Call for Applications: Getty Global Art & Sustainability Fellowship

This position is the Image Permanence Institute’s (IPI) second 2-year Fellowship funded by a Getty Global Art & Sustainability Fellows grant.

Fellows in these 2-year positions 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 Fellowship.

For this 2-year 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. The goal is to identify a Fellow with engineering skills who is interested in pursuing research on topics such as energy monitoring, the role collection materials can have on temperature and relative humidity management, or energy saving strategies/materials that have proved successful in other fields, but not yet tested or evaluated for collection environments; or similar topics.

To apply, please submit 1) a letter of interest, 2) a curriculum vitae, and 3) a project proposal. The proposals submitted will be assessed for alignment with IPI’s research and mission, feasibility given IPI/RIT resources and existing laboratory equipment, and availability of necessary staff expertise to meet mentoring and project supervision needs. The successful candidate’s initial project proposal may be revised with IPI staff input to meet Fellowship goals. Application materials must be submitted via RIT’s online application portal (link forthcoming). Proposals should not exceed 3 pages, and include:

a) Project Overview - how the project will contribute to sustainable preservation environmental management initiatives at IPI

b) Project Work Plan - the type of work/study/research to be completed and a 2-year timeline of project phases (table or Gantt chart format is acceptable)

c) Project Team - projected mentoring/advisement and equipment needs to meet project goals

d) Project Outcomes - a summary of proposed project outcomes

Candidates must be eligible to work in the United States.

The salary for this Fellowship is $62,253 annually, and start date will be between June 1 and September 30, 2026. Applications will be reviewed starting May 13, 2026. Contact IPI Executive Director, Jae Gutierrez at jjgpph@rit.edu, if you have any questions.