“Substances, Materials, and Knowledge of Nature in the Premodern Arabo-Islamic World”

The position involves collaboration with the research activities of the ERC project UseFool, with particular attention to the material dimension of technical and scientific knowledge concerning natural substances in the premodern Arabo-Islamic tradition. Drawing on expertise in natural sciences and laboratory practices, the research assistant will contribute to the identification and investigation of the substances, materials, and processes described in historical sources, as well as to the experimental replication of selected procedures. The activities will focus on specific kernels of knowledge identified by the project, including acidity, glass pastes, pigments, and the alchemical transformation of foodstuffs, in close collaboration with the research team.