PhD vacancy - University of Amsterdam

The University of Amsterdam (UvA) is a university with an internationally acclaimed profile, located at the heart of the Dutch capital. As well as a world centre for business and research, Amsterdam is a hub of cultural and media activities. The University of Amsterdam is a member of the League of European Research Universities.

DEADELINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO APRIL 22 2009

See below for details on how to apply.

The Faculty of Humanities

The Faculty of Humanities undertakes teaching and research with a strong international orientation in a large number of disciplines within the field of language and culture. The faculty is situated in the center of Amsterdam and maintains close contacts with many cultural institutions in the city. It employs almost a thousand staff members and its courses are attended by approximately 6,500 students.

ASCA

Located at the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Amsterdam, the Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis brings together scholars active in literature, philosophy, visual culture, religious studies, film and media studies, argumentation theory and science dynamics. Specialists in their own respective fields, they share a commitment to working within an interdisciplinary framework and to maintaining a close connection with contemporary cultural and political debates in the society at large and with the cultural institutions outside of the narrow confines of the academic world. Within ASCA they have joined forces to provide a stimulating environment for scholars, professionals, and graduate students both from the Netherlands and abroad. The institute supervises internally and externally funded PhD projects, offers regular seminar and hosts yearly workshops and conferences.

ASCA has a vacant PhD position per 1 September 2009 as part of the NWO funded project New Strategies in the Conservation of Contemporary Art, a collaboration between the University of Amsterdam, the University of Maastricht and the Netherlands Institute for Cultural Heritage. The PhD candidate will be based in Amsterdam, and supervised by Prof. dr. Deborah Cherry (UvA).

New Strategies in the Conservation of Contemporary Art examines how and why contemporary art practices pose particularly difficult conservation problems which cannot be solved along the lines of the so-called ‘scientific freeze’ paradigm that has been standard in conservation theory and ethics. Our interdisciplinary research brings theoretical and critical studies together with empirical investigation to interrogate the impact of museum conservation practices on the material constitution, meaning and agency of a number of problematic art works and to provide a philosophically argued model for conservation theory and ethics.

Tasks

The candidate is expected to research and complete a Ph.D. dissertation within a period of four years, and to participate in the group’s research events and activities, such as conferences, workshops, publications.

Requirements MA-diploma in one or more of related disciplines. Expertise in conservation and conservation studies is not a specific requirement.

More information The Application Guidelines give precise information about the application procedure. This document can be found on the ASCA website (http://www.hum.uva.nl/asca). Further information can be obtained from the project supervisors, Prof. dr. Deborah Cherry ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) and/or Dr. Renée van de Vall ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ), or from the managing director of the research institute Dr. Eloe Kingma ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Appointment The PhD candidate will be appointed for a period of four years (full time), beginning per September 1st, 2009 at the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Amsterdam under the terms of employment currently valid for the Faculty. A contract will be given in the first instance for one year, with an extension for the following three years on the basis of an evaluation of, amongst other things, a written piece of work. The salary (on a full time base) will be € 2042 during the first year (gross per month) and will reach € 2612 during the fourth year, in accordance with the CAO for Dutch universities.

Applications

Applicants are invited to write an application statement of max. 500 words. This limit will be strictly adhered to. The letter should state clearly in what ways the candidate can develop the PhD proposal, and contribute to the overall project; it must provide a precise workplan for the dissertation, including proposed methods and a time schedule. In addition to the proposal, the committee needs a short C.V. (not more than 1 page), including current addresses, and a transcript of your MA-marks.

Applications for this position (preferably in pdf format) should be sent to the ASCA office This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Deadline of submission April 8th 2009. Applications received after this date or those that are incomplete will not  be taken into consideration.

For more information please read the PDF at the following link:

PhD position in Conservation of Contemporary Art