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PhD position in Early Modern Ethnobotanical History of Pacific Islands. A history of plant introduction into the Mariana Islands & its impacts, early colonial times to 20th cent.

  • //applyindex.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/belgium.png Belgium
  • University/Institute Name KU Leuven
  • Attendance Type On Campus (Full Time)
  • Position DurationSee Position Description
  • Position Funding Type Marie Curie PhD Scholarship
  • Application deadlineExpired
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Position Details (PhD Program)

Project

Duties/Responsibilities
You are capable of working independently while also proactively seeking collaboration. You are confident in asking critical questions, are eager to engage with others, disseminate your ideas, and translate complex and isolated information into accessible narratives.
Research: You will reconstruct a long-term history of plant introductions into the Northern Mariana Islands, from the early colonial times to present times.
1) You will elaborate an environmental history of the Mariana Islands focusing on plant introductions starting from the first contact period in the 16th century up to the 20th century;
2) You will tap the value of oral history and a great variety of documentary sources;
3) You will produce a comparison of colonial empires based on their environmental impacts.
This research will allow a reconstruction of the history and biographies of different plant species and create a case study of layered introductions, contributing to the ecological study of Pacific islands’ vegetation through historical lenses, calibrating the temporality involved in the adaptation of foreign plants to constrained island ecosystems, and allowing the comparison of the role of different colonial empires in environmental impacts. Research bears historical documents sometimes unrecognized as potential sources of vegetation information (trading or military sources). As the Northern Marianas were colonized by the Spanish, Germans, Japanese, and finally the US, the reconstruction of plant introductions involves an important amount of research in different historical archives and compilations.
Further activities/fieldwork: Teamwork, close collaboration with the 5 other PhDs involved in the project, active participation in the team’s international and research activities, including workshops and archival fieldwork are expected.
Your Team
You will work closely with 5 other PhD students in the PacificPeopleForest consortium. This international research team aims to uncover the history, extent and chronology of the impacts of European colonialism in the Pacific Islands (16-17th century). By integrating historical, archaeological, and ecological disciplines and perspectives through an interdisciplinary consortium including 6 PhD students, we want to understand the interplay between human populations and forest dynamics, before and after European contact.
You will also become part of our Crossroads Research Centre, a group of PhDs and postdoc working on various aspects of early modern global history, with a focus on Transpacific maritime relations.
Database
The successful candidate will contribute to our project database.

Profile

Master degree in History (or a comparable master degree in another discipline, preferably with a focus on ethnobotany or related aspects of the history of science). Fundamental general knowledge of European activities in the Mariana Islands and the larger Pacific space is highly recommended.
You possess a background in ethnobotanical research and good competence in early modern European (16th to early 19th centuries) history, especially Spanish, paleography, and are familiar with archival research. Good paleological skills are required for source analysis. In addition, an excellent command of English; very good Spanish, Dutch (or German) and ideally also French language skills will be necessary to be able to read your sources. Basic skills in IT and GIS technology are highly recommended.

Offer

We offer a 3-year PhD position (1-year contract with a 2-year extension after successful evaluation), starting preferably on February 1, 2026, as part of a Marie Curie Doctoral Network project, PacificPeopleForest, ‘History, Archaeology, and Botany of Pacific Islands: assessing the Long-Term Impacts of Early European colonialism on Peoples and Forests’. We offer an excellent opportunity to work in international inter- and transdisciplinary research project, with a global network of scholars working on various aspects of transpacific connections and interaction.

You will perform field work in European archives and on the Northern Mariana Islands, visit European partners in the consortium, publish your findings as scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals, and present results at (inter)national conferences. If successful, you will obtain your PhD degree from KU Leuven.

Interested?

Interviews (online) will be held in the first half of December 2025.

Preferred starting date: February 01, 2026

For more information please contact Prof. dr. Angela Schottenhammer, mail:.

Please upload your cv, diplomas and two reference letters through the application tool.

KU Leuven strives for an inclusive, respectful and socially safe environment. We embrace diversity among individuals and groups as an asset. Open dialogue and differences in perspective are essential for an ambitious research and educational environment. In our commitment to equal opportunity, we recognize the consequences of historical inequalities. We do not accept any form of discrimination based on, but not limited to, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, ethnic or national background, skin colour, religious and philosophical diversity, neurodivergence, employment disability, health, or socioeconomic status. For questions about accessibility or support offered, we are happy to assist you at this email address.

Research Areas & Fields of Study involved in the position

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