Description

The Metropolitan Museum of Art seeks eligible candidates for two twelve-month Postdoctoral 
Research Scholar positions in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Humanities. This pilot program aims 
to advance knowledge in the humanities by investigating the application of emerging AI technologies 
to research-based projects at the Met, and to encourage a greater number of humanities-focused 
scholars to undertake research regarding the intersection of AI (including machine learning, 
foundation models, multimodal systems, and large language models, etc.) to the museum sphere. The 
Met is specifically interested in the areas of museum information, documentation, collections data, 
conservation, preservation, scientific research, material culture, and sustainability.

In addition to undertaking their independent projects, the Research Scholars will gain exposure to 
museum work, and will have access to staff, data, media assets, and the Met’s libraries. They will be 
invited to attend programming as part of the Met’s Fellowship Program and will be expected to 
present the results of their research internally to Met staff before the end of their term.

Two Research Scholar positions will be awarded, one in the Digital Department and one in the 
Department of Scientific Research.

Scientific Research:
Museum collections, particularly those of an encyclopedic institution like The Met, offer an 
unparalleled sampling of human creativity. Cultural heritage, as represented in The Met’s 
collection, is a rich repository of technical solutions to aesthetic and artistic problems, as well 
as material evidence to specific cultural, geographical, and historical circumstances. The role 
of the Department of Scientific Research is to explore this intersection of materials and 
meaning and to create a practice of art history that merges humanities and science in a fully 
interdisciplinary methodology. At the same time, Scientific Research is concerned with 
preserving these collections (in collaboration with the Conservation Departments) by 
studying how environmental conditions affect the material degradation or structural integrity 
of works of art.

Machine learning and AI have significant potential in both lines of research (material & 
technical studies and preventive conservation); in fact, machine learning methods have been
used for quite a while in analytical chemistry studies of works of art 
(https://doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2024.08.014). Less common is the use of machine learning and 
AI methods to correlate scientific findings to cultural or artistic trends across a specific time 
and geographical setting. This Research Scholar would be uniquely placed to interface with 
the scientists and the curator in the Department of Scientific Research to develop avenues of 
AI–enhanced research in cultural heritage science. Acting as a resident expert in AI, the 
Research Scholar will be able to explore the problems, questions, and data available within 
Scientific Research, and to begin developing lines of research in collaboration with our staff.

Digital:
The Digital Department at The Met is responsible for the public-facing digital profile and 
products of the Museum. The Department’s work covers a broad spectrum of digital 
activities, including the Museum’s website, digital interpretive experiences, digital product 
development, digital asset management, and web analytics. The Department lives under the 
umbrella of Audience Engagement, frequently collaborating with Education, Marketing, 
Publications, Imaging, Libraries, and Live Arts, in addition to the curatorial departments. 
Among the Department’s goals is a commitment to accessibility, digital archives, and 
innovation.

The Met and the Digital Department have been exploring the use of artificial intelligence for 
audience-facing didactics and experiences, using a series of pilot projects, over the past few 
years. From these pilots, we have begun to understand how AI might play a role in audience 
engagement in the future. To date, the Museum has not had the resources to explore the role 
that AI might play in other mission-critical areas of research and scholarship. A Research 
Scholar would contribute expertise in machine learning and AI to the digital humanities sphere 
and could help to provide a transformational opportunity for the Met to broaden perspectives 
and explore new pathways to gain insight and knowledge.

The goals of the Research Scholar hosted by the Digital Department include understanding 
the potential of AI applications within an art-museum context as applied to the wealth of 
information, data, assets, and experiences of The Met, whether in aggregate form or as a 
deeper dive into a specific research area. The Research Scholar will have access to Met staff 
and expertise, a wide array of data and digital assets (much of which is not available to the 
general public; see list below), as well as access to the Museum’s galleries and visiting public (if 
relevant to the proposed research project). We are interested in receiving and evaluating 
proposals that are innovative, describe new approaches perhaps never before considered in 
the museum sector, offer unique perspectives, and provide clarity on how machine learning 
and AI will be utilized. The Research Scholar will have an opportunity to be a contributor to 
what could be paradigmatic shifts in the cultural heritage and museum sectors.
Potential sources available for the Research Scholar’s research include (pending an analysis of 
third-party rights):

a. Collections data – The Met houses the definitive information about its over 1.5 million works 
of art in a central database (MS SQL); the collection covers more than 5,000 years of art 
history from every region and culture across the globe

b. Archives – digital, physical, and digitized assets from the Museum’s history, as well as 
research and scholarship conducted by the curatorial, conservation, and scientific research 
departments

c. Digital images – 2D and 3D digital assets that include images and scans of works of art, 
including Museum buildings and architecture, the history of The Met, people, exhibition and 
gallery installations, and more. These assets are stored in an enterprise Digital Asset 
Management system (containing more than 2 million assets) to which the Research Scholar 
would have appropriate access

d. Digital content, including produced media, audio, and video recordings

e. MetPubs and Watson Library historic publications – digitized publications with open access 
permissions

f. Anonymized customer data and/or aggregate Museum visitor data may or may not be made 
available, and will depend on the specifics of the proposed project

Requirements

Required:

Applicants must hold a Ph.D. in an area of the humanities by the application deadline.
Demonstrated knowledge of and proficiency with Artificial Intelligence technologies, such 
as peer-reviewed publications, patents, successful grant applications, or evidence of 
contributions to innovative research projects.
Fluency in English, and excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Desirable:

Strong interpersonal skills and capability to build and maintain meaningful collaborations 
across departments and teams.
Enthusiasm for art and museum work, and applying emerging technologies within a 
museum space.

Duration and location:
The Research Scholarships take place on-site at The Met Fifth Avenue for twelve months, from 
September 8, 2026 – August 27, 2027. Research Scholars are expected to be in residence five days 
per week, Monday to Friday.

Stipend:
$63,000 (in monthly installments) plus $6,000 for travel related to the research, and an additional 
monthly stipend to offset the cost of health insurance. 

How to Apply
Deadline: April 15, 2026, 5 PM ET for all materials, including letters of recommendation 
Required materials:

A statement of interest, which addresses why this project is important or integral to your 
career or current practice and specifies the concrete result(s) of your project
A project proposal detailing the type of research questions you would like to work on, why 
The Met is uniquely suited to your objectives, what you wish to accomplish during the 
research scholarship period, and how you can utilize the Met's resources to achieve your goals
A tentative schedule of work to be accomplished during the research scholarship period
A tentative schedule of travel required (maximum of six weeks) during the year
Three letters of recommendation: One letter must be from an academic mentor or advisor 
who will commit to consulting on the proposed project during the twelve-month period (ideally 
they should be an expert in AI who can provide technical guidance). Two additional 
recommendation letters—either academic or professional—are also required.
Curriculum vitae
A published paper or article, or an example of past work

Apply here: https://webportalapp.com/sp/met_museum_fellowships_schmidt

A shortlist of applicants will be selected for virtual interviews in May. 

Please contact Academic.Programs@metmusuem.org with any questions