Data Specialist research infrastructure position: Chains Past

Historical Data Specialist for research infrastructure position:
Chains of the Past

Help as a historical data scientist and researcher to reconstruct the life histories of enslaved and free people in the former Dutch colonies. In the Chains of the Past project, we build a large-scale data infrastructure that connects historical sources to transform our understanding of the colonial past and enable new scientific and genealogical research. Preferably as a postdoc, but due to the specialized nature of this position, we also invite qualified candidates without a PhD to apply.

‘Chains of the Past’ sits at the frontier of digital historical research. By processing thousands of historical handwritten documents, this project builds a data infrastructure that will support future research into the lives of enslaved and free people in the former Dutch colonies. As a data specialist, you will help lay the foundations for this new and innovative research landscape. Applying already existing technical data extraction methods to colonial archives requires creativity and critical thinking.

Historical sources are fragmented, shaped by colonial power relations, and often difficult to interpret computationally. Your role is to bridge the worlds of programming and historical interpretation: developing robust entity recognition methods while remaining attentive to the historical context that gives meaning to the data. We therefore seek someone who is eager to learn and likes working in interdisciplinary teams and settings.

If desired, we are happy to support you to develop your own research ideas.

Using and further developing existing data extraction models in R and/or Python, you will help connect individual observations from different sources, enabling the reconstruction of life histories of both enslaved and free people in the colonial context. Together with key stakeholders such as the Dutch Digital Heritage Network (NDE) and the National Archives of the Netherlands, Suriname and Curaçao, you will also develop a strategy to generate sustainable and persistent identifiers (PIDs) for historical person reconstructions.

These identifiers will make it possible to easily follow people across multiple archival sources and colonial contexts. To support this work, you will develop and publish Linked Open Data (LOD) that ensures the data can be reused and connected within the wider digital heritage ecosystem.

• You hold a Master’s degree in Data Science, History, Demography, or a related discipline.
• You are able to read Dutch historical sources or are willing to obtain this skill.
• You are familiar with programming languages such as R or Python, or a willing to obtain this skill.
• You have knowledge of Handwritten Text Recognition (HTR) programmes will be considered an advantage (e.g. Transkribus, Loghi).
• You have knowledge of the generation of persistent identifiers (PIDs) and Linked Open Data (LOD) will be considered an advantage.
• You are curious and eager to increase your skill set.
• You thrive in a collaborative and interdisciplinary academic environment. You can work both independently and together with your project colleagues.
• You have a good command of both Dutch and English.

• We will give you a temporary employment contract of 3 years.
• Your salary within salary scale 11 depends on your previous education and number of years of (relevant) work experience. A preliminary salary scale 10 may apply. The amounts in the scale are based on a 38-hour working week.
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20.

‘Chains of the Past’ is a collaboration between the Historical Database of Suriname and the Caribbean (HDSC) at Radboud University, Exploring Slave Trade in Asia (ESTA) at the International Institute for Social History (IISH) and the Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies (KITLV). Approximately ten historians and data specialists are going to be involved in ‘Chains of the…