Postdoctoral Research Associate or Fellow in Ancient Disease & Pandemics

Generous holiday allowances, flexible working, pension scheme and relocation package (if applicable).

Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences

This Wellcome funded full time position is available for four years from 1st September 2026 (or as soon as possible thereafter).

The post

The Faculty wishes to recruit a Postdoctoral Research Associate, or Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Ancient Medicine to join the team of the interdisciplinary project: 'Pustules, Palaeogenetics and Pandemics from Galen to Rhazes: How to do the Early History of Smallpox and Measles’, PI Professor Rebecca Flemming. This team consists of 5 academics (in both Classics and Ancient History and the Institute of Arab and Islamic studies), and will be joined by 2 other post-doctoral researchers and 2 PhD students, all working together to explore changing patterns of feverish pustular diseases, of disease description, conceptualisation, and response, from the second to the tenth centuries CE across Afro-Eurasia. We will be investigating a range of multilingual medical texts, archaeological and palaeogenetic evidence, thinking about methodologies and maintaining a dialogue between past and present.

The successful applicant will contribute to the work of the project primarily through developing interdisciplinary methodologies which combine the fullest range of evidence—textual, osteological, palaeogenetic and more—to understand past disease and pandemics in the most effective way. You will also work in collaboration with other team members to produce your own original research on ancient disease and pandemics based on any more particular sets of materials and approaches. You will be expected to co-organise and take part in project-related events and activities more generally.

About you

Postdoctoral Research Associate

You will:

• Possess a relevant PhD (or nearing completion) or an equivalent qualification/experience in Archaeology/Bioarchaeology/Archaeological Science/ Ancient History or a related field of study;
• Be able to demonstrate sufficient knowledge across related disciplines and of research methods and techniques to work within and across established research programmes.
• Have experience working with bioarchaeological and/or palaeogenetic evidence.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

You will:

• Possess a relevant PhD or an equivalent qualification/experience in Archaeology/Bioarchaeology/Archaeological Science/ Ancient History or a related field of study;
• Possess sufficient specialist knowledge across disciplines to develop/follow research programmes and methodologies.
• Have experience working with bioarchaeological and/or palaeogenetic evidence.
• Have a record of research outputs in high quality publications.

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Commitment

We are committed to ensuring reasonable adjustments are available for interviews and workplaces.
Whilst all applicants will be judged on merit alone, we particularly welcome applications from groups currently underrepresented within our working community.

With over 30,000 students and 7,000 staff from 150 different countries we offer a diverse and engaging environment where our diversity is celebrated and valued as a major strength. We are committed to creating an inclusive culture where all members of our community are supported to thrive; where diverse voices are heard through our engagement with evidence-based charter frameworks for gender (Athena SWAN and Project Juno for Physics), race equality (Race Equality Charter Mark), LGBTQ+ inclusion (Stonewall Diversity Champion) and as a Disability Confident employer.
We are proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant and welcome applications from service people.

Further information

For an informal discussion about the role please contact Professor Rebecca Flemming: r.flemming@exeter.ac.uk.

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