Postdoctoral Researcher (50%, 24 months) – Digital Humanities & Cultural Heritage Informatics

The Bibliotheca Hertziana – Max Planck Institute for Art History (BHMPI) invites applications for a postdoctoral position in Digital Humanities, focused on the intersection of cultural heritage, art history, and information and communication technologies (ICT). This role is part of an innovative, interdisciplinary research project that leverages digital tools and methodologies to develop a workflow model across Art and Architectural History, Historic Building Information Modelling, and Linked Open Data technologies (Serious3D, DFG-AHRC project nr. 566423951).

The successful Candidate will work at the Department Michalsky in cross-collaboration with the Digital Humanities Lab at the BHMPI, Rome. The project emphasizes the development of digital infrastructures for scholarly research, including semantic data modeling, linked open data, visualization tools, and semi-automated analysis of historical sources. This is an exceptional opportunity for a digitally skilled humanities scholar, or an ICT professional with an understanding of digital cultural heritage, to advance their expertise in a collaborative, international academic setting.

The position is ideal for early-career researchers who are eager to bridge the gap between technology and the humanities, and with motivation to shape the future of digital scholarship in art history and cultural heritage.

The Max Planck society strives for gender and diversity equality. We welcome applications from all backgrounds. Furthermore, The Max Planck Society is committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in its workforce and therefore encourages applications from such qualified individuals.

Key Tasks and Responsibilities

• Design, adapt/customize, and implement digital tools and workflows for the curation, analysis, and visualization of historical artistic networks and architectural data, and to present research findings to academic and public audiences.
• Contribute to the refinement of a semantic data model for cultural heritage collections, integrating heterogeneous sources (archival documents, iconographic records, architectural plans, etc.) and maintaining the resulting data storage infrastructure.
• Apply and adapt state-of-the-art ICT methods, including natural language processing (NLP), machine learning, and knowledge graph technologies, to extract and structure information from historical texts and visual materials.
• Collaborate with art and architecture historians to validate and interpret digital outputs in their respective domains.
• Participate in project workshops, conferences, and training events; contribute to publications and grant proposals.
• Support the integration of digital methods into the broader research agenda of BHMPI, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration

Experience

• A PhD (or equivalent doctoral degree) in one of the following fields: Digital Humanities, Cultural Heritage Informatics, Computer Science, Information Science, or a closely related discipline.
• Demonstrated experience in digital research projects involving data modeling, semantic web technologies, or digital archives.
• Proven ability to work in interdisciplinary teams, combining technical and humanistic perspectives.
• A genuine interest in art history, cultural heritage, or historical research, regardless of the disciplinary background.

Skills

Essential

• Strong proficiency with digital data modeling and management systems, within and beyond the relational paradigm (e.g. Graph DB, Triple/Quad store, NoSQL…), and of common data interoperability formats (e.g. JSON, XML)
• Strong programming skills (Python, Node.js, PHP) and familiarity with software engineering practices and DevOps: version control in Git, CI/CD, Docker/Podman containers, issue tracking and developer documentation.
• Client-side Web development (HTML, JavaScript, CSS, React) and advanced techniques for Web templating (e.g. Handlebars, Jekyll, Django, Jinja)
• Experience with information publishing standards and tools for the Humanities (examples: CIDOC-CRM, IIIF, FRBR/LRM, IFC/BIM, Pelagios, Europeana, OpenRefine).
• Agility with language-independent HTTP-based API usage
• Ability to quickly learn new standards based on the above knowledge

Desirable

• Familiarity with linked open data (LOD) publishing and data interoperability standards (RDF, SPARQL, SKOS, ontologies).
• Experience with machine learning or NLP applied to historical texts or image analysis.
• Knowledge of GIS tools (e.g., QGIS, ArcGIS) for spatial analysis of cultural heritage.
• Experience with user-centered design or participatory digital archiving.

Languages

English. Italian is desirable.

Wages

The successful candidate will be engaged under an Italian Co.Co.Co. (Collaborazione Coordinata e Continuativa) contract for a duration of 24 months at 50% part-time, with a gross monthly compensation of €1,974.99. The expected start date is late Summer 2026.

How to apply

Applications may be submitted by August 8, 2026, via our recruitment platform at:
https://recruitment.biblhertz.it/position/22511616

Supplying:

• Cover letter (1 page max)
• Curriculum vitae et studiorum, with a list of up to 10 publications
• Portfolio and/or max 2 References that you feel useful to better demonstrate your competences (online links are encouraged)