1 PhD position (100%) on remote sensing approaches to study the relationship of vegetation and the archaeological record on tropical environments in the Mariana Islands

4 Nov 2025
Job Information

Organisation/Company

Instituto de Ciencias del Patrimonio - Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC)

Department

Incipit

Research Field

History » Archaeology
Environmental science » Other
Biological sciences » Other

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Positions

PhD Positions

Country

Spain

Application Deadline

23 Nov 2025 - 23:00 (Europe/Madrid)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Hours Per Week

37,5

Offer Starting Date

2 Feb 2026

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Horizon Europe

Reference Number

101226735 – PacificPeopleForest

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

€ 3,495 per month, before taxes. If you have family, you will get € 3,990 per month, before taxes

 37,5 hours per week

📅 One-year contract with up to 3-year of extension after successful evaluation

🎓MSc degree

📅 Latest starting date is February 2026

 

The Incipit (CSIC) is a modern, state-of-the-art research institute of CSIC (Spanish National Research Council ), the largest public research organisation in Spain. Located in the historic city of Santiago de Compostela (Galicia, Spain) and housed in a monumental space known as Cidade da Cultura (Monte Gaiás, Santiago de Compostela), at the Incipit we are oriented towards research on cultural heritage and host specialists from many fields, such as anthropologists, archaeologists, architects, astrophysicists, educators, historians, linguists, philosophers, or software engineers. Pursuing a PhD at Incipit, a personal and dynamic institute, means contributing directly to pioneering, internationally visible research; working on a friendly enviroment offering dedicated mentorship; and having access to a large international network, and to 1000m² of lab facilities.

 

As a PhD student

• You will find yourself in a unique research environment, surrounded by scientists from a wide range of disciplines focusing on heritage aspects.
• You will receive dedicated supervision from experienced researchers, and enjoy regular exchange with international experts.
• You will build valuable academic experience by participating in the Incipit’s research and social activities.

 

Your work

You will be part of a Marie Curie Doctoral Network project entitled History, Archaeology, and Botany of Pacific Islands: assessing the Long-Term Impacts of Early European colonialism on Peoples and Forests (short name, PacificPeopleForest). Currently, knowledge on the ‘native’ forest in the Pacific is an understudied topic, and its anthropogenic character is undervalued. You will be responsible for developing non-invasive, holistic tools to understand the structure of current landscape in Rota Island (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands), especially in forested areas -through high resolution and self-generated data in the field-, and to explore the potential of remote sensing to unlock the relationship between vegetation history and the distribution of ancient economic and settlement remains. Given the complexity of field work due to rugged topography and dense vegetation even in small islands, your work will contribute to the development of archaeology in inland areas as well as to explore new ways to describe the forest. In addition to field work in the Pacific, you will perform secondments in Naturalis (Netherlands) and the Forestry Section of the Department of Land and Natural Resources (Rota, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands). You will also visit and obtain education from our European partners in the consortium, publish your findings as scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals, and present results at (inter)national conferences. If successful, you will obtain your PhD degree from the University of Jaén (Spain).

 

We offer

• A gross monthly starting salary of € 3,495 for a full-time contract (37,5 weekly hours).
• 22 days of paid leave per year, plus 6-7 days per year for personal issues, and 82 hours per year for other types of leave.
• Public pension scheme.
• CSIC offers many additional opportunities of education online and in person.
• Lectures and scientific meetings on many different topics. You can also take part in our regular exchanges within the Incipit.
• A laptop and mobile phone allowance.
• Social events, from theater representations to a monthly get-together meal.
• A unique work environment in a state-of-the-art building.

 

Your team

The Incipit is composed of one unique department and research group; you will directly work with Dr. María Cruz Berrocal, Dr. César Parcero Oubiña, Dr. César González Pérez, Dr. María Martín Seijo, and Dr. Jesús García Sánchez (from Instituto de Arqueología de Mérida, CSIC), with Dr. Cruz Berrocal and Dr. Parcero Oubiña as supervisors. You will closely work with 5 other PhD students in the PacificPeopleForest consortium, sharing training events, field work, and more. This international research team aims to uncover the history, extent and chronology of the impacts of European colonialism in the Pacific Islands (16-17th century). By integrating historical, archaeological, and ecological disciplines and perspectives through an interdisciplinary consortium including 6 PhD students, located in Incipit, Naturalis, and KU Leuven, we want to understand the interplay between human populations and forest dynamics, before and after European contact. 

