Fully-Funded PhD Scholarships in Environmental Humanities in Belgium 2018

Ghent University is one of the top and major universities in Belgium with its 11 faculties offering a wide range of courses and conducting in-depth research within a wide range of scientific domains. The university is an active partner in national and international educational and scientific cooperation in research, scientific service, and numerous research groups centers and institutes. Having a socially committed and pluralistic environment with a broad international perspective makes it a distinguished place for education. It also stands for diversity, educational strategy, health and safety, internationalization, research, and sustainability.

Ghent University is offering fully-funded PhD scholarships in the Department of Literary Studies tenable for a period of up to 4 years. The PhD program is within the research project “Literature, Nature, and Ecology: An Ecopoetic Approach to Contemporary Narrative Prose in English, French, German, and Italian,” supported by a GOA grant from the university’s research council and directed by professors with a wide expertise. Positions available are for 4 PhD students and 1 postdoctoral research fellow, in which they are expected to explore the role of literary imagination with a special focus on textual complexity and the tension between the global nature of ecological problems and culturally specific issues. Adopting a cross-cultural and cross-linguistic comparative perspective, it aims to examine the ways in which the literary imagination is deployed to forge new cultural connections with nature and the environment in a world in which ecological awareness occupies an increasingly prominent place. Within the remit of the project, the students hired will mainly research contemporary environmental fiction in English which will address topics such as questions of literary form, representations of the other-than-human, conceptualizations of housing, ecological disruption and narration of scientific knowledge. The scholarship begins on October 1, 2018.

Applicants must have:

[1] A master’s degree or equivalent qualification in a relevant field, such as English, Comparative Literature, or Environmental Humanities (applicants near completion may also submit applications, indicating the expected date of the degree)

[2] An outstanding academic record

[3] Excellent writing and speaking skills in English

[4] Knowledge of reading in at least one of the other three project languages

[5] An aptitude for original, independent, and creative work as well as for working in a team

The amount of the scholarship will be approximately €1,900 per month, gradually rising to approximately €2,100 per month in the 4th year. The PhD student will also receive a holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus, and enjoy full social security coverage. Additional financial support is available for conference and workshop attendance.