PhD in Visual Analytics for Historical Paintings

As one of the largest and most dynamic academic communities in the Netherlands, the department Mathematics and Computer Science (M&CS) brings together more than 140 scientific staff, over 250 PhD and EngD candidates, and nearly 3000 students. We collaborate closely with leading industrial partners in the Brainport Eindhoven region and with universities across the globe—creating a uniquely fertile environment for both fundamental breakthroughs and applied innovation. Introduction We are seeking a motivated PhD candidate to develop innovative visual analytics methods for the study of historical paintings in an interdisciplinary research environment. You will contribute to the development of state‑of‑the‑art methods that advance the analysis of complex, multi‑dimensional imaging data and enable richer exploration of historical paintings in collaboration with the Van Gogh Museum.
Job Description Paintings are examined to understand artistic processes, support conservation, and aid authentication. Modern scientific imaging techniques now generate large volumes of complex data that can reveal new insights for art historians, conservators, and the broader public. Among these techniques, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) imaging provides detailed information on the distribution of chemical elements across paint layers, giving unique access to pigments, mixtures, and underlying compositions. The resulting datasets are high‑dimensional and spatially rich, posing significant analytical challenges. The generation of the high-dimensional images themselves follows a complex pre-processing from the raw scans usually to chemical components. Information is lost and uncertainty is added in the process. Visual analytics offers promising ways to interpret such high‑dimensional imaging (HDI) data, yet dedicated methodologies tailored to paintings remain underdeveloped. This PhD project aims to create interactive visual analysis frameworks and methods that enable reliable, interpretable exploration of multimodal painting data, with a strong focus on XRF‑derived HDI. The project will deliver new visual analytics techniques and prototype tools that support the study of pictorial artworks. It is expected that the candidate will author high-quality scientific papers and showcase outputs of this work at international conference. The candidate will also implement open-source software prototypes to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods. This position is part of a collaboration between the Visualization Cluster (https://research.tue.nl/en/organisations/visualization-3/) at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and the Van Gogh Museum. TU/e provides leading expertise in visual analytics, scientific visualization, Explainable AI and the analysis of complex imaging datasets. It has generated several award winning contributions at major visualization conferences (IEEE VIS, IEEE InfoVis, IEEE VAST, EuroVis). The Van Gogh Museum, one of the world’s foremost cultural heritage institutions, increasingly acquires such data in its research on the Van Gogh collection. This partnership offers a unique opportunity to contribute to cutting‑edge digital heritage research at the intersection of science, technology, and the arts. The project will be developed within the visualization cluster van Gogh Museum under the supervision of Prof. Anna Vilanova (a.vilanova@tue.nl), dr. Sarah Schölten, and dr. Ana Teixeira Martins (van Gogh Museum).
Job Requirements We are looking for a candidate who meets the following requirements:

• You are enthusiastic about research in visual analytics, visualization and arts.
• You have experience with or a strong background in visualization, visual analytics, computer graphics, and/or machine learning. Preferably you finished a master in Computer Science, (Applied) Mathematics or related masters.
• Expertise in the field of visualization or visual analytics.
• You have good communication skills and are able to work in a multidisciplinary team.
• You have strong programming skills (e.g., C++, Python, …).
• You are creative, critical, analytical, motivated and persistent.
• You have a good command of the English language (knowledge of Dutch is not required).

Please note: Each project requires a different mix of skills and attitude. Please use the TU/e PhD Competence Profile to determine which competences you find most important and want to mention as a job requirement (aside from the aspects mentioned above).
Conditions of Employment A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an interdisciplinary setting and within an international network. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station. In addition, we offer you:

• Full-time employment for four years, with an intermediate assessment after nine months. You will spend a minimum of 10% of your four-year employment on teaching tasks, with a maximum of 15% per year of your employment.
• Salary and benefits (such as a pension scheme, paid pregnancy and maternity leave, partially paid parental leave) in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, scale P (min. € 3,059 - max. € 3,881).
• A year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%.
• High-quality training programs and other support to grow into a self-aware, autonomous scientific researcher. At TU/e we challenge you to take charge of your own learning process.
• An excellent technical infrastructure, on-campus children's day care and sports facilities.
• Unlimited access to the modern on‑campus TU/e Student Sports Center at an exceptionally affordable rate.
• An allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs.
• A Staff Immigration Team and a tax compensation scheme (the 30% facility) for international candidates.

On our website you can discover even more information about our conditions of employment. Build on your career at TU/e!
About us We are a leading international university where scientific curiosity meets a hands-on mindset. We work in an open and collaborative way with high-tech industries to tackle complex societal challenges. Our responsible and respectful approach ensures impact — today and in the future. TU/e is home to over 13,000 students and more than 7,000 staff, forming a diverse and vibrant academic community. Our university is located in Brainport Eindhoven — a world‑leading tech region with more than 7,000 high‑tech companies and strong R&D activity. Known for breakthroughs in AI, photonics, semiconductors and advanced manufacturing, Brainport is a place where technology serves people and society. Learn more about the Brainport region here. As one of the largest and most dynamic academic communities in the Netherlands, the department Mathematics and Computer Science (M&CS) brings together more than 140 scientific staff, over 250 PhD and EngD candidates, and nearly 3000 students. We collaborate closely with leading industrial partners in the Brainport Eindhoven region and with universities across the globe—creating a uniquely fertile environment for both fundamental breakthroughs and applied innovation.
Information Do you recognize yourself in this profile and would you like to know more? Please contact the hiring manager Prof. Anna Vilanova, a.vilanova@tue.nl. Visit our website for more information about the application process. You can also contact HRServices.mcs@tue.nl. Curious to hear more about what it’s like as a PhD candidate at TU/e? Please view the video. Are you inspired and would like to know more about working at TU/e? Please visit our career page.
Application We invite you to submit a complete application by using the apply button. The application should include a:

• Cover letter in which you describe your motivation and qualifications for the position.
• Curriculum vitae, including a list of your publications and the contact information of three references. Kindly note that we may reach out to references at any stage of the recruitment process. We recommend notifying your references upon submitting your application.

Ensure that you submit all the requested application documents. We give priority to complete applications.

We look forward to receiving your application and will screen it as soon as possible. The vacancy will remain open until the position is filled.
Please note

• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post.
• A pre-employment screening (e.g. knowledge security check) can be part of the selection procedure. For more information on the knowledge security check, please consult the National Knowledge Security Guidelines.
• Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.

Type of employment: temporary position | Contract type: full time | Number of positions: 1 | Full-time equivalent: 1.0 FTE | City: Eindhoven | County: Noord-Brabant | Country: Netherlands | Reference number: 2026/249 | Published: 2026-04-15 | Last application date: 2026-05-15