Eötvös Loránd University

The Department of Environmental and Landscape Geography provides excellent working conditions and a friendly atmosphere. The Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) in Budapest carries out research of an internationally high standard. The university has regularly been ranked among Europe’s top 900 universities on worldwide ranking lists of research universities.

Homepage: https://ktf.elte.hu/elvonal

The position is financed by the Hungarian National Science Fund and it is a subproject of a Frontline advanced grant called “The Domino Effect: Tracking changes in climate, environment and subsistence economy at the collapse of Neolithic lifestyle in Eastern-Central and South-East Europe (DOMINO-CLIMATE) ” to professor Enikő Magyari

Project description:

The project will investigate the complex interface between the environmental, anthropogenic, climatic, and cultural factors that shaped the decline of Neolithic Civilizations (NC) in Eastern-Central and South-Eastern Europe. That process started in Europe from East to West and North to South. The DOMINO-CLIMATE project aims to track the decline and fall of NC from a multi-proxy perspective to identify the causes of the tell site abandonments at 4250-4550 cal yr BC in the region, which was followed by the NC decline over 1200 years (4550-3300 BC). The geographical distribution of the decline at different times suggests a ‘Domino Effect’, one collapse triggering a second and so on. Our aim is to examine whether rapid climate change events and consequent ecosystem changes show a similar time-transient pattern along the examined N-S (from the North Carpathian Basin to Southern Serbia and Bulgaria) and E-W transect (from the Pontic steppe to the Iron Gates). Even though a deterministic approach is unlikely to explain the NC decline, it serves as a basis for understanding better the proposed explanations that involve both external and internal stimuli. To reach this aim, we will analyze wood charcoal, seed and bone assemblages in addition to eDNA samples from Late Neolithic and Copper Age archaeological sites. We will also study the best terrestrial climate archives from the region (alpine and lowland lake sediments) and apply well established (pollen, chironomid and 18O based climate reconstruction) and novel methods (lipid biomarker, brGDGT) based annual temperature reconstruction in order to shed light on the course of climate change during the NC decline.

In scope of this project the postdoctoral fellow will make pollen analyses on sediment samples taken from Romanian and Hungarian lake and alluvial environments. All sediment cores come from direct vicinity of Neolithic and Copper Age archaeological sites. High-resolution pollen analyses between 7-4 thousand years (20-year resolution) will be done. The postdoctoral researcher will perform multivariate data analyses, pollen-based quantitative vegetation reconstruction (REVEALS) and climate reconstruction (WAPLS, MAT), participates in the publication of the results, and produces at least 2 first-authored Q1 publications of her/his results. She/he will work in a team, whose other members work on the same sediment cores using other proxy methods. Team members are expected to interpret and publish their results in close collaboration.

The candidate will be supervised by Professors Enikő Magyari (Budapest) and is expected to be based both at ELTE in Budapest.

Terms of employment: The duration of the contract will be 2 years. The starting monthly salary will be 2000 Euro. The position is a full-time research position, including some commitment for teaching or departmental responsibilities.

Qualifications: The candidate is expected to have a PhD or equal in earth sciences (geology, geography) or relevant environmental, biological or ecological sciences. The candidate is expected to have a good idea of the main methods, issues, and concepts of palaeoecology and palaeoclimatology, including relevant fieldwork and laboratory work, and basic skills of computing, including basic GIS techniques and ability or potential to learn to use the quantitative climate reconstruction packages in C2 and the R program. The candidate must be motivated, committed and internationally oriented. The project will include fieldwork in the study region in SE Europe.

Applications must include curriculum vitae, list of publications, brief letter explaining the motivation for applying for the position, as well as a description of future goals. Please include name and contact information of two referee persons in the application and send your application to the address eniko.magyari@ttk.elte.hu. The deadline for applications is 31.01.2025 at 4.00 pm local time.

For further information, contact: Enikő Magyari, professor in Earth Science, scientific advisor, head of department, Department of Environmental and Landscape Geography (phone: +36-1-411-6500/1738, e-mail: eniko.magyari@ttk.elte.hu).

Homepage: https://ktf.elte.hu/elvonal