Leader of a Max Planck Research Group on Hominin subsistence

Over the last several million years, hominins have developed diverse dietary strategies to survive and expand in changing environments. From the origin of meat consumption to the intensification of resource use by Late Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers, we have seen that diet, and the more general term ‘subsistence,’ clearly involves the continuous interaction between environment, biology, and culture. New questions and models have arisen that address the relationship between this dietary evolution and the broader questions of the evolution of life histories, technological adaptations, and the social organization of hominins. We are seeking a Max Planck Research Group Leader who can design a novel and well structured 5-year research project to explore hominin subsistence strategies. The call for research proposals is intentionally broad. We seek a group leader with an expertise in one of the related areas of research but who is encouraged to take a multidisciplinary approach to addressing the research question that they propose. This may include, for example, methods such as zooarchaeology, isotopic studies, or modelling, as well as related disciplines. The Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology has five departments, including the Department of Human Evolution (Director: Jean-Jacques Hublin), with which the Max Planck Research Group will be associated. Therefore, although this is an independent Research Group we would expect that the proposed project and team would interact with the Department of Human Evolution, and can use the extensive research facilities available (Further 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. There are associated funds for research scientists to work in the group, specifically funding for one post-doctoral scientist (13/14 TVöD) and two PhD students, as well as two technicians. Start-up funds for equipment are available, and a substantial yearly budget for operating costs will be provided. The appointment will be for a term of 5 years. Further information on the Max Planck Research Groups may be obtained at http://www.mpg.de/english/institutesProjectsFacilities/juniorResearchGroups/aboutJrg/index.html. 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 (max. 8 pages), and the names of three referees and must be received at the following address by May 15, 2010. Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Personnel Department, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany