The University of Zurich Job Opportunity
The University of Zurich, Switzerland's largest university, offers a range of attractive positions across various subject areas and professional fields. With approximately 10,000 employees and 12 professional apprenticeship streams, the University provides an inspiring working environment centered around cutting-edge research and top-class education. Join us and put your talent and skills to work at UZH!
Your Responsibilities
This position presents a strategic opportunity to develop interdisciplinary courses that combine disciplinary expertise in the study of global visual cultures—both historical and contemporary—with computational analytical methods and critical approaches to digital tools and artifacts.
The successful candidate will hold a doctoral degree in relevant fields such as Art History, Visual Culture, Media Studies, Archaeology, Film Studies, Education, Digital Humanities, Digital Culture Studies, or closely related disciplines, emphasizing the computational analysis of visual materials. They will specialize in digital curation and analysis of visual cultural data, which may include artworks, photographs, maps, films, videos, digital media (memes, Instagram posts), objects, artifacts, exhibition records, and visual archives. Expertise in computational methods, including computer vision, machine learning, network analysis, data management, and digital preservation, alongside critical perspectives on tool and data criticism and digital ethics, is essential. Proven experience in teaching computational methods within the context of visual culture studies is also required.
The successful candidate will engage in cross-institutional and transdisciplinary collaborations with experts from various disciplines and cultural areas, ensuring disciplinary relevance and adaptability to evolving academic and technological developments.
Teaching Responsibilities
- Teaching responsibilities equivalent to 8 weekly teaching units (each 45 minutes), typically corresponding to four courses per semester at the BA, MA, and/or PhD levels in programs like Film Studies, Art History, Archaeology, Media and Communication, and Educational Sciences.
- Administering exams and assessing student performance.
- Participating in student information events and preparing informational materials for students.
Didactic and Institutional Responsibilities
- Participating in university-level pedagogical training.
- Offering cross-institutional training for instructors, covering technical fundamentals and the adaptation of the latest programs into modules as well as transdisciplinary didactics.
Research
- Demonstrating active research in the field of Digital Humanities, focusing on visual cultural data.
- Authoring scholarly publications.
- Collaborating and networking with research partners within and beyond the involved departments.
- Participating in conferences, including contributions of original research.
Your Profile
Required Qualifications:
- PhD in relevant fields (Art History, Visual Culture, Media Studies, Archaeology, Film Studies, Education, Digital Humanities, Digital Visual Culture Studies, or closely related fields) with a demonstrated research focus on computational analysis of visual cultural materials. Candidates should provide documented experience in the computational analysis of visual materials and proven experience in teaching computational methods within visual culture studies. Understanding the diversity and specificity of various forms of cultural data, including those produced outside the Euro-American context, is highly valued.
- Expertise in computational methods, including:
- Digital curation and data management of visual cultural data
- Computer vision and image analysis
- Machine learning applications for cultural visual data
- Mapping visual data and network analysis
- Critical approaches, including critical data studies, tool criticism, and digital ethics.
- Demonstrated experience in university-level teaching of computational methods for visual cultural data at the undergraduate and/or graduate levels (experience at the PhD level is a plus). This includes course development, delivery, and supervision of student projects. Experience teaching across disciplines or in mixed-method courses and the ability to adapt content for diverse audiences is expected.
- Ability to teach and supervise in English; knowledge of German at the time of appointment is beneficial but not required.
Application Process
Apply online using the form below. Only applications matching the job profile will be considered.
Vera Müller-Hellstern
HR Manager
personal@khist.uzh.ch