PhD Studentship : Research Studentship into the Effect of Sound-Induced Vibration on Canvas Paintings

4-year DPhil studentship [under the AHRC’s Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships (CDP) scheme]

Supervisors: Prof Manolis Chatzis (University of Oxford), Catherine Higgitt, Lynne Harrison and Christine Riding (National Gallery)

Project partner: Tomasz Galikowski (Bickerdike Allen Partners)

As heritage institutions seek to use their collections and buildings in ways never previously considered to engage audiences and raise income, this often has the unintended consequence of increasing vibration exposure.

This project focuses on improving understanding of the risks of direct exposure of Old Master paintings to music- or sound-induced vibration. While questions remain regarding vibration-induced failure mechanisms in paintings and the role of different transmission pathways for sound vibration, it is clear that sound exposes paintings to a mechanical load that can cause vibration and thus potential damage.

The project will suggest useful guidelines to monitor and mitigate this risk, through sensor placement and providing guidelines regarding the speaker setup.

Award Value

CDP doctoral training grants fund full-time studentships for 4 years or part-time equivalent up to a maximum of 8 years.

The award pays tuition fees up to the value of the full-time home UKRI rate for PhD degrees. The award pays full maintenance for all students both home and international students. The UKRI National Minimum Doctoral Stipend for 2024/2025 is £19,237, plus an additional allowance of £1000/year and a CDP maintenance payment of £600/year. The student is eligible to receive an additional travel and related expenses grant from the National Gallery worth up to £4000 over the studentship. The successful candidate will be eligible to participate in events organised for all CDP students.

Eligibility

• This studentship is open to both Home and International applicants.
• International students are eligible to receive the same full award for maintenance as home students. For fees, international students will need to pay the difference between the funding AHRC provide to the university for tuition and the fees charged by the university for international students studying for a doctoral degree.
• We encourage the widest range of potential students to study for a CDP studentship and are committed to welcoming students from different backgrounds to apply. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian, Minority, Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds as they are currently underrepresented at this level in this area.
• As a collaborative award, students will be expected to spend time at both the University of Oxford and the National Gallery
• Applicants must meet UKRI terms and conditions for funding. (https://www.ukri.org/funding/information-for-award-holders/grant-terms-and-conditions/)

Candidate Requirements

Prospective candidates will be judged according to how well they meet the following criteria:

• A first-class* honours degree (or equivalent) in Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Chemistry.
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English

*Applicants with a good 2.1 degree are encouraged to apply if they can demonstrate excellent previous research relevant to the project.

The following skills are also highly desirable:

• Ability to program in Matlab, or similar
• Excellent understanding of Dynamics and Vibrations

Application Procedure

Candidates must submit a graduate application form and are expected to meet the graduate admissions criteria (details available at the University website). Informal enquiries can be addressed to Prof. Manolis Chatzis (manolis.chatzis@eng.ox.ac.uk) and Catherine Higgitt (catherine.higgitt@nationalgallery.org.uk).

Please quote 24ENGCL_MC in all correspondence and your graduate application.

Application deadline: 30 April 2024

Start date: October 2024

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