3-year PhD Studentship in Indian Ocean prehistoric linguistics

[Doug Cooper]

(Posted at the request of Nicole Boivin)

Please find below information about a 3-year PhD studentship in Indian Ocean
prehistory that is being advertised as part of the new ERC-funded SEALINKS 
Project.
Please forward to any final year undergraduate or Masters level students who 
might be
interested in applying, as well as any relevant lists. Apologies for any 
cross-postings.

Website(s)
http://www.homepages.ucl.ac.uk/~tcrndfu/sealinks/studentship.htm
http://www.homepages.ucl.ac.uk/~tcrndfu/sealinks/sealink1.htm

The deadline for application is April 17, 2008.

Sincerely,
Nicole Boivin
Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies, University of Cambridge
The Henry Wellcome Building, Fitzwilliam Street
Cambridge, CB2 1QH England

PhD Studentship in Indian Ocean Linguistic Prehistory

Applications are invited for an ERC-funded PhD studentship to investigate 
early plant and animal translocations in the Indian Ocean. The 3-year 
studentship will be based in the Faculty of Archaeology and Anthropology at 
the University of Cambridge. The studentship is offered as part of the 
SEALINKS Project, which is undertaking multi-disciplinary studies on the 
prehistoric emergence of long-distance maritime contacts in the Indian Ocean. 
The 5-year project will take a unique interdisciplinary approach to maritime 
prehistory, and is of particular interest to students whose interests bridge 
the humanities and natural sciences.

The aim of the PhD studentship is to study early biological translocations in 
the Indian Ocean through the collection of linguistic data on plants and/or 
animals, and its synthesis with relevant historiographic, archaeological and 
genetic findings. The student will undertake fieldwork in areas of interest, 
which may include East Africa, Madagascar, India and/or Southeast Asia. The 
student selected for the project will have the opportunity to help shape its 
particular direction and course, and will work closely with the project PI, 
Dr. Nicole Boivin (Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies, 
University of Cambridge) and key project partners, Dr. Dorian Fuller 
(Institute of Archaeology, UCL), Dr. Roger Blench (Mallam Dendo, Cambridge), 
Dr. Martin Walsh (Department of Social Anthropology, University of Cambridge), 
Prof. Dr. George van Driem (Humanities Faculty, Leiden University), and Dr. 
Sander Adelaar (Asia Institute, University of Melbourne).


Students should have a very good honours degree (at least a 2.1 or equivalent) 
or Masters degree in a relevant subject (e.g., historical linguistics, 
ethnobiology, anthropology or archaeology). Students with a background in 
historical linguistics are especially encouraged to apply. The project will 
involve extensive travel abroad, active fieldwork and library research.

The studentship covers the full cost of a home/EU student (tuition, college 
fees, and living expenses). Funding for fieldwork is also available. The 
successful candidate will subsequently be required to make a formal 
application for graduate studies to the University of Cambridge.

Start date: October 2008.

For further details see: 
http://www.homepages.ucl.ac.uk/~tcrndfu/sealinks/sealink1.htm

To apply, candidates should send a CV and cover letter outlining their 
background and interest in the project to Dr. Nicole Boivin (nlb20 at cam.ac.uk). 
Candidates should also arrange for two academic referees to send confidential 
letters of reference by the closing date. All material, including letters of 
reference, should be submitted by email as pdf documents.

Key words: Linguistics/Historical 
Linguistics/Ethnobiology/Archaeology/Anthropology.

Closing date for applications: Thursday 17 April, 2008.
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