PRR Project

Summary

NOVA School of Social Sciences and Humanities seeks to expand its academic staff by appointing an Principal Researcher in Ethnomusicology, with particular expertise on music cognition and emotions. The selected candidate will develop her/his research agenda as an active member of INET-md and will contribute to the development of NOVA FCSH strategic line on Arts and Humanities. The successful applicant will have the following key responsibilities:1.    Design and conduct independent research on topics related with music cognition and emotions from an ethnomusicological perspective. 2.    Generate and disseminate high-quality research findings, including (but not exclusively) in international, peer-reviewed journals. 3.    Contribute to a supportive and productive research community, namely by supporting the design and implementation of INET-md research strategy, as well as NOVA FCSH strategic area of Arts and Humanities. 4.    Design and submit applications for competitive research funding. 5.    Actively develop efforts to establish meaningful collaborative work with academic and non-academic institutions, setting the ground for future partnerships and social engagement. 6.    Develop and teach courses, in her/his field of expertise, thus actively contributing to the renewal and ongoing improvement of curricula and educational practices at all levels. 7.    Supervise post-graduate students, by providing mentoring and advice.The successful applicant should have the following scientific profile: 1.    PhD degree in Ethnomusicology or a closely related discipline. 2.    Specific expertise on music cognition and emotions from an ethnomusicological perspective. 3.    Experience in the design and implementation of research projects, including projects with competitive and external funding. 4.    Relevant experience in team coordination, in the context of research projects and/or managerial responsibilities 5.    Outstanding research qualities demonstrated through an established track record of relevant publications, including peer-reviewed, international journals, books and other relevant outlets. 6.    Proven experience in interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary teams, either as project leader and/or team member. 7.    Active member of relevant networks (academic and non-academic) in the research topics covered. 8.    Strong focus on societal engagement and knowledge exchange with relevant stakeholders and society in general. 9.    Experience in teaching and supervision, at Master and PhD level in particular, and evidence of strong commitment to innovative pedagogical approaches, from a research-led teaching approach.Rationale:The recruitment of a Principal Researcher in Ethnomusicology, with particular expertise on music cognition and emotions, is scientifically relevant for both the INET-md and NOVA FCSH. Trying to understand how music stimulates human emotions is an emerging research topic in Musical Sciences. If cognitive psychologists have been working on this subject for several decades, ethnomusicologists have only recently begun to focus their attention on emotions, as an entry key to classic anthropological questions, such as identity, religion, rituals, politics, or social organization. INET-md has been pioneering this field through several projects that have combined field research and laboratory experiments, using theoretical frameworks from the cognitive sciences and anthropology. The successful applicant will develop her/his research on the anthropological theory on the emotional power of music, through the study of sonic artefacts from different cultures, thus contributing to expand a domain that has been almost exclusively focused on Western classical music. On the other hand, this line of research can be productively articulated with the curricular offer of NOVA FCSH, mainly on the graduate and doctoral level, increasing the presence of research-led teaching on Ethnomusicology in NOVA FCSH Department of Musical Sciences. Recruiting a Principal Researcher in this field would allow to (1) strengthen the “Ethnomusicology and Popular Music Studies” Research Group at INET-md, by adding complementary expertise to the current group and enhance the research outputs, (2) support the INET-md in achieving international recognition in this field and establishing it further as a reference both at the national and international level; and (3) contribute to teaching and mentoring at the post-graduate level in NOVA FCSH Department of Musical Sciences, thus shaping a new generation of young researchers at INET-md.  This position is also crucial to further develop NOVA FCSH ‘Arts and Humanities’ strategic line, one of the five strategic areas that will support the NOVA FCSH educational and research mission until 2030.