Researcher in Classical Studies

Masaryk University

Workplace:   Department of Classical Studies, Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University
EU Researcher Profile:   R2
Amount of Working Hours:   full-time - 40 hours per week
Number of Open Positions:  1
Expected Start:  1 January 2026 or by agreement
Type of Employment Contract:   3 years 
Application Deadline:   31 August 2025

WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR

We are looking to fill a Researcher II position (roughly equivalent to a postdoc) with a focus on grammaticalization and language change in Latin or Greek. The successful candidate will work within a research project hosted at Masaryk University and investigated jointly with the Charles University in Prague and the Czech Academy of Sciences (PI Pavel Caha). The specific research topic within the project is grammaticalization (pragmaticalization), language development, and language change. The postdoc will work on this topic in collaboration with Jana Mikulová.

MAIN JOB CONTENT

Framework

  • Independent research on the topic of the project.
  • Work within a research team/group.
  • Publishing research results (ideally in Q1 journals).
  • Writing and submitting grant applications.
  • The content of the research activity:
    • grammaticalization or pragmaticalization in Latin or Greek
    • language development, language change, language contact

Other

Carrying out administrative duties related to the position.

WE REQUEST

Professional education, qualifications and experience

  • Ph.D. in Latin or Greek philology with a focus on linguistics or related disciplines – required.
  • A research worker who obtained their Ph.D. (or an equivalent qualification at ISCED level 8) no more than 7 years ago (from the date of dissertation defense). This period may be extended for maternity or parental leave, long-term illness (more than 90 days), caregiving for a family member (more than 90 days), pre-certification training, or military service.
  • At least one scholarly publication indexed in the Thomson Reuters Web of Science or Scopus databases within the last three years, classified as "article," "book," "book chapter," "letter," or "review" (as of the date of selection). The applicant must be the main author of at least one publication (depending on field specifics, this may be the first author, corresponding author, reprint author, or another explicitly defined role in the article).
  • Experience in research outside the Czech Republic with at least a 0.5 full-time equivalent position or a Ph.D. degree obtained abroad is an advantage. Czech citizens are not excluded.
  • Prior work on the research topic and/or experience with research projects is an advantage
  • Expertise relevant to the research topic.
  • Ability to:
    • conduct independent scholarly research,
    • collaborate on complex scientific, research, and development tasks within a research team,
    • apply basic principles of project management.
    • clearly formulate research findings and present research results effectively.

Language skills

  • Knowledge of English at the B2/C1 level.
  • Knowledge of Czech is not required.

WE OFFER

Working environment

  • employment in a prestigious institution awarded by the HR Excellence in Research
  • the opportunity to work in an international, interdisciplinary team
  • friendly and inspiring working environment
  • convenient location of the faculty in the city centre
  • a friendly approach to work-life balance

Employee benefits

6 weeks of paid vacation per year, flexible working hours with the possibility to work partly from home for better work life balance, meal allowance in the salary or for meals in canteens, pension insurance contribution or nursery school/ playgroup allowance, selected vaccinations free of charge, favourable mobile tariffs Vodafone, Multisport card, sports lessons organized by the Faculty of Sports Studies, the nursery school Elánek for children of employees near the faculty.

Training and development

Opportunities for training and personal development, e.g., language and other courses provided by MU, use of MU libraries, use of placements and mobilities abroad, participation in conferences, etc.

HOW TO APPLY

Please send your application via the electronic application link by 31. 08. 2025 (please use the link in the Electronic Application section below) and please attach all required documents.  

The following documents are required as a part of your application:

  • cover letter,
  • CV with an overview of scientific and publishing activities,
  • copies of proof of education,
  • the names and e-mail addresses of 2 references (may be included in the CV or the cover letter).

Once your application has been successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation of acceptance to your e-mail address. After the e-application deadline, you will receive information about the next steps.

If you are unsure, please contact the FF MU Personnel Office: Mgr. Lída Oplatková, e-mail: oplatkova@phil.muni.cz

SELECTION PROCESS

Selection criteria:

  • submitting of all required documents in the e-application
  • compliance of the candidate's profile with the requirements for the job as stated above

Suitable candidates will be invited to a personal interview, which may also take the form of a videoconference.

Selection procedures rules at the Faculty of Arts of MU can be found on our careers page.

Thank you for your interest and we look forward to hearing from you!

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY, THE FACULTY AND THE DEPARTMENT

Masaryk University is the second largest university in the Czech Republic, with 10 faculties and a number of other specialized units, more than 6,000 employees and 32,000 students. We are a university with a wide range of research areas in the humanities and natural sciences and a strong international position. Our mission is to provide education and research of the highest quality.

The Faculty of Arts of Masaryk University is one of the four founding faculties of Masaryk University and since its foundation in 1919 it has been not only an important centre of humanities and social science education, science, research, and development, but also an institution that actively participates in shaping the cultural life of the city and the region.

Traditionally, it has been profiled as a research-oriented faculty generating approximately one fifth of MU's research volume. The faculty has more than 600 employees and by the student population of over 6,000 is the largest faculty at the university.
Since 2021, the faculty has been the proud holder of the HR Excellence in Research Award from the European Commission. You can find out more information about the faculty on the website  or on Facebook.

For information on HR work set according to European standards, visit the HR Award faculty website.

Department

Information about the Department of Classical Studies at the Faculty of Arts of MU
can be found at: https://classics.phil.muni.cz/en

Contact person at the department for questions about the position:

First name and surname: Mgr. Jana Mikulová, Ph.D.

E-mail: jana.mikulova@mail.muni.cz

Telephone: +420 549 49 5319

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