
Academic pre- or postdoctoral research positions (various disciplines) for the ERC research project “Coded Secrets: Artistic Interventions Hidden in the Digital Fabric” (2022-2027) – Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Germany)
In our research project “Coded Secrets: Artistic Interventions Hidden in the Digital Fabric” (2022-2027) we trace, analyse, document and theorize valuable cultural online production that is withdrawn in various ways and thus is in danger to disappear without broader notice.
Further project information: https://kg.ikb.kit.edu/hinterwaldner/3068.php
Application open now: https://kg.ikb.kit.edu/hinterwaldner/3257.php
We are looking for experts in one of the following fields (4 positions to be filled):
a) code and network analysis
disciplines: computer scientists, software engineers, programmers, scholars from applied digital media studies can trace and provide insights with their ability to analyse source code, data and networks!
targets and tasks:
- study and document processes of program mechanics on the source code level
- develop strategies on how to communicate the relevant issues to a more general academic public (humanities)
- summarise network and traffic analysis
- prototype and conceptualise internet topologies around specific artworks
skills:
- analysis of web development, network structures, protocols and applications
- programming skills
- tinkering abilities and intuition how to trace and revive severed systems
b) visualisations / multimedia renderings
disciplines: animators, visual artists, game designers, scholars from computational visualistics and visual computing can expand our imagination and provide insights into connected structures with their visual or multimodal productions!
targets and tasks:
- develop experimental visualisations or gamified experiences of software art for epistemic, heuristic and communicative purposes
- depict software/ hardware/ user complexes
- prototype processual, network-related and conceptual facets of artistic online projects in their technological environment
skills:
- fluency in a variety of tools for graphics, animation, rendering, game development or visualization
- have a sense for basic research including critical self-reflection
c) theory / criticism
disciplines: scholars from software & critical code studies, media studies, digital humanities, art history, visual studies and Internet studies can enrich our understanding of how to critically look at the latest phenomena in the digital arts and their cultural contexts!
targets and tasks:
- develop broad research strategies to address diverse online subcultures and to crowdsource relevant information
- conduct interviews with programmers, artists etc.
- engage in theory building on various topics related to networked art in COSE
- expand and enhance cross-disciplinary, cutting-edge methods for (digital) humanities
skills:
- strong interest in the technical facets of online culture and an affinity to the software dimensions of cultural practices
- interlace theory building and historiography with original data acquisition
a-c) general/all
•
- you hold a university degree (Master’s or PhD degree or equivalent) in a relevant subject area
- you will contribute to the team’s goal of merging the methods from the fields of visual design, computer science, software studies and art history and discussing their theoretical limits and possibilities.
- you engage in a close cooperation with your team members to conceptualise novel visualisations of unseen software processes/structures
- you support the organization of workshops and project meetings and contribute to the joint MediaWiki
- you engage in your academic/creative contexts and present the research results in workshops and conferences worldwide
- ideally you have overlapping interests across the complementary fields outlined above, for instance: as a programmer-artist, a historian-hacker, or as tinkering-theorist
context
In our ERC research project “Coded Secrets” https://kg.ikb.kit.edu/hinterwaldner/3068.php (COSE, 2022-2027) at KIT Karlsruhe (Germany), internet artworks and their environments are examined complementarily on the levels of user interface, code, network protocols, as well as technical and cultural contexts from interdisciplinary perspectives.
team
Our international team will consist of 5+ specialists from the fields of computer science/ code and network analysis, information visualization/multimedia, art history/media or software studies. COSE will be part of the exciting Karlsruhe new media art landscape!
we offer
- an attractive and modern workplace with access to the excellent equipment of one of the most distinguished technical universities in Germany (current “excellence status” (https://www.kit.edu/kit/english/excellence_strategy.php)
- a varied and responsible job
- a wide range of further training opportunities
- the world-renowned ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe is our cooperation partner
salary
internationally competitive remuneration on the basis of the wage agreement of the German civil service TV-L (depending on your qualification level)
qualification – flexibility
you can apply as pre- or post-doctoral researcher, and seek full-time or part-time employment (we simply look for the best talent!)
affiliation – location
Institute of Art and Architectural History
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Englerstr. 7
D-76131 Karlsruhe
Germany
contract duration
up to 5 years
starting date
September 1st, 2022, or as soon as possible thereafter
application up to
August 15th, 2022, open until filled
contact the PI
For further information please contact Prof. Dr. Inge Hinterwaldner
e-mail: Inge.Hinterwaldner@kit.edu
application
Please submit your application
- CV
- Portfolio (if applicable)
- cover letter with motivation statement
inclusion
- we cherish diversity and internationality. Therefore, we kindly encourage applicants from all backgrounds and identities to apply
- if qualified, handicapped applicants will be preferred
- researchers from Ukraine are especially encouraged to apply
services
KIT is certified as a family-friendly university and offers part-time employment, leaves for family-related reasons, dual career options, and individual coaching for family-work balance.
About:
KIT is “The Research University in the Helmholtz Association.” As one of the biggest science institutions in Europe, the only German University of Excellence with national large-scale research facilities combines a long university tradition with program-oriented top-level research. The university world, whose roots date back to 1825, stands for the broad range of disciplines and knowledge, whereas the Helmholtz world traditionally focuses on the big and urgent challenges facing society, science, and industry. We seek to contribute to the success of big projects of our society by providing excellent academic education, conducting top-level research, and producing innovations. These big projects cover future energy supply, sustainable mobility, and smart and secure technology for the information era. At KIT, more than 5,500 scientists cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural and engineering sciences, economics, the humanities, and social sciences. Irrespective of whether they predominantly perform research or university tasks, they all participate in academic education to provide our students with insights that can only be offered by KIT as the Research University in the Helmholtz Association.