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Migelien Gerritzen Fellowship

Conservation and scientific research

The Migelien Gerritzen Fellowship for conservation and scientific research

This Fellowship enables early career scholars to conduct conservation and scientific research on art works and historical artefacts. Focus should be the Rijksmuseum collection or ideation that has been initiated at the Rijksmuseum. A suitable project might entail technical research into objects in the Rijksmuseum's collection or analytical techniques, preventive conservation, or treatment methodologies. This fellowship enables candidates to collaborate with conservators, curators and scientists active at the Rijksmuseum. The Fellowship will preferably result in an article for publication, the content and form of which will be decided by the Fellow in consultation with the Rijksmuseum. The Rijksmuseum will provide joint working space for the Fellows, in order to stimulate an exchange of knowledge, ideas and experience. Access will be given to all relevant resources in the museum, such as the Research Library Collections , collection documentation, and the conservation laboratories of the Rijksmuseum and the University of Amsterdam. A member of the museum's scientific staff will be acting as advisor to the Fellow.

Eligibility

• The Migelien Gerritzen Fellowship is open to MA graduates, as well as PhD students and post-doctoral candidates. MA Graduate/PhD Fellows are those who have completed their MA degree or whose proposal is embedded in the research plans of their forthcoming PhD dissertation, postdoctoral Fellows must have completed their PhD dissertation and obtained a Ph-degreeD on the date of application.
• Fellowships are open to candidates of all nationalities and with varied specialisms. They may include conservators and scientists.
• Candidates should have proven research capabilities, academic credentials and excellent command of the English language - both written and spoken. Proficiency in a second language (ideally Dutch or German) is preferred but not required.

Information about available equipment can be provided upon request.

We warmly encourage applications related to these topics, while proposals on other subjects are also welcome

• Watermarks in paper
• The exhibition of light sensitive objects (paper, photographs, textile, lacquer, ivory)
• Detectability of binding media mixtures and layering using non-invasive techniques
• AI and machine learning applied to (spectral) imaging datasets
• Quantification of VOCs emitted and accumulated in exhibition cases and museum storage areas.
• Topic related to the The Night Watch
• CT X-ray related research
• Better dating of objects (by for instance analysing the pigments present / composition / manufacturing techniques)
• Retouching of ceramics: what is enough to understand the meaning of an object?
• Identification and recording of tool marks on wood
• Identification of weighted silks (XRF), data analysis.

Application and procedure

The Rijksmuseum is committed to actively promoting equality, diversity and inclusion. People with diverse backgrounds and experiences bring different perspectives to its collection and activities. This leads to new insights and enhances the museum's innovative strength.

Applications for the 2026-2027 fellowship are now closed.

Funding

Fellowship stipends are awarded to help support a Fellow's study and research efforts during the tenure of their appointment. The stipend of €39,000 for MA graduate/PhD Fellows or €45,000 for postdoctoral Fellows (subject to taxes and deductions) is for a period of twelve months commencing September 2026, the start of the academic year.

The Fellowship will allow for limited travel for research in art collections and archives elsewhere in Europe to a maximum value of €5,000 annually. The Rijksmuseum will cover visa fees for the Fellow, but not for dependents.

Further information

Coordinator of Academic Programmes