Postdoctoral Researcher Position in ”Quantification and Qualification of Socio-environmental Hazards in Prehistoric Societies”

The Cluster of Excellence ROOTS (Social, Environmental, and Cultural Connectivity in Past Societies) at Kiel University in Germany explores the deep history of tightly intertwined social and environmental processes, in order to explain their long-term developments and to understand how they resonate into the present (https://www.uni-kiel.de/en/cluster-roots). ROOTS combines expertise from a wide array of disciplines ranging from archaeology to other natural sciences, life sciences, and humanities, creating a unique bridge between different scientific cultures.

The ROOTS experts are organized into six subclusters (Hazards, Dietary, Knowledge, Urban, Inequalities, Conflict), three supportive research platforms (Technical Platform, Data Management and Data Science Platform, Outreach and Dissemination Platform), as well as diverse central units (ROOTS Academy, Reflective Turn Forum, Methods Nucleus) to collectively pursue a research agenda targeting key parameters of socio-environmental connectivity related to (1) human subsistence and biodiversity; (2) inequality and conflict; (3) technology and environmental impact; (4) boundaries and well-being

ROOTS will be housed in the ARCWorlds research building, which is currently being established at Kiel University, in a few years’ time. It will offer high-end infrastructure to realize innovative interdisciplinary research. 

For its 2nd phase, ROOTS is offering a Postdoctoral Researcher Position in “Quantification and Qualification of Socio-environmental Hazards in Prehistoric Societies” (Subproject A1) starting 1^st July 2026.

Profile: Geoscience, Physical Geography, Paleoecology, or related disciplines

We are looking for a qualified and highly motivated candidate with a research interest in human environmental interaction and related hazards. An important goal of the excellence cluster ROOTS is the quantification of human-environmental interactions in the past, especially the scale to which human activities are a transformative force in the environmental record since Late Glacial.

The candidate will integrate, assess, and evaluate the changing roles of relevant variables in the modulation of the human footprint and their inherent hazard potentials based on empirical studies and/or model simulations. The candidate should assemble and evaluate quantitative proxy reconstructions, and apply geospatial and/or numerical modeling methods to investigate climate-induced coastal hazards and socio-economic constraints in connection with human exposure and vulnerability, using demographic variables reconstructed from archaeological data and simulated by numerical models. Key investigation areas are the Northern Sea, the Baltic Sea, and the Mediterranean coastal regions. Active participation in the activities of the subcluster (SC) “ROOTS of Socio-environmental Hazards” and cooperations with the other ROOTS SCs are expected, as well as contributions to the ROOTS Overarching Research questions (1) and (3), in cooperation with ROOTS members. 

Required qualification: Eligible candidates must hold an outstanding PhD in Geosciences, Physical Geography, Environmental Sciences or related disciplines. Preconditions are a proven track record of applied geospatial and/or numerical modeling methods, and familiarity with geoscientific proxy data (field- and laboratory-based). Willingness and ability to participate in ambitious regional, international and interdisciplinary research projects and fieldwork are key to successful applications.

This position (subproject A1) is part of a joint call for 9 doctoral and 5 postdoctoral positions within the Cluster of Excellence ROOTS.

The application deadline for all positions is December 15, 2025.

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