Jobs

Here are our current job listings. If you would like to advertise a job in the field of human evolution studies, please send a short plain text e-mail message to contact@eshe-conference.eu.

Principal Researcher in Human Evolution (Permanent)

The Centre for Human Evolution Research (CHER) at the Natural History Museum (London, U.K.) is seeking a dynamic and visionary Principal Researcher to advance the scientific frontier of human evolutionary studies. The ideal candidate will be someone who can challenge established paradigms, harness emerging technologies, and develop an internationally leading, well-funded research programme that transforms how we understand our origins.

We are looking for a researcher with a broad, integrative approach to hominin evolution and the ability to contextualise new discoveries. The successful candidate will lead a collaborative, interdisciplinary research agenda that bridges hominin fossils with other collections-based sciences.

We seek a dynamic and collaborative researcher who will unlock the full potential of our collections by deploying cutting-edge methodologies—from genomics, AI, and quantitative modelling to palaeomics, isotopic analysis, high-resolution imaging, and beyond. Areas of particular interest include evolutionary anatomy, functional morphology, niche modelling, species diversity and distribution, environmental impacts of human behaviour, and innovative approaches to the Middle and Upper Pleistocene record.

Main Tasks and Responsibilities

  • Lead an innovative research programme in Pleistocene human evolution
  • Enhance and use our collections to undertake innovative, integrative research
  • Pioneer non-destructive analytical techniques (e.g. synchrotron, micro-CT)
  • Publish high quality and impactful research
  • Contribute to the development and impact of CHER
  • Develop national and international research collaborations
  • Secure significant independent external funding to support a vibrant research programme
  • Actively contribute to outreach events and activities to share research of the Centre and the Museum with wider audiences
  • Contribute to postgraduate training and development
  • Contribute to and participate in other Museum activities (e.g. development, corporate events) as required

What We’re Looking for

  • Doctorate in human evolution or related subject
  • Significant background and expertise in the Pleistocene hominin fossil record
  • Outstanding research profile relating to the human fossil record demonstrated by publications
  • Track record of implementing novel methodologies that have advanced existing evolutionary paradigms
  • Proven ability to lead independent research projects
  • Broad experience of participation and preferably evidence of leadership in national and international interdisciplinary collaborations
  • Experience with leading high-performing research teams
  • Demonstrated ability to secure independent research funding
  • Experience in outreach activities and public dissemination of science, demonstrated by engagement with media, public speaking or development of exhibitions
  • Engagement with the wider academic community, demonstrated by participation in editorial/funding/advisory panels, conference organisation and other measures of esteem
  • Research related to fieldwork as part of ongoing programme
  • Postgraduate training experience at both MSc and PhD levels

Key Information

Salary: £52,619 per annum, grade 3
Hours: Full time, 36 per week
Contract: Permanent
Closing date for applications: 17th April
First stage assessment: from 4th May

To apply, please complete an online application through our recruitment portal:
https://jobs.nhm.ac.uk/Account/RegisterNoPassword1?JobId=735

More information

NHM Candidate Pack Principal Researcher in Human Evolution (PDF):
https://jobs.nhm.ac.uk/Job/GetJobAdvertDocument?Id=1015&JobId=735

Website:
https://jobs.nhm.ac.uk/Job/JobDetail?jobid=735&isPreview=Yes&advert=external

W1-Professorship (without tenure track) in Primatology

  • Institution: Faculty of Science, University of Tübingen
  • Department: Department of Geosciences
  • Start date: As soon as possible
  • Application deadline: 6th April 2026
  • Contract duration: Initially four years, with possible extension by two years after positive interim evaluation

The Faculty of Science at Tübingen University invites applications for a W1-Professorship (without tenure track) in Primatology at the Department of Geosciences.

The preferred candidate should have carried out research in primatology, focusing on behavior, ecology, evolution or genetics of non-human primates. Well-documented expertise in comparative primate behavior, anatomy or genetics; quantitative and analytical skills; and relevance of research for human evolution are expected.

