Professor of Archival Science

Join us!

The Professor Archival Science will be actively engaged in leading developments in the Dutch archival landscape through teaching, research and institutional as well as community partnerships. Within the UvA, the Professor will be a member of the Media Studies department and have a research school affiliation with the Amsterdam School for Heritage, Memory and Material Culture (ahm.uva.nl), unless an arrangement with another research school is preferred.

This is what you will be doing

We are looking for a candidate with a broad, interdisciplinary perspective who can connect their research in archival studies to our Master’s programme in Archival and Information Studies as well as related programmes in Media Studies and beyond, such as Cultural Data & AI, New Media & Digital Culture, Film Studies, Heritage Studies and Information Science. The successful candidate will help shape the future of Archival Studies at the UvA, nationally and internationally.

The successful candidate will have a strong academic track record, an international reputation, and proven leadership and management skills to inspire colleagues and students alike.

Context of the chair

Archival Studies at the University of Amsterdam goes beyond traditional archiving, covering the full records continuum from creation and use to preservation, access, and cultural heritage, with a strong focus on societal impact. The current programme is built around continuum-thinking, a decolonial perspective, sustainability, and a vision of information as a socio-technical complex, providing students with a framework to critically engage with archival theory, practice, and societal impact. The Professor of Archival Sciences will provide leadership in emerging areas such as digital archiving, community archiving, and critical archival studies, and is responsible for advancing the curriculum, guiding research in the Archival and Information Studies team, and fostering innovative projects that respond to technological, societal, and cultural developments.

The successful candidate will also be expected to have, or be able to develop within a few years, expertise in the Dutch archival landscape, including its institutions and relevant legislation.

Teaching

You will teach in the Bachelor’s programme Media & Information, including the minor Publieke Waarden in Informatiemanagement, and in the Dual (professional) Master’s programme Archival and Information Studies. The MA programme collaborates closely with the Dual Master’s programme Preservation and Presentation of the Moving Image. You may also have the opportunity to contribute teaching to Master’s programmes in Heritage & Memory Studies as well as Critical Data & AI. You will teach in both Dutch and English.

You will foster rigorous, socially engaged education by ensuring that teaching methods are continuously reviewed and updated, while promoting critical thinking and connecting archival studies to societal and interdisciplinary issues. You will build connections between Archival Studies and other degree programmes, such as Heritage Studies and History, integrating perspectives on diversity, decolonization, inclusion, and sustainability into teaching and curriculum development. You will support collaboration with a wide range of partners, from heritage institutions to community archives, as well as contribute to a collegial, democratic, and interdisciplinary academic environment.

Research

The successful candidate will have a substantial track record of research in the field of Archival Studies, with a focus on the history, theory, and practice of archives in a digital, interdisciplinary, and globally engaged context. You will work across disciplinary and institutional boundaries to explore how archival methods, technologies, and concepts can generate new historical and cultural insights, including approaches informed by decolonial and antiracist perspectives. In that sense, the ability to engage critically with the histories and legacies of (Dutch) colonialism and their impact on contemporary archival practices would be advantageous, as would an interest in collaborating with marginalized and global communities and initiatives to develop inclusive, sustainable, and socially responsible forms of recordkeeping.

You will play an active role in shaping the programme’s research agenda by developing innovative projects, strengthening collaborations with related fields such as heritage studies, information science, and digital humanities, and advancing methodological, ethical, and sustainability-oriented reflection within archival research. Beyond the programme, you will also have the opportunity to lead the research group Archives and Records in Transition, which is part of the Amsterdam School for Heritage, Memory and Material Culture (https://ahm.uva.nl/content/research-groups/archives-and-records-in-transition/archives-and-records-in-transition.html).

The role includes securing external funding, mentoring colleagues, and fostering collaborations across the University and with international partners. Importantly, you will contribute to a positive research culture that values interdisciplinary, ethical, and socially engaged scholarship, and that recognizes sustainability, in all its meanings within the archival domain, as a key value, aim, and prospect for the future of the field.

Leadership

You may be asked to take on the role of leader of the Chair Group in AID (Archival & Information Studies and Digital Humanities), where you will play a connecting role, creating an environment in which team members can develop and feel recognized. Beyond this role, you will be willing and able to take on administrative responsibilities within the Department and Faculty. You are committed to fostering collaborations with renowned archival institutions such as the National Archives or the International Institute of Social History as well as with grassroots and community archiving initiatives.

You value working closely with ministries and governmental agencies on issues related to information management and recordkeeping. The Professor of Archival Studies maintains contact with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) regarding the Archival & Information Studies teaching programme, and is frequently consulted for expert opinion by government organisations and ministeries in relation to the national archival system and recordkeeping in the public sector.

Your tasks and responsibilities

• Teaching in the field of Archival and Information Studies;
• supervising Bachelor and Master students, as well as PhD candidates;
• contributing to the development and improvement of the broader teaching programmes in the department;
• maintaining your own research profile while also developing a research agenda together with the Chair Group;
• actively pursuing external funding for research, notably funding from research councils, national as well as European;
• carrying out HR responsibilities within the chair group Archival & Information Studies and Digital Humanities in accordance with the UvA adaptive leadership approach;
• carrying out administrative and management tasks as needed within the Department, Faculty and University.

This is what we ask of you

You are an excellent, initiative-oriented lecturer and researcher who is able to inspire students and colleagues; your management style can be described as collaborative and solution-oriented. You create an inclusive environment in which team members can develop, feel recognized, and contribute effectively. You take initiative in fostering connections across disciplines, between professional organizations and the University, and with grassroots and community archiving groups.

Required

• PhD in archival studies or a related field;
• excellent international academic reputation and publication track record;
• experienced and enthusiastic teacher at all levels of university education and experience in developing teaching programmes at Bachelor and Master levels;
• Demonstrable experience in academic leadership, HR responsibilities and governance;
• established track record of acquiring external research funding;
• experience with supervising PhD projects and junior researchers;
• extensive national and international network with academic, political and cultural institutions;
• experience with collaborative projects and able to establish productive connections with other academic disciplines within as well as outside the department;
• able to contribute to knowledge exchange and societal impact in public as well as academic settings;
• a University Teaching Qualification (UTQ) (if you have not attained a UTQ you are required to start with the UTQ track upon commencement of your employment contract and obtain the qualification within three years of employment*);
• good command of Dutch and English (if you do not speak fluent Dutch, an active and passive command must be acquired within the first two years of employment and the state examination for Dutch as a Second Language programme II must be passed*).

(*) The Faculty will assist in this process.

This is what we offer you

We offer permanent employment upon appointment. The employment contract is for 38 hours per week. The expected starting date is 1 January 2027.

The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week, is in accordance with professor salary scale 2, excl. 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% year-end allowance. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities is applicable.

More information about working at the UvA can be found here: https://werkenbij.uva.nl/en/about-working-at-the-uva.

What else do we offer?

• the opportunity to collaborate in interdisciplinary teams;
• excellent opportunities for study and personal development;
• an inspiring academic and international working environment in the heart of Amsterdam;
• the opportunity to collaborate with leading researchers at research institutes that - partly as a result of their interdisciplinary approach - are world-renowned.

More information for employees moving from abroad can be found here: Practical information for international employees | Work at the University of Amsterdam.

Your application should include the following information:

• a cover letter (max. 2 A4 pages);
• a detailed CV;
• a list of publications.

Please submit the required information as a single PDF file.

The vacancy closes on 31 March 2026. Only complete applications received within the response period will be considered.

The first round of interviews will be held in the course of mid May 2026. A trial lecture and research presentation may be part of the application process.