Rüdiger Jan

Rüdiger Jan is a full Professor of Medieval History at the Department of History, University of Basel, since 2014. He studied History, English, and Occitan studies in Hamburg, Sheffield, and Toulouse between 1985–1993 and received his doctorate in Basel (1998) after studies in Aalborg. He has held academic positions at universities including Rostock, Kiel, Hamburg, Flensburg, and Basel, with a habilitation at Humboldt University of Berlin (2007). His research focuses on maritime societies in Northwestern Europe, political cultures of the early and high Middle Ages, linguistic thought in the Euromediterranean region, and regional historical cultures in Schleswig-Holstein/Southern Denmark (19th–21st centuries).

• Head of Department of History (2021–2023)
• Deputy Head (2020–2021, 2023–2024)
• President, Christine Bonjour Foundation (Basel)
• Chair, Dissertation Prize Committee (Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences)
• Chair, Library Commission of the Department of History

He is affiliated with advisory boards and research networks such as the Association of Medievalists (2009–2011), Centre for Medieval Literatures (Odense/York), and Associacion Internacionala d'Estudis Occitans. His work intersects with digital history methodologies, including participation in LLM-based workshops for historical research.