Extensive participation and/or experience in leading fieldwork is desired, as is a focus on primates as models for human evolution. The successful candidate will take an active role in the Excellence Cluster “Human Origins,” complementing and expanding on existing strengths.

Potential research directions include, but are not limited to, non-human primate evolution, phylogeny, ecology, communication, tool use, life history or cognition.

Teaching responsibilities

  • Active participation in teaching at BA and MSc levels in Archaeological Sciences and Human Evolution.
  • Teaching introductory and specialized courses in human and primate behavior, evolution and genetics.
  • Four hours per week prior to interim evaluation.
  • Six hours per week after interim evaluation.

The successful candidate is expected to link their research to existing department strengths, as well as to related University units such as the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironments (S-HEP) and the Institute for Ecology and Evolution.

Required qualifications

  • Excellent PhD dissertation in a suitable field.
  • International publications.
  • Evidence of third-party grants (fellowship/scholarship).
  • Teaching experience.
  • Fulfilment of the appointment prerequisites of § 51 LHG.

In the course of the contract, the W1 professor is expected to attain the research and teaching achievements that will qualify them for appointment as a tenured professor at any university or equivalent institution.

Those who have completed a habilitation will be excluded.

Detailed information on the criteria for interim and final evaluations:

https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/12271

The successful candidate will work in a highly collegial and family-friendly environment.

Equality & Diversity

The University of Tübingen is committed to equity and diversity and actively promotes equal opportunities. Female academics are explicitly invited to apply, as are applicants from outside Germany. Applications from equally qualified candidates with disabilities will be given preference.

General information on professorships, hiring processes, and the German academic system:

https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/213700

Application

Please submit your full application via the University of Tübingen application portal:

https://berufungen.uni-tuebingen.de

For questions regarding the call or the portal, please contact the Dean of the Faculty of Science, Professor Dr. Thilo Stehle:

career@mnf.uni-tuebingen.de

Tenure-Track Professorship (W1 to W3) in Evolutionary Modelling

  • Institution: Faculty of Science, University of Tübingen
  • Department: Department of Geosciences
  • Start date: As soon as possible
  • Application deadline: 6th April 2026

    • The Faculty of Science at Tübingen University invites applications for a Tenure-Track Professorship (W1 to W3) in Evolutionary Modelling at the Department of Geosciences.

    The preferred candidate should have carried out research in statistical modelling of human fossil, molecular, cultural and/or environmental data. Candidates are expected to have a strong background in evolutionary theory and in computational approaches to human bio-cultural diversity and evolution.

    The successful candidate will take an active role in the Excellence Cluster “Human Origins”, complementing and expanding on existing strengths, including new quantitative methods for exploring broader evolutionary time scales. Ideally, they will link with existing strengths of the University of Tübingen in Computer Sciences and Machine Learning.

    Potential research directions include, but are not limited to, phylogenetic, demographic, ecological and biogeographic modelling, ideally with the use of innovative computational methods (e.g. agent-based and predictive modelling, bioinformatics). Relevance of research to human evolution is required.

    Teaching responsibilities

    • Four hours per week prior to interim evaluation.
    • Six hours per week after interim evaluation.
    • Teaching in bachelor’s and master’s programmes, including computational modelling and human evolution.
    • Collaboration with colleagues in Geosciences and related archaeological fields.

    Required qualifications

    • Outstanding doctorate in a pertinent field.
    • International publications.
    • Evidence of third-party grants (fellowship/scholarship).
    • Teaching experience.
    • Fulfilment of the appointment prerequisites of § 51 LHG.

    This Tenure-Track position is subject to an interim evaluation after four years and a final evaluation after six years. If the final evaluation is positive, the professorship will be upgraded to a full (W3) professorship without re-advertising.

    Those who have completed a habilitation will be excluded.

