Call for Applications: 2-year post-doctoral position in the history of Alfonsine astronomy in Europe

Employing approaches from the history of astronomy, history of mathematics, and history of manuscript cultures to study astronomical tables, instruments, theoretical and mathematical texts, ALFA’s main objectives are to:
·         Retrace the development of the corpus of Alfonsine texts from its origin in the second half of the 13th century in Toledo, Spain to the end of the 15th century by following, on the manuscript level, the milieus producing and using these codices;
·         Analyse Alfonsine astronomers’ practices, their relations to mathematics, to the natural world, to proofs and justification, and their intellectual and social contexts and audiences;
·         Build a meaningful narrative showing how astronomers in different milieus with diverse practices shaped, also from Arabic and Hebrew materials, an original scientific scene in Europe.

ALFA invites application for a 2-year post-doctoral position expected to start on January 1, 2019 or as soon as possible thereafter (CNRS-contract, salary according to experience following CNRS policy). This position will be hosted at the Observatoire de Paris in the history of astronomy team (dir. Michela Malpangotto) of the SYRTE Laboratory (UMR 8630).

Applications should be sent no later than September 22, 2018 to Matthieu Husson (matthieu.husson@obspm.fr). They shall include: a short CV (2 p. max), contact information for two possible externals referees (name, institution, email contact), a short research proposal (3-4 p. max), a written sample of academic work (e.g. thesis and/or a recent paper).

Review of applications will start on September 25, 2018 and the result will be published on October 26, 2018.

For further information, please, contact alfa.admin@obspm.fr

ALFA is an ERC funded project (2017-2022, 60 month, Consolidator grant 2016 agreement 723085) dedicated to the study of Alfonsine astronomy which flourished in Europe from the second half of the 13th to the mid-16th century.