NU-ACCESS Postdoctoral Research Scholarship: Understanding Metal Soap Protrusions on Georgia O'Keeffe's Paintings
The Northwestern University / Art Institute of Chicago Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts (NU-ACCESS) is offering a two-year postdoctoral research fellowship funded through a National Endowment for the Humanities Preservation and Access grant. The selected candidate will help develop a new quantitative imaging paradigm linking the microscale formation of metal carboxylate soap protrusions on paintings by the artist Georgia O'Keeffe to long-term macroscopic changes to these works of art. High-resolution analytical tools will be used to characterize metal carboxylate soaps in O'Keeffe's oil paintings. With access to O'Keeffe's commercial paint tubes and color paint-outs housed at the O'Keeffe museum, we hope to correlate these specific paint formulations to the occurrence and distribution of protrusions on the artist's paintings. Also built into the overall ecosystem of understanding the occurence of soaps will be information on the conservation, storage and exhibition histories of these paintings in the archives of the O'Keeffe Museum. In addition to this micro-scale study, another goal is to dynamically monitor the occurrence and extent of soap protrusions in oil paintings at the macro scale. To this end, open-source and web-based image-analysis tools will be developed to aid conservators in the long term monitoring of soap protrusions and other alteration phenomena, extending the benefits of the study beyond the O'Keeffe Museum collection to many other similarly affected paintings around the world. Research will be undertaken at both Northwestern University and the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico, allowing the use of the analytical facilities, libraries, and other resources at both institutions. The scholarship includes funding for travel and research. Applicants should have completed a Ph.D. in materials science, chemistry, or a related discipline. It would be beneficial to have expertise in materials characterization techniques (scanning and transmission electron microscopy, FTIR, Raman GC-MS, etc.), computational optical microscopy (specifically Fourier ptychography methods), as well as programing experience in Matlab, Python or equivalent. Previous work experience in the cultural heritage field is advantageous, but not necessary. The application, including cover letter, CV, list of publications, and contact information for two references, should be submitted online via the following link: https://openposition.mccormick.northwestern.edu/apply/index/Njc= For inquiries please contact Professor Marc Walton: [email protected] The deadline for application is 22 January 2018, with a start date anticipated in early spring. Northwestern University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. Qualified women and minorities are encouraged to apply. It is the policy of Northwestern University not to discriminate against any individual on the basis of race, color, religion national origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age, disability, citizenship, veteran status or other protected group status. Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the United States.? -- Lara Ghisleni, Ph.D. Project Coordinator Materials Research Center Northwestern University 2145 Sheridan Road, TECH K111 Evanston, IL 60208 [email protected] O: 847.491.3606<tel:(847)%20491-3606> | F: 847.467.6727<tel:(847)%20467-6727> NU-ACCESS: http://www.nuaccess.northwestern.edu<http://www.nuaccess.northwestern.edu/> ****** Unsubscribe by sending a message to [email protected] Searchable archives: http://cool.conservation-us.org/byform/mailing-lists/cdl/
