Klesch Postdoctoral Fellowship in History of Art and Technology

Birkbeck, University of London, is seeking Postdoctoral Researcher to join the Klesch Postdoctoral Fellowship in History of Art and Technology, on a two-year, fixed term contract this Autumn 2026. 

The Klesch Postdoctoral Fellowship supports exceptional early-career researchers whose work is redefining how art history is studied in the age of artificial intelligence and digital technologies.

Applications are invited from researchers working on any aspect of art history from Early Renaissance Europe through to the twentieth century. 

Research Environment

The Fellowship is based within the Vasari Research Centre for Art and Technology and is closely connected to the Birkbeck Centre for Creative AI and the Birkbeck Immersive Learning Centre. Together these centres bring expertise in art history, museum studies, creative AI, immersive technologies, digital humanities and computational methods.

The Fellow will pursue an independent programme of research while participating fully in the intellectual life of the three host centres.

Research Themes

Projects should demonstrate how innovative methodologies can generate new knowledge within art history. Relevant topics may include, but are not limited to:

• Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Art History
• Museums, Collections and AI
• 3D Scanning and Digital Heritage
• Extended Reality (VR, AR and Mixed Reality) as Art Historical Tool
• Network Analysis and Cultural Data
• Human–AI Collaboration in Art Historical Interpretation
• Digital Provenance Research and Collection Histories
• Computer Vision for Art Historical Research
• Cultural Analytics and Network Analysis
• Geospatial Approaches to Art History

Supervision

The Fellow will also benefit from the wider research community within Birkbeck, with opportunities to collaborate with colleagues in the Centre for Museum Cultures, the History and Theory of Photography Research Centre, and other research centres and institutes across the College.

The Fellow will be supervised by Dr Joel McKim, Reader in Digital Media and Culture and Director of the Vasari Research Centre for Art and Technology.

The successful applicant will receive academic mentoring and career development support while becoming an active member of the Vasari Research Centre, the Birkbeck Centre for Creative AI and the Birkbeck Immersive Learning Centre.

To succeed in this role applicants should:

• hold a PhD in Art History or a closely related discipline;
• demonstrate an emerging research and publication record;
• present an original research project that combines art historical scholarship with methodological innovation;
• demonstrate the potential to contribute to Birkbeck’s research environment.

The Fellowship seeks scholars who combine rigorous historical inquiry with methodological innovation. Rather than simply applying new technologies to existing questions, the Fellowship encourages projects that develop new approaches to art historical research through artificial intelligence, immersive technologies, computer vision, computational analysis, digital heritage, or related methods.

Salary and benefits

£44,247 to £50,379, Grade 7 on the College's London Pay Scale which includes a consolidated London Weighting Allowance. 

Benefits of working at Birkbeck: a competitive salary and pension scheme, 31 days paid leave, flexible working arrangements, generous benefits in the HE sector, and being located in the heart of Bloomsbury, Euston, London.

Contract

Fixed-term, full-time contract (35 hours a week), flexible working pattern offered with some remote work but attendance will be expected at Birkbeck regularly.

To apply, please submit a CV and a research project proposal (maximum 2,000 words) and two academic references.

Closing date: Saturday 31 October, interview date: Friday 27 November. 

Enquiries

If you would like to know more about the role, please click on apply below or contact Dr. Joel McKim, Reader in Digital Media and Culture, at j.mckim@bbk.ac.uk

If you have technical issues or difficulties using the recruitment portal, please contact jobs@bbk.ac.uk providing your name and the job reference number of the position. While we are happy to respond to all informal enquiries, only formal applications through the online system will be considered.

We welcome applicants from all sections of the community - www.bbk.ac.uk/jobs. The College is committed to improving the gender and cultural diversity of its workforce, holding a bronze Athena SWAN award and operating Disability Confident & Mindful Employer schemes.