Junior Researcher Architectural History / Urban History (deadline 11 June 2018)

The University of Amsterdam’s research priority area Amsterdam Centre for Cultural Heritage and Identity (ACHI) is looking for a junior researcher in the area of Architectural or Urban History (17^th-century) as part of the NWO project Virtual Interiors as Interfaces for Big Historical Data Research: Spatially Enhanced Publications of the Creative Industries of the Dutch Golden Age, jointly conducted by Huygens ING and the University of Amsterdam by principal applicant prof. Charles van den Heuvel and co-applicants prof. Julia Noordegraaf and prof. Gabri van Tussenbroek and in partnership with Brill and the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision. We now invite applications from excellent candidates who wish to conduct research of archival primary sources of 17^th-century Amsterdam to support the identification of historical geo-locations of creative industries and the reconstruction of the interiors of two houses of the Dutch Golden Age.

The project is conducted within ACHI’s research program Creative Amsterdam: An E-Humanities Perspective led by Julia Noordegraaf. CREATE researchers use large-scale digital data and techniques to investigate how cultural industries have shaped Amsterdam’s unique position as a Creative City in a European and global context, from the 17^th century until the present day. One of the core themes is the Amsterdam Time Machine, an information system with geographical data at its core, to which the Virtual Interiors project will contribute a ‘proof of concept’.

Job description
You will contribute to the Virtual Interiors project by identifying and analyzing archival data of Amsterdam that support the identification of centers of creativity in the Dutch Golden Age (by the Doctoral Researcher of the project) and by identifying historical building plans and architectural drawings to support the reconstruction of the interiors of two houses (by the Strategic Postdoctoral Researcher of the project). Data include 17^th-century century notary acts, historical maps of Amsterdam, buildings plans and elevations of its houses.

You will be supervised by Charles van den Heuvel and Gabri van Tussenbroek.

Tasks will include:

• selection of primary sources of Amsterdam together with the PhD student and postdoctoral researcher;
• archival research of pre-cadastral maps, transport acts, tax cohiers, assignments of land;
• archival research of historical building plans and architectural drawings;
• completion of one co-authored article;
• close collaboration with the other researchers of the group (including on issues not directly connected to one’s own project, such as supporting the management and coordination of the project and its dissemination activities).

Requirements
If you are the junior researcher we are looking for, you have:

• a (research) master’s degree in a relevant field (such as Architectural History, Building History or Urban History), obtained by 1 September 2018;
• proven skills in paleography and the reading of Dutch 17^th-century archival textual and visual sources;
• proven skills and interest in digital methods and techniques with regard to humanities research;
• research experience, or a track record of project based work, and the ability to function in a multidisciplinary team;
• proficiency in Dutch and English.

Further information
For any additional information, you may contact:

• prof. Julia Noordegraaf

Appointment
You will be appointed for 38 hours per week (1.0 FTE) for a maximum period of two years at the Department of Media Studies of the Faculty of Humanities. The research will be carried out under the aegis of the Amsterdam School for Heritage, Memory and Material Culture, one of the six research schools within the Faculty of Humanities and partner of the Amsterdam Centre for Cultural Heritage and Identity. The appointment is initially for a period of 12 months; contingent on satisfactory performance it will be extended by a maximum of 12 months. The intended starting date of the contract is 1 September 2018. The gross monthly salary (on a full-time basis) will range from € 2,709 to € 2,917 depending on your experience and qualifications. The Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities is applicable.

Job application
The UvA is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We value a spirit of enquiry and endurance, provide the space to keep asking questions and cherish a diverse atmosphere of curiosity and creativity.

Your application should include:

1. an up-to-date CV;
2. other requested documents in one PDF file (not zipped), consisting of:
   – a letter of motivation;
   – at least one letter of recommendation;
   – a copy of diploma.

Applications must be sent as attachments via the link on the University of Amsterdam webpage before 11 June 2018.

We will interview shortlisted candidates in the week of 16 to 20 July 2018.