Mellon Assistant Professor of Conservation Science

at  SUNY Buffalo State

BRIEF JOB DESCRIPTION

The Patricia H. and Richard E. Garman Art Conservation Department at SUNY Buffalo State University invites applications for the Mellon Professorship in Conservation Science to teach inorganic materials in art and cultural heritage. The full-time tenure-track appointment is at the Assistant Professor level with the position ideally beginning in Spring 2024. United University Professions (UUP), the nation’s largest higher education union, represents the faculty and professional staff of SUNY Buffalo State University.
The department is one of the few graduate programs in North America offering instruction in the theory and practice of the conservation of works of art and cultural heritage collections. The intensive three-year curriculum leads to the dual award of Master of Arts in Conservation of Art and Cultural Heritage and Master of Science in Conservation Science and Imaging (MA/MS). The successful candidate will join a dedicated team of faculty members to provide excellent graduate education, develop exciting student and faculty research opportunities, participate in student recruitment and mentorship, facilitate interdepartmental and community engagement, establish national and international connections, and advance scholarship in the dynamic fields of conservation and conservation science.

Responsibilities:

• Teach graduate-level lecture and laboratory courses in the conservation science of inorganic materials
• Share responsibility with all faculty for the department’s co-taught graduate-level courses
• Participate in the continuing development of the conservation science curriculum
• Mentor students on scientific aspects of conservation treatment and guide student research projects
• Perform analyses to support student conservation treatment and research including the master’s project
• Collaborate with and provide scientific support to faculty on their conservation treatment and research projects
• Academically advise/mentor graduate students
• Share responsibility with existing science faculty for maintaining department scientific laboratories and equipment
• Develop and maintain an active research program on conservation of art and cultural heritage

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Terminal degree (DSc, PhD) in a physical science, such as chemistry, materials science, physics, or forensics (or completion expected within one year)
• Experience in inorganic chemistry, such as the materials science of glass, ceramics, metals, stone, and composites
• Experience with one or more of the following: optical/polarized light microscopy, Raman or IR spectroscopies, SEM/EDS, XRD, XRF and/or other instrumentation related to the analysis of works of art and cultural heritage
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience with conservation and cultural heritage
• High level of commitment to teaching at the college or university level
• Established research and publication record

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Previous experience teaching at the graduate level
• Doctoral and/or postdoctoral conservation science research, or other research immediately relevant to conservation of art and objects of material culture
• Familiarity with microchemical testing of materials found in works of art and cultural artifacts

• Teach graduate-level lecture and laboratory courses in the conservation science of inorganic materials
• Share responsibility with all faculty for the department’s co-taught graduate-level courses
• Participate in the continuing development of the conservation science curriculum
• Mentor students on scientific aspects of conservation treatment and guide student research projects
• Perform analyses to support student conservation treatment and research including the master’s project
• Collaborate with and provide scientific support to faculty on their conservation treatment and research projects
• Academically advise/mentor graduate students
• Share responsibility with existing science faculty for maintaining department scientific laboratories and equipment
• Develop and maintain an active research program on conservation of art and cultural heritag