Job Offer from December 04, 2025
The Bibliotheca Hertziana – Max Planck Institute for Art History in Rome (Italy) invites applications for a Digital Humanities Research Scientist within the Max Planck Research Group "Machine Visual Culture: Artificial Intelligence and the History of Seeing," led by Dr Leonardo Impett.
About the Research Group
The Machine Visual Culture research group investigates the reciprocal relationship between artificial intelligence and visual culture, focusing on how machine vision systems both shape and are shaped by histories of seeing. Combining digital art history with critical AI studies and media archaeology, the group explores AI both as a revolutionary methodology for the study of visual culture, and also as a cultural phenomenon in its own right with important implications for the humanities. Machine Visual Culture offers an interdisciplinary approach that positions AI as both a subject of cultural critique and a transformative approach to art historical research. The research group collaborates closely with international partners, in particular with Cambridge Digital Humanities at the University of Cambridge.
Eligibility and Application Requirements
The Machine Visual Culture group is seeking a Digital Humanities Research Scientist to join the core team in Rome.
The successful candidate will:
- Be willing to work across both backend and frontend development in interdisciplinary projects
- Lead seminars and discussions of technical material (especially relating to computer vision and artificial intelligence) with scholars from diverse disciplinary backgrounds
- Work closely with other group members, including technical consulting and collaborative prototyping on research group projects; such as frontend code for public demos and computer vision / data science experiments
- Contribute to the planning and organisation of seminars, workshops, publications and research grants
Active participation in the activities of the research group and institute is expected.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Background in computational humanities, data science, computer science, or a related discipline, or equivalent technical experience
- Research interests that align with the MPRG Machine Visual Culture.
- Excellent verbal and written proficiency in English
- Ability to reside in Rome for the duration of the appointment
- Willingness to take a leading role in the research group’s research activities, including seminars, reading sessions, and conferences
Application Documents
- Cover letter (2 pages)
- Curriculum vitae (2 pages)
- Sample of prior work (code repository, website, etc) with description of personal involvement (max. 1 page)
- Contact details of two referees (reference letters are not required upfront)
Terms and Conditions
Positions are available for up to 12 months in the first instance. Candidates would normally be expected to start in March 2026 but earlier or later start dates will be considered.
We offer a modern, well-equipped, prestigious, and intellectually stimulating workplace with an international academic atmosphere. The institute is located in the city centre and easily accessible by public transport. Salary and social benefits for this position are in line with the remuneration scheme of the German Embassy in Rome; the salary of the selected candidate is commensurate with qualifications. We promote an open and welcoming workplace culture, support work-life balance, and offer flexible working hours.
The Max Planck Society is committed to fostering equal opportunities and diversity and welcomes applicants from all parts of society, regardless of gender, ethnicity, disabilities, or sexual orientation.
Application Deadline and Submission
Applications must be submitted in English by Monday 12th January 2026. We expect to hold interviews remotely during the week of the 19th January.
All application materials should be submitted via the application portal:
https://recruitment.biblhertz.it/