Getty Global Art & Sustainability Fellow

Position Highlights

The Image Permanence Institute (IPI) at Rochester Institute of Technology is accepting applications for its second Getty Global Art & Sustainability Fellow. This is a two-year, grant-funded position. IPI’s Fellows contribute to generating new resources and professional development opportunities that help encourage and enable more institutions to implement sustainable preservation practices. Fellows have opportunities to work with research, preservation services, and operations staff at IPI to learn about and contribute to current research initiatives, participate in education programs, and attend professional development activities that strengthen his/her/their professional networks.

Fellows will have workstations in the IPI office spaces alongside IPI staff members, and be given access to all of the laboratory, library, and classroom resources. They will also have access to RIT’s libraries and have the potential to connect with allied colleagues on campus during their Fellowships. For this Fellowship, we are seeking applications from candidates with an educational background in mechanical engineering, building physics, data science, preservation science, or related field.

Applicants must also demonstrate an interest in preservation science and cultural heritage preservation. Fellowship activities will include reviewing existing literature on the use of various hygrothermal modeling tools and conducting field-based comparisons of at least 2 different software platforms in collections spaces. Comparison exercises will require both real-word space modeling and some computational analysis, as well as defining which materials-focused parameters are needed to generate and inform accurate real-world and computational models.

IPI staff will work with the Fellow to identify materials information needed, how best to define that information for the software, and help secure partnerships with local collections spaces (either on Rochester Institute of Technology’s campus, or in Rochester-area collecting institutions). The Fellow will write a white paper, prior to completing the Fellowship, that describes the hygrothermal modeling tools evaluated and the results of the comparisons performed.

The white paper may inform additional professional presentations or peer-reviewed papers. The Fellow will also present at least one public webinar introducing the use of hygrothermal modeling tools/software platforms in the building physics community, and the potential use of these evaluative tools for sustainable preservation activities. The start date for this Fellowship is flexible. Applications will be reviewed starting September 21, 2026 and will continue until a suitable candidate is identified.

• Designs and conducts scientific research experiments using advanced knowledge of research field and theory
• Analyzes results and produces reports and figures for presentation and publication
• Writes manuscripts for peer-reviewed publication and assists in grant writing
• Develops and delivers presentations of research results at conferences
• Participates in outreach activities involving tours, presentations, and open houses
• Engages in professional development to stay current on emerging research and technology in relevant field
• Other duties as assigned

• Knowledge of principles and practices of relevant field of research
• Knowledge of scientific research theory and methods
• Skill in Microsoft Office Suite and applicable research software
• Skill in scientific writing with attention to detail and precision
• Ability to collect, analyze, and report on complex data sets
• Ability to independently plan and execute research

Specialized…