About us:

The Institute for Assyriology and Hittitology is a leading center for cutting-edge research in Digital Assyriology, with a strong focus on the digital preservation and analysis of cuneiform sources.

The ERC-funded project “Rewriting the End of Cuneiform Civilization” (RECC) aims to revolutionize our understanding of the final centuries of cuneiform culture through cutting-edge digital humanities and machine learning techniques. The project will develop tools for paleographic analysis, automatic dating of cuneiform tablets, and the study of scribal practices in Hellenistic and Parthian Babylonia.

We are looking for you:

Doctoral Researcher in Assyriology at the ERC Project: “Rewriting the End of Cuneiform Civilization” (m/f/x)

in Munich

Your tasks and responsibilities:

• Research and write a dissertation titled The Last Cuneiform Families, analyzing colophons and scribal lineages.
• Compile and manage the project’s colophon database, updating Hunger’s (1968) work with new data.
• Contribute to the Catalogue and Editions of the project.
• Collaborate with a Post-Doctoral researcher to supervise student assistants in annotating tablets for the Signarium.
• Organize a workshop on scribal practices in 2028.

Your qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Assyriology (or equivalent) with top grades.
• Experience reading cuneiform tablets.
• Familiarity with digital tools (e.g., eBL platform, ATF transliteration).
• Fluency in English; German is a plus.

Benefits:

• The opportunity to be part of a dynamic, internationally connected team working at the forefront of Digital Assyriology.
• Career development through the LMU qualification program.
• A stimulating working environment at one of Germany’s top-ranked universities. Our institute is located in the heart of the vibrant and internationally diverse city of Munich with excellent public transportation links.
• Organizational assistance from the LMU Gateway service for relocation to Munich.
• Collaboration with Assyriologists, ML experts, and international partners.
• Flexible working hours.

People with disabilities who are equally as qualified as other applicants will receive preferential treatment.

Contact:

If you have any questions, please contact Prof. Dr. Enrique Jiménez: enrique.jimenez@lmu.de

Submit your CV, academic transcripts, writing sample (e.g. MA thesis), and motivation letter (one to two pages) as a single PDF to: sekretariat.jimenez@assyr.fak12.uni-muenchen.de

Subject: _Application for PhD1 (RECC Project)_

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