Postdoctoral Researcher - Small Change and History. Understanding the Monetary Economy of Ancient Syracuse

Location: Beaumont Street, Oxford (with home working of up to 4 to 5 days per week by agreement)
Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Contract type: Fixed-term for 36 months 

About the role

Join the Ashmolean Museum's internationally renowned Heberden Coin Room and contribute to an exciting three-year research project exploring the monetary economy of ancient Syracuse during the Classical and Hellenistic periods.

Working alongside leading researchers at the Ashmolean Museum and the University of Oxford, you will help advance understanding of the role of small silver and bronze coinage in the political, economic and social history of Sicily. You will undertake original research leading to a major monograph, peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. Your work will involve developing a comprehensive corpus of Syracuse's small silver and bronze coinage, analysing literary, epigraphic and archaeological evidence, and applying quantitative and digital research methods. You will collaborate with researchers across the DIEGEST Project, the Centre for the Study of Ancient Documents and international partners, contributing to innovative research in numismatics and monetary history. 

About You

You will hold, or be close to completing, a PhD/DPhil in a relevant discipline and possess specialist knowledge of ancient numismatics. You will have working knowledge of ancient Greek and Latin, experience of conducting independent research, and the ability to publish and present your work to academic audiences. You will be confident using digital research tools and methods, with excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to contribute to collaborative research projects. 

Experience of die studies, working with original ancient numismatic material, nomisma.org standards, or relevant modern languages would be an advantage.

Diversity

Our staff and students come from all over the world, and we proudly promote a friendly and inclusive culture. Diversity is positively encouraged, through diverse groups and champions, as well as a number of family-friendly policies, such as the right to apply for flexible working and support for staff returning from periods of extended absence, for example, shared parental leave.

We are committed to ensuring that our recruitment processes are inclusive and accessible. If you require the job description or any other materials in an alternative format, or if you would like to request any adjustments to support you through the application or interview process, please contact the recruitment team at recruitment@glam.ox.ac.uk.

How to apply

You will be required to upload your CV and a supporting statement as part of your online application. Your supporting statement should list each of the essential and desirable selection criteria, as listed in the job description, and explain how you meet each one. CVs alone will not be considered.

We aim to provide a supportive working environment and are happy to discuss training and professional development opportunities. For any enquiries related to the role, please contact Prof Frédérique Duyrat, Director of Collections and Keeper of the Heberden Coin Room (frederique.duyrat@ashmus.ox.ac.uk). Please contact GLAM Recruitment team (recruitment@glam.ox.ac.uk) for any general queries about the recruitment and application process.

Only applications received online by 12.00 midday (BST) on Friday 28 August 2026 can be considered. Interviews are expected to take place on 30 September 2026.

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