2023-2024 Postdoctoral Fellow
at the Custard Institute for Spanish Art and Culture
(with affilation to the Edith O'Donnell Institute of Art History).

The Custard Institute Post-Doctoral Fellow is appointed by and reports to the director of the Custard Institute for Spanish Art and Culture at the Meadows Museum, SMU. They serve a full-time appointment of one year (12 months), beginning in September 2023 or as appropriate. The Fellow will work with the faculty and staff of the Custard Institute for Spanish Art and Culture (CISAC) at SMU, and of the Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History (EODIAH) at the University of Texas at Dallas on the research project, Royal Power, Exoticism, and Technology: Porcelain Rooms from Naples to Madrid. This cultural heritage project brings together art historians and experts in digital technologies at the EODIAH and the CISAC to create digital models of two of eighteenth-century Europe’s great artistic and technological achievements: the porcelain rooms that the Bourbon King Charles of Naples (later King Charles III of Spain) commissioned from his court workshop for the royal palaces at Portici (10 km southeast of Naples) and Aranjuez (50 km south of Madrid).
Required
- Completion of the Ph.D. or equivalent
- Demonstrated knowledge of digital cultural heritage technologies, and demonstrated foundation in the history of art and architecture or archaeology
- Excellent proficiency in either Spanish or Italian
Preferred Qualifications
- At least one year of research experience or relevant digital cultural heritage experience
- Experience with collaborative projects and project management

Opportunities & Responsibilities
- Play a lead role in all aspects of the project to research and model the Bourbon porcelain rooms at Portici (now held at the Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte in Naples) and Aranjuez
- Conduct research to gather primary and secondary sources related to the design, construction, and later histories of the porcelain rooms
- Actively collaborate with CISAC and EODIAH faculty and staff, as well as the staffs of Aranjuez, Capodimonte, and Portici
- Spend periods of project-related work in Naples, Portici, and Aranjuez
- Teach a course on digital cultural heritage in the spring of 2024
- Manage your own travel/research budget

Fellows receive:
- An annual stipend of $50,000 to defray living expenses
- Additional funds available for research, travel, and other expenses
- In addition to SMU/CISAC appointment, a UTD/EODIAH affiliation as Visiting Researcher
- SMU benefit package

Applicants must submit:
• A curriculum vitae
• A statement (not to exceed 1,500 words) describing:
- the candidate’s background in digital cultural heritage, art history, architectural history, or archaeology;
- the applicant’s research goals;
- how these goals relate to or will benefit the Custard Institute and the porcelain rooms project; and
- the names and contact information of three academic and/or professional recommenders.

Deadline to apply: April 20, 2023

Application materials should be sent in PDF format to:
Dr. P. Gregory Warden, Mark A. Roglán Director, Custard Institute gwardensmu.edu