Location: Leipzig, Germany
Job Posted: October 27, 2009

Over the last several million years, hominins have developed diverse strategies to extract energy from their environment. New questions and models have arisen to address the relationship between this evolution and the evolution of life histories, technological adaptations and, more broadly, social organization and economy of ancient humans. From the origin of meat consumption to the intensification of the environmental exploitation by late paleolithic hunter-gatherers, subsistence involves the continuous interaction between cultural and biological changes.

For the new group, multidisciplinary approaches, with a broad range of methods ranging from classical zooarchaeology, to isotopic studies and modelling, are preferred.

The Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology has five departments, including the Department of Human Evolution (Director: Jean-Jacques Hublin) with which the Independent Junior Research Group will be associated. More information may be obtained at http://www.eva.mpg.de/ and http://www.eva.mpg.de/evolution/.

This is a fulltime research position. The salary will be at the W2 level on the German university scale, equivalent to an assistant/associate professor. Funds for conducting research, including salaries for a second post-doctoral scientist (13/14 TVöD) and two technical assistants are available. The appointment will be for a term of 5 years.

Applicants should have demonstrated outstanding research potential and clear evidence of achievement. Applicants should have a Ph.D. obtained within the last 5 years.

The Max Planck Society is committed to employing more handicapped individuals and to increasing the share of women in areas where they are underrepresented, and therefore expressly encourages applications from such qualified individuals.

Applications should include a CV, a detailed research plan, and the names of three referees and must be received at the address below by December 31, 2009:

Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Personnel Department
Deutscher Platz 6
04103 Leipzig
Germany