This section displays the PhD opportunities in Cultural Heritage available at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, where we believe that human-centred science and technology can solve the most pressing societal challenges of our time. At our Genoa headquarters and the other 11 centres, such as the Center for Cultural Heritage Technology (CCHT) in Venice, we offer a multidisciplinary scientific experience that will advance your professional life to the next level.

If you are interested in cultural heritage technology, our Venice centre is the place to be. We integrate expertise from computing and conservation sciences to deliver cutting-edge research. Our state-of-the-art instruments within the IIT network (such as one of the ThermoFishert Spectra 300, on the most advanced TEM microscopes in the world, and the High-Performance Computing Franklin, one of the most powerful supercomputers in Europe) give us the tools to make an impact in the scientific community and to publish in high-impact journals. A strong network of collaborators in internationally renowned centres opens up valuable academic and partnership opportunities.

As a CCHT PhD student, you will enjoy a series of benefits, including a designated office space, a personal laptop, and all the necessary tools to ensure a comfortable and productive work environment. You will also have access to highly specialised software (such as Origin, Matlab, ArcGIS, ENVI) as well as constant technical support. Additionally, you will have access to a large laboratory dedicated to developing new products for the conservation of Cultural Heritage, extra travel support, and the opportunity for direct involvement in ongoing research at CCHT.

Moreover, you will have the chance to collaborate with many key international research partners, such as Tufts University (US), the Institute of Natural Science and Technology in the Art, Antwerpen University, English Heritage, SESAME and ESRF Synchrotrons, ENS Paris Saclay, University of Amsterdam, and Chimie Paris, as well as cultural institutions like the Courtauld Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Rijks Museum in Amsterdam, the Egyptian Museum of Turin, the Archaeological park of Pompeii, the Archaeological National Museum of Aquileia, and many more.

In addition to these benefits, you will also have access to IIT Facilities in Genoa headquarters, including:

• The Materials Characterization Facility (MCF) (https://mcf.iit.it/)
• The Analytical Chemistry Facility (ACF) (https://www.iit.it/it/web/analytical-chemistry-facility)
• The Clean Room (https://www.iit.it/it/web/clean-room)
• The Advanced Microscopy Facility (https://www.iit.it/it/web/electron-microscopy).

Overall, as a CCHT PhD student, you will have access to a variety of resources and opportunities that will enable you to excel in your research and contribute to the field of Cultural Heritage conservation.

Our mission is to make an impact with our technologies. We encourage you to consider the protection of your research by following technology transfer good practices. And if you are a startupper or a business-minded person, IIT is the place for you because there is a strong interest in innovation coupled with our exceptionally gifted professionals, ready to nurture and guide your aspirations.

At IIT, you will enjoy extensive training in soft skills such as teamwork, time management, and communication, highly valuable in the job market. Moreover, we are committed to creating an equal, inclusive, and multicultural environment that welcomes you with open arms. Our values of integrity, courage, societal responsibility, and inclusivity define us and our actions in everyday life, driving our mission to contribute to the improvement and well-being of society.

If you are looking for an innovative and stimulating environment where your work can have a real impact, come join us at IIT!

CCHT is funding the following
PhD Scholarships to be held at the Ca' Foscari University of Venice
for the Academic Years 2023-2026 (3-year cycle)


Apply here: ITA - ENG
Deadline May 31st 

The PhD research will focus on the development of technologically advanced solutions for the restoration and conservation of archaeological soda-lime glass, based on recent discoveries in the field of nanotechnology.

Archaeological soda-lime glass is prone to corrosion processes that affect the material's structure from the surface layers down to the bulk, making it a multiscale challenge to understand the natural ageing phenomena in glass objects. The project will explore the potential of new nanostructured materials to overcome the limitations of current technologies.

The PhD student will support the ongoing research at the Center for Cultural Heritage Technology, initially working on the design and implementation of new formulations based on nanoparticles of different materials with advanced chemical functions. Subsequently, the candidate will incorporate these new materials into the existing products with the aim of overcoming limitations and issues through the advanced functions and engineering of nanomaterials.

The properties of the new nanotechnology-enhanced products will be tested on glass samples with archaeological composition, and based on the results, they will be evaluated for conservation purposes on real archaeological materials.

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Students interested in this position are required to contact the CCHT personnel in advance of their application to define the scientific project they will submit: ccht@iit.it. 

The PhD research will focus on the development of innovative approaches for the restoration and conservation of mosaics of archaeological origin, based on recent discoveries in the field of nanotechnology and 2D materials.

Mosaics are complex substrates, composed of different materials with a range of petrographic and mineralogical characteristics, making their conservation a challenging task. Therefore, the project will focus on the potential of new nanostructured and graphene-based materials to overcome the limitations of current technologies.

The PhD student will complement the ongoing research at the Center for Cultural Heritage Technology, initially working on the design and implementation of new formulations composed of inorganic nanoparticles with advanced chemical functions, powered by 2D materials such as graphene-based materials. Subsequently, the candidate will incorporate these new preparations into injection mortars or other cementitious materials, with the aim of overcoming the limitations of the mortars currently in use, thanks to the advanced features and engineering of nanomaterials, as well as the use of materials based on graphene.

The properties of the new formulations will be tested on mosaic samples, and based on the results, they will be evaluated for conservation purposes on real archaeological materials.

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Students interested in this position are required to contact the CCHT personnel in advance of their application to define the scientific project they will submit: ccht@iit.it. 

The PhD research will focus on the development of new solutions for the restoration and conservation of manuscripts of historic-artistic interest, based on recent advancements in cellulose-based nanoparticles.

Paper-based artefacts are susceptible to various physical, chemical, and biological triggers that can cause degradation and compromise the substrate's structure. The project will aim at controlling materials at the nanostructure level to overcome the limitations of current technologies.

The PhD student will support the ongoing research at the Center for Cultural Heritage Technology, initially working on the design and implementation of new formulations based on cellulose-based nanoparticles with advanced chemical functions. The candidate will then be responsible for evaluating and developing function-structure relationships to overcome limitations and issues through the introduction of advanced functions and engineering of nanomaterials.

The properties of the new products enhanced by nanotechnologies will be tested on artificially aged paper samples, and based on the results, they will be evaluated for conservation and restoration purposes on manuscripts of historical and cultural value.

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Students interested in this position are required to contact the CCHT personnel in advance of their application to define the scientific project they will submit: ccht@iit.it. 

The PhD research will focus on Artificial Intelligence approaches to identify anthropogenic and environmental traces of past landscape features, operating on different remote sensing data.

In this framework, AI methods have been extensively used in the last decade to speed up and assist the screening of large datasets in all fields related to the study of ancient landscapes, overcoming the limitations of traditional approaches.

At CCHT, current projects are investigating new AI approaches to increase detection performance and generalisation capability, with the aim of widening the application of these methods to a broader range of remote sensing technologies for the detection of anthropogenic and environmental features.

The PhD candidate will support the ongoing research at the Center for Cultural Heritage Technology, working on implementing various types of object detection and semantic segmentation approaches.

The implemented AI methods will be applied and tested on selected case studies from different domains, such as environmental science, archaeology, and geomorphology.

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Students interested in this position are required to contact the CCHT personnel in advance of their application to define the scientific project they will submit: ccht@iit.it.