 

You will also be part of our Incipit PhD community, including +20 PhD candidates and postdocs with whom you can share experiences and participate in training sessions, workshops, and peer review meetings. 

 

You will have to

• Have a MA, MPhil (or an equivalent qualification) in Archaeology, History or an adjacent relevant discipline and ample experience in remote sensing; or a MA, MPhil (or an equivalent qualification) in Remote Sensing, or in Biology with experience in remote sensing. The MA must be in hand when the position starts.
• Be capable of developing independent thought while also proactively seeking collaboration — whether with your supervisor, fellow researchers, or external partners. You have to be confident in asking critical questions to further your research.
• Have strong proficiency in English and collaborative and organization skills.
• Complete a PhD thesis in the field area specified above.
• Attend field work, training events in house and abroad, secondments, conferences, and other presentations.
• Actively disseminate your work, within and outside Incipit, for the scientific community and the general public.
• Archaeological and botanical interests are advantages, as well as experience in tropical field work and GI skills.

• Be regularly present at Incipit.

   

Your application

• Send your CV, copies of degree certificates, and motivation letter (2-3 pages), including the contact details of two referees, in one pdf document no later than  November 23rd 2025 to maria.cruz-berrocal@incipit.csic.es
• Interviews (online) will (probably) be held the first week of December.
• For more information about the application procedure, you can send an email to our colleagues at teresa.neo@incipit.csic.es , gerencia.incipit@csic.es

 

 

Where to apply

E-mail

maria.cruz-berrocal@incipit.csic.es

Requirements

Research Field

History » Archaeology

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Research Field

Environmental science » Other

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Research Field

Biological sciences » Other

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

You will have to

• Have a MA, MPhil (or an equivalent qualification) in Archaeology, History or an adjacent relevant discipline and ample experience in remote sensing; or a MA, MPhil (or an equivalent qualification) in Remote Sensing, or in Biology with experience in remote sensing. The MA must be in hand when the position starts.
• Be capable of developing independent thought while also proactively seeking collaboration — whether with your supervisor, fellow researchers, or external partners. You have to be confident in asking critical questions to further your research.
• Have strong proficiency in English and collaborative and organization skills.
• Complete a PhD thesis in the field area specified above.
• Attend field work, training events in house and abroad, secondments, conferences, and other presentations.
• Actively disseminate your work, within and outside Incipit, for the scientific community and the general public.
• Archaeological and botanical interests are advantages, as well as experience in tropical field work and GI skills.
• Be regularly present at Incipit.

Specific Requirements

You will be part of a Marie Curie Doctoral Network project entitled History, Archaeology, and Botany of Pacific Islands: assessing the Long-Term Impacts of Early European colonialism on Peoples and Forests (short name, PacificPeopleForest). Currently, knowledge on the ‘native’ forest in the Pacific is an understudied topic, and its anthropogenic character is undervalued. You will be responsible for developing non-invasive, holistic tools to understand the structure of current landscape in Rota Island (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands), especially in forested areas -through high resolution and self-generated data in the field-, and to explore the potential of remote sensing to unlock the relationship between vegetation history and the distribution of ancient economic and settlement remains. Given the complexity of field work due to rugged topography and dense vegetation even in small islands, your work will contribute to the development of archaeology in inland areas as well as to explore new ways to describe the forest. In addition to field work in the Pacific, you will perform secondments in Naturalis (Netherlands) and the Forestry Section of the Department of Land and Natural Resources (Rota, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands). You will also visit and obtain education from our European partners in the consortium, publish your findings as scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals, and present results at (inter)national conferences. If successful, you will obtain your PhD degree from the University of Jaén (Spain).

Languages

ENGLISH

Level

Excellent

Research Field

Environmental science

Years of Research Experience

1 - 4

Additional Information
Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Instituto de Ciencias del Patrimonio - Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC)

Country

Spain

State/Province

A Coruña

City

Santiago de Compostela

Postal Code

15707

Street

Cidade da Cultura, Monte Gaiás sn

Contact

State/Province

A Coruña

City

Santiago de Compostela

Website

https://www.incipit.csic.es/

Street

Cidade da Cultura, Monte Gaiás sn

Postal Code

15707

E-Mail

teresa.neo@incipit.csic.es

STATUS: EXPIRED