UCD School of History, University College Dublin, Ireland is pleased to announce a generously funded PhD. studentship. The successful candidate will be part of a research team on the project:
"Cultures and Codes: antimicrobial development and infectious disease surveillance."
The PhD project (see details section) will be supervised by Dr Claas Kirchhelle, Assistant Professor in the History of Medicine and Wellcome Trust University Award holder: https://people.ucd.ie/claas.kirchhelle.
Deadline: 30.06.2021
The PhD studentship is open to EU and non-EU candidates with three years of full funding, renewable each year, subject to satisfactory progress. The award includes coverage of full international tuition fees, a PhD stipend of ca. €18,000 per annum, visa and international health insurance charges, a six-week laboratory course at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, and a generous research and travel allowance. We anticipate that the successful candidate will start in September 2021 (a remote start may be possible in light of the COVID-19 pandemic).
Please submit the following application materials to: claas.kirchhelle@ucd.ie
- Cover letter setting out your background and why you are interested in the proposed project (max. 2-pages);
- Curriculum Vitae (max. 2-pages);
- Academic reference;
- Writing sample (e.g. thesis, published paper, unpublished draft);
- (If applicable) proof of English language competence.
The Selection Panel will shortlist candidates for a remote interview, likely to take place in late May. Your applications will be assessed according to the following criteria:
- Excellent (first; upper second class) graduate (MA) degree in a relevant historical, social sciences, or biomedical discipline (essential).
- Willingness to work across disciplinary boundaries (essential).
- Willingness to travel and conduct independent archival research, oral history, and/or ethnographic fieldwork in different locations in Europe and North America (essential).
- Experience in working collaboratively (desirable).
Although this will not determine the outcome of an application, prospective candidates are strongly encouraged to contact Dr Kirchhelle to discuss the proposed project ahead of applying: claas.kirchhelle@ucd.ie
For the PhD application procedure please see the relevant school guidelines: https://www.ucd.ie/history/study/researchdegrees/. The outcome of this competition will be communicated to all applicants. Successful applicants will be informed by email.
Details of the Project
Cultures & Codes is part of the international Norwegian Research Council-funded project: How did the Antibiotic Pipeline run Dry? People, Infrastructures and Politics of Antibiotic Drug Development 1970-2010: https://www.med.uio.no/helsam/english/research/projects/antibiotic-resistance-big-pharma/index.html
At UCD, you will join a thriving community of postgraduate and early career researchers at the School of History (Top 100 History Departments, QS 2020). As a member of the Center for the History of Medicine in Ireland (CHOMI), you will be able to draw on the Center’s significant expertise in the history of global health, mental health, and gender studies. Your studies and career development will also benefit from the School’s has a well-developed program of doctoral supervision and mentoring: https://www.ucd.ie/history/files/ResearchStudentHandbook.pdf
As part of the Cultures & Codes project, you will conduct research on the past and present of drug discovery, microbiology, and pharmaceutical marketing by major pharmaceutical companies. You will be expected to carry out independent historical research on archival and digitised collections in Europe and North America and evaluate scientific publications and popular media coverage of antibiotic innovation. You will also conduct oral history interviews with leading industry representatives and have the exciting opportunity to conduct two months of fieldwork on drug discovery in one of Europe’s leading antibiotic research and development laboratories at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM; Prof Adam Robert).
As part of the wider Dry Pipeline cluster, you will interact regularly with fellow doctoral students and receive additional mentorship from the project’s Co-Investigators (Profs Christoph Gradmann, María Jesús Santesmases, Jørgen Leisner, and Dr Frédéric Vagneron) at the Universities of Oslo, Strasbourg, Madrid, and Copenhagen. This will entail traveling for conferences and seminars to the respective universities.
Although a background in historical or social sciences is desirable, candidates with a background in microbiology, biochemistry, or economics are strongly encouraged to apply for this interdisciplinary position. The three-year post will start on September 2021. A remote start may be possible in view of current pandemic constraints.