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[Commlist] PhD studentship: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Museum Conservation
Wed Aug 20 07:53:27 GMT 2025
We invite applications for a PhD studentship exploring the intersection
of museums, conservation, and artificial intelligence. This is a
collaboration between the University of Manchester and the Getty
Conservation Institute. The PhD will start in January 2026.
*
*
*Deadline: 24/9/25*
More information:
https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/artificial-intelligence-and-the-future-of-museum-conservation/?p186389
[findaphd.com]
Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Museum Conservation
The University of Manchester Faculty of Humanities Doctoral Academy,
School of Arts, Languages and Cultures
About the Project
We invite applications for a PhD studentship exploring the intersection
of museums, conservation, and artificial intelligence (AI). This is a
collaboration between the University of Manchester and the Getty
Conservation Institute.
AI technologies are increasingly embedded in museum and conservation
practice, raising questions about authority, authorship, ethics,
materiality, and care. From predictive analytics for preventive
conservation to machine learning for object recognition and condition
monitoring, tools such as natural language processing (NLP) and large
language models (LLMs) are reshaping theoretical, professional, and
practical approaches. This PhD sits at the intersection of critical
museology, conservation, digital humanities, and computer science,
offering an opportunity to explore how AI might support, disrupt, or
redefine conservation in the 21st century.
We welcome proposals from candidates with backgrounds in digital
humanities, computer science, AI, NLP, conservation, museum or heritage
studies, or related fields, with strong academic knowledge and technical
expertise in AI, NLP, LLMs, or machine learning for multimodal data.
Possible areas of enquiry might include (but are not limited to):
Bias detection and mitigation in conservation-AI tools
Integrating explainable AI into conservation workflows to build
trust and understanding
Addressing culturally biased or Western-centred AI training data
AI for monitoring, predicting, or guiding conservation interventions
Risks and benefits of AI-assisted decision-making in conservation
AI’s impact on conservation priorities, ethics, and responsibilities
New forms of expertise or labour in AI-enhanced conservation
Impact of conservation-AI tools on curatorial decisions, exhibition
design or public engagement
Applicants are encouraged to shape their own project within this broad area.
Supervisors: Dr Kostas Arvanitis (Senior Lecturer in Museology and
Digital Heritage, University of Manchester), Professor Sophia Ananiadou
(Professor in Computer Science, Department of Computer Science, and
Director, National Centre for Text Mining, University of Manchester),
and Dr Stavroula Golfomitsou (Head of Collections, Getty Conservation
Institute). Together they bring academic, technical, and sector
expertise to ensure the research has both scholarly value and real-world
conservation impact.
The PhD student will be based at the University of Manchester, with
access to: the Institute for Cultural Practices’ museology expertise;
the Digital Humanities Lab; the National Centre for Text Mining’s
(NaCTeM) infrastructure and large-scale language processing expertise;
and the Getty Conservation Institute’s AATA Online and other resources.
Eligibility
Academic
Bachelor's (Honours) degree at 2:1 or above (or overseas
equivalent); and
Master's degree in a relevant subject – with an overall average of
65% or above, a minimum mark of 65% in your dissertation and no mark
below 55% (or overseas equivalent)
English Language
All applicants must provide evidence of English language proficiency:
IELTS test minimum score – 7.0 overall, 7.0 in writing.
TOEFL (internet based) test minimum score – 100 overall, 25 in all
sections.
Pearson Test of English (PTE) UKVI/SELT or PTE Academic minimum
score – 76 overall, 76 in writing.
To demonstrate that you have taken an undergraduate or postgraduate
degree in a majority English speaking nation within the last 5 years.
Other tests may be considered.
How to apply
The application deadline will be Midnight (GMT) on 24/09/25. Apply
online for PhD Digital Humanities, Cultures and Media at the University
of Manchester.
Under Section 6 Research Details select ‘Yes’ to Are you applying for an
advertised project. Insert the project title as stated at the top of the
advert. It is recommended when entering the name of the supervisor to
simply enter this and not use the supervisor search function.
Please indicate in Section 9 Funding Sources your intention to apply for
the EPSRC IDLA Award.
Please ensure all required supporting documents are included at the time
of submission, as incomplete applications may not be considered. Your
application must include the following:
Copy of your Bachelor's academic transcript and certificate.
Copy of your Master's academic transcript and certificate. If your
Master's degree is pending, please provide an interim transcript.
If you have completed more than one Bachelor's or Master's degree,
please provide evidence for each. If your transcripts are in a language
other than English, you must provide an official English translation. If
your weighted average mark or GPA is not included on these documents,
please also include an official document from your university verifying
this information.
An academic CV, summarising your employment history, publications
and highlighting experience demonstrating your research potential.
Supporting statement (maximum of 1000 words) indicating why you
would like to undertake this studentship, explaining how your focus,
experience, and skills link to the research outlined above, and
outlining how you would approach the research (including the research
questions you’d focus on and the methodology you’d follow).
Example of a piece of academic writing produced by you of up to
5,000 words (you may consider submitting two shorter pieces if this
deals separately with conceptual and empirical analyses). This may be an
academic essay or chapter(s) from a dissertation, in which case, an
abstract or introduction outlining the context/aims/research questions
of the study must also be included. In Section 12, upload the Writing
Sample under Research Statement/Proposal and label it clearly as
"Writing Sample."
You must nominate two academic referees (including one from your
most recent institution). Your referees will be contacted directly via
the Referee Portal following the submission of your application form.
You may wish to contact your referees to request they submit your
reference in a reasonable timeframe as this forms part of the review
process;
A full PhD Proposal is not required.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss this further, please
contact Dr Kostas Arvanitis ((kostas.arvanitis /at/ manchester.ac.uk)).
Formal interviews: Interviews are expected to take place online on
Monday 13th October 2025 (via Zoom/Teams).
Equality, diversity and inclusion
Equality, diversity and inclusion are fundamental to the success of The
University of Manchester, and are at the heart of all of our activities.
We know that diversity strengthens our research community, leading to
enhanced research creativity, productivity and quality, and societal and
economic impact.
We actively encourage applicants from diverse career paths and
backgrounds and from all sections of the community, regardless of age,
disability, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation and
transgender status.
Funding Notes
EPSRC Industrial Doctorate Landscape Award (IDLA) with Getty
Conservation Institute. Studentship funding is for a duration of 3.5
years to commence in January 2026 and covers UKRI tuition fees and an
annual stipend (2025/26 rate £20,780 per annum). This studentship is
open for International Students.
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