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Six international postdoctoral positions in the digital humanities are now available at HUMlab, Umeå University, Sweden from September 1, 2010 (January 2011 may also be a possibility, please indicate if this is your preference). The call is open, but 1-3 positions may be allocated to the areas of “media places”, “archeological landscape visualization”, and “internet and religion”. There are no teaching requirements associated with any of the positions.

HUMlab is an internationally recognized center for the humanities and information technology. Much of the work takes place in a 5,300 square feet studio space at the center of the university and in different kinds of digital and hybrid environments. HUMlab is based on a double affiliation model where much of the work is done in close collaboration with the humanities (or other) departments. HUMlab offers an open, friendly, creative and intellectually rich milieu for doing work in the humanities and information technology.

The fellowships are for one year. Applications should include a description of an envisioned postdoctoral year-long project.

About HUMlab
HUMlab is a humanities IT environment at Umeå University in Sweden. The basic idea behind it is to stimulate innovative cooperation in a dynamic interdisciplinary setting. Here the humanities and the arts on one hand, and modern information and media technology on the other, interface and collaborate, both in real terms and virtually. We are interested in scholars, artists, students and entrepreneurs who have an interest in the digital – technology as a tool, study object, expressive medium or activist venue – and who would embrace the opportunity to do first-rate work in a collaborative, diverse and highly international studio space and intellectual milieu. Apart from the HUMlab, this environment, importantly, includes a full humanities faculty, the rest of the university, cultural institutions, new media companies and others.

HUMlab attracts students, lecturers, researchers, artists, engineers, media people and many others. In this unique technological and creative studio space, a lot can, and does happen. A wide range of activities are organized including a high-level seminar series and workshops. Among guests to HUMlab over the last couple of years are Katherine Hayles, Brody Condon, Willard McCarty, Stuart Allan, Larissa Hjorth, David Theo Goldberg and Tara McPherson. HUMlab maintains a broad range of national and international contacts and work closely with these as well as the whole humanities faculty at Umeå University, other parts of the university and local cultural and business organizations. HUMlab also participates in and supports a large number of exciting research and educational projects. Current projects encompass areas such as the digital humanities as a field, digital cultural heritage, fan fiction (see the Cyber Echoes Project),  media places, screen culture, retro gaming, internet and religion, and visualization in the humanities. Methods and technology used include geographical information systems, datamining, social software, grid computing and different types of virtual worlds.

A new, large-scale initiative to support research in digital humanities
A new initiative to support research in digital humanities was launched in 2006, and incorporates the advertised postdoctoral positions and other strategic actions. As part of this program, the physical space of the lab has been expanded, and the studio space now incorporates 5300 square feet. This YouTube video from the day before the big inauguration (May 14, 2009) may informally give you a sense of the new part of the lab and of some pre-event energy.

The new space affords rich contextualization and visualization of complex materials and multi-faceted research problems. The space incorporates 11 screens, one of which is a large multitouch high-resolution screen. The long-term goal is to establish an international center of excellence in the humanities and information technology.

HUMlab is also involved in a new exciting initiative to create a new Arts Campus by the river together with the Institute of Design, the Academy of Fine Arts, the BildMuseet (Museum of contemporary visual arts) and a new School of Architecture. A new HUMlab-X will be launched by the end of 2011.

Profile of applicant
You are expected to have a Ph.D. degree in a humanities discipline from an international (non-Swedish) university. Applicants with an art or curator based Ph.D. with an interest in digital art are also encouraged to apply. Applicants with Ph.D. degrees from other disciplines will be considered where relevant. You may not have been employed by Umeå University or had a postdoctoral scholarship at the university. The intention is to have all positions affiliated both with HUMlab and an appropriate department at the Humanities faculty. Thus, postdoctoral fellows will have a dual affiliation. See this page for a list of humanities departments (and associated disciplines) at Umeå University. The Humanities faculty also includes a school of fine arts. HUMlab will help in finding an appropriate department. We are looking for applicants with documented interest in a particular intersection of the humanities and information technology, and a willingness to engage with digital humanities more broadly. You also need to have excellent written and oral proficiency in English.

The call is open, but 1-3 positions may be allocated to the areas of “media places”, “archeological landscape visualization” (in relation to the SEAD project, see http://www.sead.se/), and “internet and religion” (in relation to the project “Pinocchio goes to church”, see here). Contact people for these specific areas:

Media places:
Director Patrik Svensson, patrik.svensson@humlab.umu.se

Archaeological landscape visualization:
SEAD project leader Phil Buckland,
phil.buckland@arke.umu.se

Internet and religion:
Professor Jørgen Straarup, jorgen.straarup@religion.umu.se

HUMlab is a lively and convivial studio space with a wide variety of activities, research, technologies and cross-disciplinary interaction. It is expected that you will contribute to such an environment and you also share our interest in working with traditional humanities disciplines and other related areas. You will have work space both in HUMlab and at the department (and will be expected to do your daily work in both environments). Furthermore you will be expected to participate actively in any of the research groups associated with the initiative. Therefore you will need to live in Umeå during the fellowship period.

Offer
The salary will be about 200,000 SEK for an academic year (tax free). Health insurance will be covered by the university. Accepted postdoctoral fellows will have full access to the facilities of HUMlab, special resources for the specified area and different kinds of support.

The postdoctoral fellowships have been made possible through generous support from the Kempe Foundations.

Information and application
Your application should be submitted by May 20, 2010. Notification will be given by June 4. 2010.

The application should contain the following documents:

• *A complete curriculum vitae.
• *A letter of application with a description of your postdoctoral project, including alignment with humanities and information technology/digital humanities/HUMlab, the purpose of the project, expected outcome, and expected contribution to HUMlab (limit: 3,000 words).
• *Two letters of recommendation.

Your application should be sent to medel@diarie.umu.se (preferred) or by post to Registrator, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden.

Make sure to specify the following reference number: Dnr 223-981-10. The letters of recommendation can be sent by the applicant together with the other documents to the above email address.

Please feel free to contact:

Dr. Patrik Svensson, Director of HUMlab
Email: patrik.svensson@humlab.umu.se.
Phone: Int + 46 90 786 7913.

Professor Kjell Jonsson, Chair of the HUMlab Steering Group
Email: kjell.jonsson@ub.umu.se.
Phone: Int + 46 90 786 9680.

Research coordinator, Dr. Stefan Gelfgren
Email: stefan.gelfgren@humlab.umu.se
Phone: Int + 46 70 786 5087

for more information.

See http://blog.humlab.umu.se/ for more information about HUMlab. For a sense of HUMlab seminars and seminar use of the space, please check out our stream archive page.

Additional information about Umeå University and Umeå
Umeå University is a full, comprehensive university with some 28,000 students. It is located in the city of Umeå in the North of Sweden (see map here). This page contains logistical information (getting to Umeå etc.). There is a useful wiki page on “The First Two Weeks: Advice for International Postdocs/Visting Researchers settling in Umeå/Umeå University”.  There is some more information about Umeå here. There is also an English university website. Bostaden is the largest provider of rental apartments in Umeå.