Job Vacancy: Research Fellow in North African Medieval History

Applications are being sought for a Research Fellow at the UCL Institute of Archaeology within the ERC Synergy project ‘MEDGREENREV: Re-thinking the “Green Revolution” in the Medieval Western Mediterranean (6th-16th centuries).’

MEDGREENREV is a multi-institutional collaboration led by the University of Reading, the University of York, the Autonomous University of Barcelona, the University of Granada in partnership with UCL, the University of Basel, the University of Valencia and University of Murcia. UCL is responsible for the case-study region of North Africa as well as comparative analysis of faunal and archaeobotanical data.

We are seeking a Research Fellow with excellent command of medieval Arabic and a background in medieval Islamic history to join the MEDGREENREV project team at the UCL Institute of Archaeology based in London.

This full-time post is available from 1 October 2025 and is funded until 31 July 2028.

The successful candidate will have a PhD* in medieval Islamic history, or related field, with demonstrable experience in the study of pre-modern Arabic written sources and enthusiasm to collaborate with archaeologists.

This appointment may involve periods of research in relevant North African and European archives/libraries, as well as short visits to collaborator institutions in the UK, Europe and North Africa. There may also be opportunities to visit or participate in project excavations in North Africa. Applicants are, therefore, strongly advised to take into account their resilience and ability to conduct research overseas, when preparing their application.

We particularly encourage candidates with a demonstrable interest in medieval agrarian economies, the environment or medieval North African history to apply.

[*Appointment at Grade 7 is dependent upon having been awarded a PhD; if this is not the case, initial appointment will be at research assistant Grade 6B (salary £38,607 per annum) with payment at Grade 7 being backdated to the date of final submission of the PhD thesis (including corrections).]

Further information

• Further details of the post and the online application facility are available on the UCL website
• Enquiries about the vacancy may be directed to Prof Corisande Fenwick (c.fenwick@ucl.ac.uk). 
• Queries about the application process may be directed to the Institute’s HR Administrator, Louisa Goldsmith.
• ERC MEDGREENREV project