[INDOLOGY] Announcement of a Fellowship for PhD study in Buddhism at Leiden

[Jonathan Silk]

Please pass this along to anyone who might be interested!

*PhD position in Buddhist Studies *



Khyentse Foundation announces the availability of support for a 4-year PhD
position at Leiden University in Buddhist Studies. The successful candidate
will carry out research on a theme in Buddhist Studies under the
supervision of Prof. dr. Jonathan A. Silk.



Buddhist Studies at Leiden University focuses in the first place on Indian
Buddhism, and on preparing scholars to edit, translate and study Buddhist
scriptures, chiefly Mahāyāna sūtras. Although any topic within Buddhist
Studies is possible, preference will be given to candidates who wish to
focus on an area of special interest to Prof. Silk, which normally might
include work on an edition and critical study of one or more Mahāyāna sūtras.
However, other approaches will be considered, and if you are interested, by
all means apply with your idea for another type of project.



The successful applicant will have high level knowledge of the relevant
Buddhist languages, optimally Chinese, Tibetan and Sanskrit.



*Key responsibilities*

   - Write a PhD thesis
   - Participate in team activities
   - Disseminate your research to non-academic parties and on social media



*Selection Criteria*

   - An MA degree in Buddhist Studies or a relevant degree
   - Sufficient command of the relevant languages to engage in research
   - Ability to communicate in written and oral academic English
   - Commitment to high-quality research, publication, and dissemination
   - Ability to plan and execute tasks independently and punctually
   - Ability to work as part of a larger team.



*The Leiden Situation*

The Faculty of Humanities at Leiden University is rich in expertise in
fields such as philosophy, religious studies, history, art history,
literature, linguistics and area studies covering nearly every region of
the world. With its staff of 995, the faculty provides 27 master’s and 25
bachelor’s programmes for over 7,000 students based at locations in
Leiden’s historic city centre and in modern buildings in The Hague.  For
more information:  http://www.hum.leidenuniv.nl



The PhD candidate will work in the Leiden University Institute for Area
Studies (http://www.hum.leiden.edu/lias/). LIAS is comprised of a School of
Asian Studies and a School of Middle-Eastern Studies, with international
staff and student populations. Current staff  in LIAS has expertise in the
fields of Anthropology, Archaeology, Art Studies, Buddhist Studies, Film
Studies, History, International Relations, Language Pedagogy, Law,
Linguistics, Literary Studies, Material Culture Studies, Performance
Studies, Philology, Philosophy, Political Economy, Religious Studies,
Sociology, and Visual Culture Studies.



Prof. Silk currently heads an ERC-funded project called "Open Philology," (
www.OpenPhilology.eu) aimed at creating digital tools for the study of
Buddhist scriptures, in the first place the Mahāratnakūṭa collection of 49
sūtras. His team at present comprises 3 post-doctoral fellows, a
programmer, and 2 PhD students, along with other PhD students not employed
by the project. The overall environment is a vital and active one.



*Terms and conditions of Support*

Khyentse Foundation offers financial support for 4 years of study, with
continuation of funding after the first year, and every subsequent year,
contingent on good progress toward the PhD degree. Such progress will be
determined at the sole discretion of Prof. Silk.



Financial support is offered in the amount of €25,000 per annum. Any taxes
or other costs are solely the responsibility of the student. Students must
purchase their own insurance. Payment will be made at the beginning of each
year of study. Study may begin at any point in the year, but Leiden
semesters begin in September and February, and the position would optimally
begin 1 September.



Leiden University offers access to its libraries and an email account, but
no guaranteed work space. Flex desks are available on a first-come
first-served basis. We may be able to offer assistance in locating housing.



*Information*

Queries can be directed to Jonathan Silk, email: j.a.silk at hum.leidenuniv.nl



*Applications*

Applications should be sent as soon as possible. Consideration will begin
on *15 March 2020*, and continue until a candidate is selected.
Applications should be in English, and be submitted directly to Prof. Silk
at: j.a.silk at hum.leidenuniv.nl.

Please ensure that you include in *a single PDF document *named ‘FAMILY
NAME – Given name:

   - A CV including education history and publications, and full contact
   information;
   - A letter of motivation;
   - One sample publication or other piece of academic written work in
   English;
   - Names, positions and email addresses of two referees (no reference
   letters).



-- 
J. Silk
Leiden University
Leiden University Institute for Area Studies, LIAS
Matthias de Vrieshof 3, Room 0.05b
2311 BZ Leiden
The Netherlands

copies of my publications may be found at
https://leidenuniv.academia.edu/JASilk


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