.

Applications should include:

• A cover letter, in which you specify why you are interested in this position and why you consider yourself a suitable candidate (1–2 pages)
• A research proposal (max. 4 pages) in which you outline your proposed research project
• A current CV
• Transcripts of your qualifications to date (degrees and grade lists)
• A writing sample (Master’s thesis, article, etc.)
• Names and full contact details of two referees

The application deadline is 15 November 2025.

Applications should be submitted in English as a single PDF to marco.caracciolo@ugent.be, stef.craps@ugent.be, and elly.mccausland@ugent.be. Please use the email subject “PhD EnvHum Application – [Your Name]” and name the file “Lastname_Firstname_PhD_EnvHum.pdf”.

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