Postdoctoral fellowship
Postdoctoral fellowship in the reconstruction of historical land use systems in China
Position summary
The Hong Kong Research Grants Council supports the Area of Excellence project Quantitative History of China: Historical Roots of Recent Success and Future Development. In the framework of this five-year multidisciplinary project, I am searching for a postdoctoral fellow to lead a sub-project on reconstructing and mapping historical land use systems.
Research Focus
The postdoctoral fellow will lead a project to reconstruct and map land use systems in China over the Holocene epoch (last 11,700 years). This work will follow on similar projects undertaken for West Africa (Kay and Kaplan, 2015; Kay et al., 2019), Greece (Hughes et al., 2022), and the Philippines (Findley et al., 2022; Findley et al., in prep).
Hughes, R., Weiberg, E., Bonnier, A., Finné, M., & Kaplan, J. (2018). Quantifying Land Use in Past Societies from Cultural Practice and Archaeological Data. Land, 7(1), 9. doi:10.3390/land7010009 Findley, D. M., Acabado, S., Amano, N., Kay, A. U., Hamilton, R., Barretto-Tesoro, G., Bankoff, G., Kaplan, J. O., & Roberts, P. R. (2022). Land use change in a pericolonial society: Intensification and diversification in Ifugao, Philippines between 1570 and 1800 CE. Frontiers in Earth Science, 10. doi:10.3389/feart.2022.680926 Kay, A. U., & Kaplan, J. O. (2015). Human subsistence and land use in sub-Saharan Africa, 1000 BC to AD 1500: A review, quantification, and classification. Anthropocene, 9, 14-32. doi:10.1016/j.ancene.2015.05.001 Kay, A. U., Fuller, D. Q., Neumann, K., Eichhorn, B., Höhn, A., Morin-Rivat, J., Champion, L., Linseele, V., Huysecom, E., Ozainne, S., Lespez, L., Biagetti, S., Madella, M., Salzmann, U., & Kaplan, J. O. (2019). Diversification, Intensification and Specialization: Changing Land Use in Western Africa from 1800 BC to AD 1500. Journal of World Prehistory, 32(2), 179-228. doi:10.1007/s10963-019-09131-2
Minimum qualifications
Strong skills in historical and/or archaeological research.
Fluency in English listening, reading, and writing.
Ability to work independently, bring your own ideas to the project, and collaborate internationally.
Preferred qualifications
A Ph.D. in archaeology, history, human geography, or related fields.
Skills in GIS, cartography, and statistcal analysis.
Demonstrated experience of research work both independently and in a team.
Fluency in reading, writing, and speaking Mandarin and/or other Chinese languages.
Location and start date
This position requires full-time, in-person presence at the University of Calgary main campus, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Secondments with project partners in Hong Kong and Mainland China may be part of the work.
The starting date for this position can be as early as 1 January 2026 and will be subject to arrangement with the selected candidate.
Funding and support
This position includes a competitive salary based on skills and experience that may be augmented with scholarships, and additional support for travel, conferences, and other research expenses. Support is for a period of 3 years, contingent on satisfactory progress and funding.
Application instructions
Applicants should submit the following materials as a single PDF file at this link:
A one-page statement describing your research interests and experience, and career goals.
A short CV that includes a list of your relevant research skills and background.
Scans of your university transcript(s).
Scans of your IELTS (Academic), TOEFL, or equivalent language test results, if English is not your mother tongue.
Informal inquiries by email are welcome.
Assessment criteria and other qualifications
Consideration will be given to good collaborative skills, drive and independence, and how the applicant’s experience and skills complement and strengthen ongoing research within the research group, and how they stand to contribute to its future development.
Review of applications will commence on 1 January 2026 and continue until the position is filled.
Please note that due to the high number of applications received only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.