PhD in Music History & Digital Humanities in Instituto Complutense de Ciencias Musicales – Spain

Summary

The Instituto Complutense de Ciencias Musicales (ICCMU) in Madrid offers a four‑year, full‑time predoctoral position linked to the Spanish Early Music Manuscripts III (SEMM III) project. The role involves archival manuscript research, codicological description, paleographical transcription, digital encoding in Volpiano and MEI, computational melody analysis, and data curation for an open‑access database. The candidate will produce a doctoral dissertation, publish scholarly work, present at conferences, and support project coordination. The position is funded by the Spanish State Research Agency and the EU European Social Fund Plus, includes coverage of PhD tuition fees, and provides up to €7,000 for short research stays. Applicants must hold a master’s degree or equivalent and possess strong Spanish and English language skills.

Key Facts

Position Type	Predoctoral Researcher in Training (PhD Candidate)
Discipline	Music History
Research Area	Spanish Early Music Manuscripts
Degree Required	Master’s degree or equivalent
Funding	Grant funding (AEI and EU ESF+)
Contract Duration	48 months
Language	Spanish, English

About the Project

The SEMM III project creates an open‑access digital humanities platform for Spanish early music manuscripts. It catalogs, describes codicologically, and transcribes medieval Iberian liturgical chant sources, develops standardized neume taxonomies, encodes data in Volpiano and MEI formats, applies handwriting‑recognition models, and integrates the material into the international Cantus Index network.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform in‑situ archival examinations, codicological descriptions, and paleographical transcriptions of medieval liturgical chant sources
• Analyze Visigothic/Hispanic, Silense, Aquitanian, Catalan, and square chant notations and develop neume taxonomies
• Encode sources using Volpiano and MEI, apply HTR models, and conduct computational melody analysis
• Ingest, curate, and ensure quality control of metadata within the SEMM platform and link data to Cantus Index
• Author scholarly publications, present findings at international conferences, and assist with project coordination

Required Skills

• Knowledge of medieval music palaeography and codicology
• Ability to read medieval Latin texts
• Excellent command of Spanish and good proficiency in English
• Familiarity with French, Italian, or German scholarly literature
• Experience with digital encoding formats (Volpiano, MEI) and HTR models
• Computational melody analysis skills

Who Should Apply

Applicants with a master’s degree or equivalent who have expertise in medieval music palaeography, codicology, or related fields such as musicology, medieval history, philology, or digital humanities. Candidates should have excellent Spanish and good English proficiency, and preferably be able to read scholarly literature in French, Italian, or German.

Benefits

• 4‑year full‑time contract
• Coverage of official PhD tuition fees
• Up to €7,000 additional funding allowance for short research stays

About the Employer

The Instituto Complutense de Ciencias Musicales (ICCMU) is Spain's premier academic centre dedicated to musicology and is attached to the Universidad Complutense de Madrid.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the contract length?

The position is a 48‑month full‑time predoctoral employment contract.

Is there additional funding for research stays?

Up to €7,000 additional funding allowance is provided for short research stays.

What language skills are required?

Excellent command of Spanish and good proficiency in English; knowledge of French, Italian, or German is valued.