Every year NINO opens one full-time postdoctoral position for the duration of two years (overlapping tenures). Each NINO Postdoctoral Fellow carries out original research at NINO, organises an international workshop on a related theme, publishes the proceedings in a NINO volume, and teaches a seminar for graduate students at OIKOS, the National Research School in Classical Studies in the Netherlands.
Candidates are recruited through an open call for application, alternating between the three core research areas of the NINO:
In 2026, the call is open for researchers in the field of Egyptology (including Coptology), in 2027 for researchers in the field of Assyriology (including Hittitology), and in 2028 for researchers in the field of Near Eastern archaeology. Successful candidates will have completed their PhD and possess a research CV commensurate to career stage.
A call is opened every year in February. The selected Postdoctoral Fellow will start the fellowship in September.
Please refer to Leiden University’s terms and conditions, described in the vacancy posting.
One of the requirements is: A PhD degree in a relevant field of study, completed between January 2022 and February 2026. To clarify, a NINO Postdoc Fellow can be appointed only if and when they have their PhD degree in hand. For the Fellow to start their position at the fixed date of 1 September 2026, administration of the appointment must start several months earlier. For candidates who obtain their PhD degree shortly after the cut-off date of 28 February 2026, we therefore require to see official confirmation that the candidate’s defense/graduation date will be achieved by the time of the interviews in early April, at the very latest.
In 2026 we invite applications of researchers who work in the field of Egyptology.
The call for applications will be published on Leiden University’s careers website on 13 February 2026 (or earlier). Prospective candidates may preview the call for applications (vacancy text), but please note: do not send applications by email; applications can be processed only if submitted through the Leiden University website.
Please note: Leiden University’s application system is inflexible and forces the applicant to upload separate documents. The NINO Selection Committee will appreciate to receive applications as a single PDF document named ‘FAMILY NAME – Given name – vacancy number’ (a merged document consisting of CV, letter of motivation, research proposal, conference proposal, sample publication, and list of two referees).
The closing date of the call for applications is Friday 15 March 2026.
The Annual Postdoc Conference is convened by NINO’s Postdoctoral Fellow at the end of the first year, or beginning of the second year, of their tenure. The topic of the international conference is relevant to the Postdoc Fellow’s own research, and academic research interests represented in the Netherlands (at NINO and elsewhere). Applicants to the fellowship will include a description of the workshop envisioned in their research proposal, including a list of invited speakers.
The Postdoctoral Fellow will collect the papers presented at the workshop in a volume to be published in one of NINO’s book series, after peer review. Funds are available for the organisation of the conference and for editorial support.
The yearly MA Seminar on “Methods and Concepts in ancient Near Eastern Studies” at OIKOS is taught by NINO’s Postdoctoral Fellow during the autumn term, in the third quarter of their tenure. They will design a graduate course relating to their research theme. The topic should be suitable for students in Egyptology, Assyriology, and Near Eastern archaeology, and may also be attended by students in Classics.