Post-doc: History of Architecture & Urbanism (ArchiMediaL project), TU Delft

The research will take place in the context of the interdisciplinary digital humanities project ArchiMediaL, focused on enriching and linking historical architectural and urban image collections. The post-doctoral researcher in architectural and urban history will collaborate closely with members of the Chair of History of Architecture and Urban Planning at the TU Delft and with computer scientists researching Deep Learning for Image Analysis (TU Delft) and Semantic Web and Knowledge Representation (VU Amsterdam).

The postdoctoral researcher will provide the intellectual and hermeneutic framework for the development of new tools for automatic building recognition of architectures and their parts as available in inherently diverse digital media (plans, photos, models, etc.) and on the web. He/she will facilitate the development and linking of metadata and image content and reflect on the relevance of available data and further research for comparative investigation of contemporary and historic built form. The collaboration of historians of architecture and urban form with computer scientists will allow us to close gaps in existing data fields and allow us to gain better understanding of understudied areas.

The project will cover three specific case studies: the open access repository of colonial architecture located at the TU Delft, photographs, postcards and other illustrations of Japan from the late 19th and the early 20th century, and digital imagery of waterfronts and port cities. It will develop new guidelines and methods for the meaningful analysis of architectural and urban history and the use of diverse and large digital (or to be digitised) datasets in three development cycles.
Requirements
The post-doctoral researcher will
– Collaborate with computer scientists in regard to digital media as a
historical artifact.
– Prevent the de-contextualisation of the images, their reduction to
pure datasets.
– Identify search themes to be used by the computer post-doc.
– Question the workings of the computer code to avoid the reproduction
of biases and to specify the informational needs of potential users.
– Guide the parameters for the analysis of three specific use
repositories.
– Write scientific publications and reports.
– Participate in workshops and conferences.
– Support the research group with administration and teaching.
– Write follow-up grants.
– The applicant will hold a PhD in a related field and have excellent
English skills.

Note: There is a preference for a German passport holder.
Conditions of employment
The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, a discount for health insurance and sport memberships, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged. An International Children’s Centre offers childcare and an international primary school. Dual Career Services offers support to accompanying partners. Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities.

Employer
Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) is a multifaceted institution offering education and carrying out research in the technical sciences at an internationally recognised level. Education, research and design are strongly oriented towards applicability. TU Delft develops technologies for future generations, focusing on sustainability, safety and economic vitality. At TU Delft you will work in an environment where technical sciences and society converge. TU Delft comprises eight faculties, unique laboratories, research institutes and schools.

The Department of Architecture at the TU Delft provides high-quality educational programmes and conducts advanced academic research at an internationally competitive level of excellence in the field of architecture, with a strong focus on the social and cultural relevance of architectural knowledge and architectural design. The Department attracts an important number of international and Dutch students, academics and practitioners, thus holding a key position among the five departments that make up the Faculty of Architecture of the TU Delft.

This postdoctoral position is embedded in the Chair of History of Architecture and Urban Planning at the TU Delft. We are looking for a motivated and skilled post-doctoral researcher to conduct cutting-edge research in architectural and urban history within the context of the digital humanities project « ArchiMediaL » funded by a Volkswagen Foundation Grant. This research is designed in collaboration with a second post-doctoral researcher working on Deep Learning for Image Analysis with Semantic Web and Knowledge Representation.

Function types: Postdoc position

Contract type: Temporary, 3 years
Hours: 38.0 hours per week
Salary: maximum € 4691
Education: Doctorate
Job number: BK2017-01
Short link: www.academictransfer.com/38313
For more information about this position, please contact Prof. Carola Hein, C.M.Hein@tudelft.nl.

To apply, please send a detailed CV with a list of academic publications, names of two references, and select samples of writings along with a letter of application by 2 March 2017 to Caro Coemans, hr-bk@tudelft.nl. Applications will be assessed until the position is filled. When applying for this position, please refer to vacancy number BK2017-01.