    Detailed information on the criteria for interim evaluation and promotion to a tenured position can be found here:
    https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/12271

    Applicants for a Tenure-Track professorship with a PhD from Tübingen must have changed universities after completing their doctorate or have worked in academia and/or research for at least two years outside the University of Tübingen.

    The successful candidate will work in a highly collegial and family-friendly environment.

    Equality & Diversity

    The University of Tübingen is committed to equity and diversity and actively promotes equal opportunities. Female academics are explicitly invited to apply, as are applicants from outside Germany. Applications from equally qualified candidates with disabilities will be given preference.

    General information on professorships, hiring processes, and the German academic system can be found here:
    https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/213700

    Application

    Please submit your full application via the University of Tübingen application portal:
    https://berufungen.uni-tuebingen.de

    For questions regarding the call or the portal, please contact the Dean of the Faculty of Science, Professor Dr. Thilo Stehle:
    career@mnf.uni-tuebingen.de

    Independent Junior Group Leader — Ethics Laboratory | HUMAN ORIGINS, University of Tübingen

    • Institution: University of Tübingen, Cluster of Excellence “HUMAN ORIGINS”
    • Application deadline: 06.04.2026
    • Position start: 01 July 2026
    • Contract duration: Limited until 31.12.2032 (project duration)

    About the Cluster

    The Cluster of Excellence “HUMAN ORIGINS” at the University of Tübingen researches the last five million years of human history and combines scientific, archaeological, and humanities approaches.

    Position overview

    The Independent Junior Group Leader Ethics Laboratory will build and lead the Cluster’s Ethics Laboratory, which will take a central role within the Cluster. Its goal will be to develop ethical standards and best practices for research in human origins. The Ethics Laboratory will contribute to framing the ethical discourses on critical topics for human origins studies. It will also play an integral role in the Cluster’s outreach and communication strategies.

    Duties and responsibilities

    • Conducting own research projects. Possible research topics include but are not limited to the Ethics of Science, Research Ethics, Ethics of Metascience, History of Human Origin Studies, Philosophy of Science, etc.
    • Advise on ethical aspects of planned research.
    • Address issues related to provenance, repatriation and decolonization of science.
    • Develop ethical guidelines and best practices in human origins research.
    • Contribute to capacity building activities for students and researchers from countries where our research will be conducted.
    • Secure research approvals in ethics committees.
    • Facilitate contact between the HUMAN ORIGINS PIs, local stakeholders and communities.
    • Establish contacts and reciprocal, collaborative interactions with Indigenous and local communities to integrate local knowledge in the framing of research questions and results interpretation.
    • Participate in communication strategy involving local partners and communities.
    • Collaborate closely with the University of Tübingen’s International Centre for Ethics in the Sciences and Humanities (IZEW), the department of philosophy, and collaborators beyond the university.
    • Organize regular workshops and lecture series.
    • Supervise one postdoctoral researcher.

    Requirement profile

    • PhD in a relevant research field.
    • Well-rounded experience in research ethics and ethics of science, especially welcome are experiences with the topics of repatriation, decolonization, interactions with local communities, etc.
    • International publications in a relevant research field.
    • Scientific creativity and drive to address fundamental ethical questions of human origins research.
    • Working experience in multidisciplinary teams.
    • Excellent communication skills in English, both written and spoken.
    • Supervisory experience.

    Equality & Diversity

    The University of Tübingen is committed to equity and diversity and actively promotes equal opportunities. Equally qualified candidates with disabilities will be given preference in the hiring process. The University of Tübingen is committed to increasing the percentage of women in research and teaching and thus encourages women with adequate qualifications to apply.

    How to apply

    Please submit applications as a single PDF file (max. 10 MB) to Dr. Annika Thiem via email: admin.human-origins@ifu.uni-tuebingen.de by 6th April 2026.

    Further information

    https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/research/core-research/cluster-of-excellence-human-origins/