Postdoctoral researcher Architectural History / Digital Archaeology (deadline 11 June 2018)

The University of Amsterdam’s research priority area Amsterdam Centre for Cultural Heritage and Identity (ACHI) is looking for a postdoctoral researcher in the area of Architectural History or Digital Archaeology (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. Applications are now invited from excellent candidates who wish to conduct research on the methodological issues related to the making of multidimensional, dynamic 3D/4D models of interiors of houses of the Dutch Golden Age in Amsterdam as interfaces for historical research on the creative industries.

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’.

Project description
You will contribute to the Virtual Interiors project by conceptualizing and developing 3D/4D models of interiors of houses that serve as interactive visual interfaces to the vast amount of textual and visual descriptions of objects of the creative industries in the households of Amsterdam in the Dutch Golden Age, as well as a variety of (un)structured contextual data. These models, based on archival research (supported by the Junior Researcher of the project), will build upon the historical GIS of the creative industries of Amsterdam (developed by the PhD of the project) and serve as input for a Virtual Research Environment for analysis and annotation of historical data for research of the creative industries (developed by the Embedded Postdoctoral Researcher of the project). For the creation of such dynamic models, the candidate needs to be able to handle changes over time of heterogeneous information with multiple levels of uncertainty and complex methodological issues.

You will be supervised by Gabri van Tussenbroek and Charles van den Heuvel. You will also closely collaborate with the Faculty of Humanities’ 4D Research Lab, which facilitates researchers from different disciplines in the Humanities who have specific spatial and architectural questions that cannot be answered with traditional methods.

Tasks will include:

• researching, building and publishing the interiors of two houses of the Dutch Golden Age in 3D/4D;
• completion of two peer reviewed articles;
• regular presentation of intermediate research results at workshops and conferences, and publications in proceedings and journals;
• 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 postdoctoral researcher we are looking for, you have:

• a doctoral degree in a relevant field (such as Architecture, History or Archaeology ), obtained or with a defense data set by 1 September 2018;
• proven skills in and affinity with 3D modeling methods and software;
• a strong background or demonstrable interest in working with Dutch 17^th-century archival textual and visual sources;
• good academic writing and presentation skills;
• good social and organizational skills;
• 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 three years at the Department of Media Studies of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Amsterdam. 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 24 months. The intended starting date of the contract is 1 September 2018. The gross monthly salary (on a full-time basis) will range from €3,238 to €3,722 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. a full academic CV;

2. other requested documents in one PDF file (not zipped), consisting of:

• a short statement of ideas about the project ;
• a  letter of motivation;
• at least one letter of recommendation;
• a copy of your diploma.

You may send your application as attachment  via the link on the University of Amsterdam webpage, before 11 June 2018.

We will interview shortlisted candidates in the week of 9 to 13 July 2018.