Postdoc ERC Synergy TASTADE - IISH

For the large ERC-funded project The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and the Development of Europe (TASTADE), we are looking for a postdoctoral researcher.

TASTADE aims to build the largest possible repository of names and biographical information about investors in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. After completion, it will comprise tens of thousands of names for the entire period of the trade’s duration (16th-19th centuries) and all the regions involved (Europe, Africa, the Americas). This database lays the foundations for re-examining key analytical questions about the nature, social embedding and long-term impact of the slave trade from a truly trans-national perspective.

This two-years postdoctoral position is geared towards participating in and overseeing the first phase of data collection and data organization. The postdoctoral candidate will steer a team of 4-6 junior researchers based in the Netherlands gathering data on investors in the Dutch slave trade and Dutch investors in the slave trade of other nations. The postdoctoral candidate will function in an international team with two other postdoctoral candidates leading similar teams of junior researchers in France and Brazil. Because the postdoctoral candidate is based in Amsterdam where the development of the digital infrastructure of this project takes place, the candidate is also expected, with the four principal investigators, to act as the conduit between the three data gathering teams and the digital designers working on the further development of the database.

The daily tasks of the postdoctoral candidate consist of:

• Adding names and background information of slave trade investors to the database;
• Selecting primary and secondary sources for the junior researchers to gather names and background information about slave trade investors;
• Testing, overseeing and correcting data gathering, data entry and data cleaning;
• Signaling challenges and opportunities for advancing data gathering and reporting on them in joint meetings with the postdoctoral candidates in France and Brazil, as well as the four principal investigators;
• Being the vital link between data gatherers and the digital design team at the KNAW HUC Digital Infrastructure department.
  
  

Requirements:

• Completed PhD in social or economic history or adjacent field (or written proof that your manuscript is at the stage of submission to the committee);
• Demonstrable experience with research on the trans-Atlantic slave trade or slavery more broadly;
• Ability to work with Dutch seventeenth and eighteenth century archival records;
• Experience with working with large amounts of historical data;
• Excellent command of both Dutch and English, in speech and in writing;
• Experience in collaborative research.
  
  

Desirables:

• Experience working with Digital Humanities methods;
• Personal affinity with the topic of TASTADE and an understanding of the sensitivities that the history of the slave trade entails;
• Knowledge of at least one of the following languages: French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, German, Danish.

Application procedure

You can apply until June 29, 2026.

About the IISG
The International Institute of Social History (IISG-KNAW) is an Academy research institute. IISG is one of the most prestigious social history research institutes worldwide. It examines how work and labour relations have developed globally over time. To support its research, it collects archives and data from all over the world. The relationship between its research and its data and archive collections contributes substantially to the institute’s unique nature.

Terms of employment
Depending on education and experience the minimum salary is 4.728 and the maximum salary is gross per month for a full-time appointment (scale 11 cao Nederlandse Universiteiten/KNAW). This is exclusive of 8% vacation allowance, 8.3% year-end bonus, travel allowance, internet allowance, home working allowance and pension accrual with ABP.

The KNAW offers its staff an excellent package of secondary benefits. A package that meets the different needs of employees depending on their stage of life, lifestyle or career ambitions. For example, by working an extra two hours a week, it is possible to increase the number of days off from 29 to 41 days a year (with full-time employment).

For a complete overview of the terms of employment, please refer to the web page: werken bij de KNAW.

Applying for a Certificate of Good Conduct can be part of the employment procedure.

Diversity & Inclusion
The KNAW considers a working environment in which everyone feels welcome and appreciated of great importance. A working environment in which attention is paid to individual quality and where development opportunities are paramount. Together we strive for an inclusive culture in which we embrace differences. We would therefore like to invite candidates who want to contribute to this through their background and experience. In the event of equal suitability, preference will be given to the candidate who thus enhances diversity within the Academy.

We will not respond to any supplier enquiries based on this job advertisement.