| Institution: | Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Institute of Advanced Studies |
| City: | Toruń |
| Position: | Postdoc |
| Discipline: | Mathematics / Computer and information sciences / Physical sciences / Archaeology |
| Posted: | 16 March, 2026 |
| Expires: | 1 May 2026 |
| Website: | www.icnt.umk.pl |
| Keywords: | data science, large-scale data analysis, complex systems, network science, statistical modelling, computational modelling, Bayesian inference, generative modelling, machine learning, infectious disease dynamics, climate change impacts, social-ecological systems, archaeological science, analysis of textual data |
| Description of requirements (field, expectations, comments): | The competition is open to persons who meet the conditions specified in Article 113 of the Act of July 20, 2018 – Law on Higher Education and Science (Journal of Laws of 2018, item 1668) and the following eligibility criteria: Required: PhD in Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics, Archaeology, or a related quantitatively oriented discipline; A (seniority-appropriate) strong publication record in international peer-reviewed journals; Demonstrated programming experience in at least one widely used language (e.g., Python, R, Julia, MATLAB, or similar), including the independent development and application of code for the analysis of real-world data; Experience in working with complex, large-scale, and partially incomplete datasets. Knowledge of theory and methods of data analysis Preferred: Authorship or co-authorship of publicly available software or code repositories (e.g., GitHub, GitLab); Experience working with data from the social sciences (e.g., history, archaeology) or environmental sciences; Experience in statistical modelling, network analysis, Bayesian methods, machine learning, or computational modelling. |
| Description of tasks: | We seek a junior or senior postdoctoral researcher with a strong background in data science and quantitative analysis to join a large, international interdisciplinary consortium and focus on investigating large, heterogeneous historical, archaeological, and environmental datasets in order to uncover complex relationships across cultural, social, climatic, and biological phenomena. In collaboration with an external commercial partner, and together with the PI and a team of historians and archaeologists, the postdoc will co-curate the project database, which also includes several cutting-edge AI applications. The appointed researcher will be a member of the ERC Synergy Grant EUROpest and of the Human Ecology Group at the Institute of Advanced Studies of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. The position includes a competitive international salary and is planned to last 5 years (until June 2031), with potential permanent employment afterwards, depending on the development of an independent research portfolio and the acquisition of external funding, including starting one’s own junior research group. The primary focus of the position will be exploratory and inferential analysis of multimodal data, including relational, temporal, and spatial structures, with particular attention to patterns of interaction and co-evolution. Insights gained from this data-driven analysis will subsequently inform the development of formal and computational models of social-ecological and epidemiological dynamics in the past, with potential extensions to contemporary epidemics. The project draws on methods from network science, complex systems, and statistical modelling, and may incorporate machine learning and Bayesian generative approaches to integrate diverse data sources and support model-based inference. Candidates may come from computer science, data science, physics, applied mathematics, or related quantitative disciplines; background in epidemiology, environmental sciences, history, archaeology, or social sciences is welcome when combined with strong analytical and computational expertise. We value experience with complex and imperfect data, methodological curiosity, and openness to interdisciplinary collaboration within an ambitious research environment. We offer an inspiring multi-disciplinary work environment and collaboration on a wide variety of data projects related to climate change, infectious disease, conflict, and economic development in the past. |
| Documents required: | Motivation letter Academic CV List of publications Project portfolio (if applicable) PDFs of up to 3 peer-reviewed publications2-3 letters of reference Personal questionnaire for the person applying for employment Copy of higher education diploma Copy of Ph.D. diploma (if available) Declaration under art. 109(1) of the Higher Education Act (on no criminal record)Declaration that Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń will be my primary employer once I have won the contest – if the competition is won Declaration of consent to the processing of personal data contained in the job offer for the needs of the recruitment process, in accordance with the ustawa z dnia 29 sierpnia 1997 r. o ochronie danych osobowych (Dz. U. z 2014 r. poz. 1182) Act of August 29, 1997. Personal Data Protection Act (Journal of Laws of 2014, Item 1182)) |
| Additional information: | Documents should be submitted by email to: humeco@umk.pl by May 1, 2026. The competition will be decided by June 30, 2026. Planned employment date is July 1, 2026, or the earliest possible date thereafter. The Competition Committee reserves the right to notify only the selected candidate of its decision. |
