What you'll investigate

Successful applicants will work on the Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project, Night Vision in the Late Ancient Mediterranean.

The Night Vision project aims to create a new history of the wakeful nighttime in the late ancient Mediterranean world, using both literary and material sources.

The project has three key themes:

1. Night Sky: The natural night and heavenly bodies. We ask how people used the stars, moon and planets to predict the future, tell stories, and navigate the dark nighttime. We're also interested in spaces that mimic the night, like caves.
2. Night Light: Lighting technologies and how people used and thought about them. What sort of lighting technologies developed in the period and what activities does lighting enable?
3. Night Life: Sociality and Marginalisation of the nighttime. Who is working at night in the late ancient Mediterranean, and who uses the nighttime for leisure? PhD candidates will develop thesis topics on project-related themes, in consultation with team members. They will be integral to the project, working collaboratively with the research team.

Possible disciplines for the PhD scholarship include:

• Classics
• Biblical Studies
• Jewish Studies
• Late Antique Studies
• Byzantine Studies
• Other Ancient World Studies linked to the Mediterranean

Students working in other disciplines are welcome to contact us to discuss the possibilities.

Scholarship package

The successful applicant will be awarded a scholarship package consisting of:

* International candidates only

Your research community

Supervision

Principal supervisor

Associate Professor Kylie Crabbe or Dr Sarah Gador-Whyte

The research team also includes:

Chief Investigators

• Dr Estelle Strazdins (ANU)
• Dr Tatiana Bur (ANU)

Partner Investigators

• Assistant Professor Dawn LaValle Norman (Baylor)
• Associate Professor Lisa Bailey (Auckland)
• Associate Professor Leslie Dossey (Loyola)

Faculty

Faculty of Theology and Philosophy

Research at ACU's Faculty of Theology and Philosophy explores fundamental questions of meaning, ethics, and belief through rigorous scholarship and critical inquiry. Rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition, our researchers engage with contemporary issues in theology, philosophy, and religious studies to foster dialogue, deepen understanding, and contribute to the common good.

Visit the faculty research website

Affiliation

Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry

The Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry (IRCI) is ACU's flagship institute for theology, philosophy, and related areas of history and literature. IRCI Programs include Biblical and Early Christian Studies, Premodern Belief, Philosophy, and Religion and Theology. IRCI research in these areas contributes to the University's ranking of 28th in the world in theology, divinity, and religious studies (QS 2024) and its placement as 1st in Australia and 20th worldwide for proportion of papers in the world top 10% cited in the Social Sciences and Humanities (Leiden CWTS 2024).

IRCI is networked to leading universities to support research projects and doctoral training, including through joint degrees. Global Seminars at ACU's Rome Campus gather leading experts to engage in innovative research, enrich postgraduate research experience, and promote the fruitful exchange of ideas. IRCI also partners with cultural institutions, and church, education, health, and policy sectors to benefit society.

Visit the IRCI website

Industry partner

This ARC Discovery Project involves industry partnerships with partners from the Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums sector: Stromlo Observatory, Museums Victoria, ANU Classics Museum, and the Ian Potter Museum. Students will have opportunities to gain experience working directly with industry partners.