Current Scholarship Opportunities

AI and Heritage Futures: Preservation, Creation and Regulation of Evolutionary Heritage from Digitalised to Born-digital

University: University College Dublin

School: Information and Communications Studies (ICS)

Supervisor: (opens in a new window)Dr. Sun Park

Starting date: 18^th of May 2026

Deadline for application: 31^st of January 2026

Interviews with short-listed candidates: 19^th and 20^th of February 2026 (online).

Position: 100%, full-time position, tuition fees waived by the School of Information and Communication Studies (ICS).

Remuneration: PhD studentship renewable for up to four years and consisting of:

• PhD student stipend of €25k per annum, research costs of €4k per annum (tax free)
• Prioritisation as a scholarship student when applying for travel funding and research expenses from the School of Information and Communication Studies.

Eligibility: EU and non-EU students are equally eligible for studentships under this award
Requirement: Students accepted under this scheme must meet the university entry standards.

Description of the Post

Heritage refers to objects and knowledge that are important to a human group and should be preserved as collective assets in human history. The significance of heritage derives from its informative nature that conveys factual data of cultural objects as well as normative and interpretative narratives of human identities. As tools and technologies used to create cultural artefacts and their associated knowledge have evolved, the forms of heritage have been gradually transformed from tangible archaeological sites to digital twins to born-digital content, as exemplified by AI-generated works. The evolutionary history of heritage reveals that some human roles in heritage are being delegated to AI as a non-human entity.

In response to the transformative impacts of AI on the heritage sector and the following needs for computational and philosophical discourses on heritage futures, the School of Information and Communication Studies (ICS) at University College Dublin (UCD) is inviting one fully-funded PhD scholarship under the supervision of (opens in a new window)Dr. Sun Park. The successful candidate will be interested in either creating (an) AI-generated work(s) to preserve particular heritage or examining heritage values of (an) AI-generated work(s), both of which address digitalised and/or born-digital heritage. The candidate will complete a project of their own design with the suggested topics including but not limited to:

• AI technologies for digitalised heritage: This topic focuses on how to deploy AI technologies to digitalise existing heritage to preserve its integrity and authenticity. Candidates interested in this topic are expected to select one or more of AI technologies (e.g., Computer Vision, Natural Language Processing, Data Visualisation, etc.) to digitalise a particular heritage case (e.g., an archaeological site, artefact, intangible tradition, ritual knowledge, documents, etc.). The digitalisation of heritage would have one or diverse forms such as a digital twin, an information system, Heritage Building Information Modelling, etc. Candidates are expected to collect their own datasets to digitalise the chosen heritage case using AI programmes. A project under this topic includes exploring the limitations of current digitalisation methods, experimenting with new ways of engaging in historical and cultural (meta)data of heritage. Candidates pursing this topic or a similar one would possess strong technical and programming skills with a background in Computer Science, Information Science and Human-Computer/AI Interaction.
• AI-generated works as born-digital heritage: This topic centres on exploring heritage values embedded in AI-generated works. Building on the concept of the born-digital that has no other format but the digital object or programme, candidates interested in this topic are expected to examine technological, social and cultural values embedded in (an) AI-generated work(s). Candidates pursuing this topic or a similar one would possess a mixture of quantitative (not mandatory) and qualitative analysis skills with a background in Information Science,Human-Computer/AI Interaction, Anthropology, Heritage Studies,Sociology, Media Studies and relevant fields.
• AI-Heritage policy: This topic concentrates on aligning emerging AI policy with existing heritage policy. Candidates interested in this topic are expected to select particular policy cases from the AI and heritage fields, exploring possible policy actions to address AI-generated works in the heritage and GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives and museums) sector. This includes analysing incompatibilities between the AI and cultural policy sectors, developing legal and/or societal recommendations to counter it. Candidates pursuing this or a similar topic would possess a mixture of quantitative (not mandatory) and qualitative analysis skills with a background in Public Policy, Politics and International Relations, Law, GLAM Studies and relevant fields.

Candidates are also encouraged to build upon or modify one or more of these topics, or to propose their own PhD topic that addresses interdisciplinary applications and/or impacts of AI in the heritage sector. The candidate should also demonstrate their willingness to learn new methods, techniques, tools, and technologies as necessary to undertake research related to this PhD. Computational/quantitative projects, social science/qualitative topics and their interdisciplinary mixtures will be equally considered during the application review process. Applications will be reviewed through our system of open, transparent, and merit-based recruitment of researchers. Short-listed candidates will be invited to an interview for the position, which will be held online.

Responsibilities

The post-holder will be expected to write and successfully defend a PhD thesis focused on the areas listed in the description of the post and meet the degree requirements set by UCD to advance through the PhD programme. The post-holder will collaborate closely with their supervisor to produce outputs on their combined research areas. The candidate is expected to take part in seminars, workshops, and events organised within ICS and across UCD that are relevant to the project. The candidate will also be expected to complete a total of 30 ECTS credits spread across the post as part of the university’s structured PhD path. Finally, the candidate will engage in teaching and tutor training during their studies.

Role profile

• For PhDs with a heavy technical focus, candidates are expected to have a strong technical background with good knowledge of programming. They should have experience of or must be willing to learn quantitative research methods and data analysis techniques. Candidates are also expected to engage with digital cultural heritage studies from (a) Social Science perspective(s), formulating their project domiciled in the College of Social Sciences. A project outline should be interdisciplinary, incorporating some qualitative research methods including but not limited to ethnographic research, discourse analysis and stakeholder analysis.
• For PhDs requiring a balance of technical and non-technical skills, programming or quantitative research experience is not a requirement. The successful candidate must be willing to learn necessary technical skills and quantitative methods as their project develops if required. Candidates must have or be willing to learn qualitative research methods.
• For PhDs which mostly have a non-technical focus, candidates are expected to be familiar with and/or be proficient in qualitative research methods including but not limited to, site-specific fieldwork, case-study, ethnographic and desk research, discourse, policy analysis and stakeholder analysis.

Post Requirements

Strong command of English is required. English proficiency at the C2 or C1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is advised. Candidates are expected to hold a Master’s degree of 2:1 and above (or equivalent GPA) in Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction, Information Science, Digital Humanities, Heritage Studies, Anthropology, Sociology, Public/Cultural Policy, Law or a related field. The candidate should be able to demonstrate exceptional organisational experience and skills. Applications are open to students of all nationalities and backgrounds. Women and people of colour are especially encouraged to apply.

Research Area of Supervisor

Dr. Sun Park is an Ad Astra Fellow and Assistant Professor in AI and Digital Cultural Heritage in the School of Information and Communication Studies at UCD. Her research revolves around the value of AI-generated works as digital heritage, interdisciplinary AI policy development and human-AI interaction in art creation. She has published articles and conference papers on UNESCO’s cultural (heritage) policy, AI ethics and AI-generated art. Dr. Park has worked at UNESCO, the Korean National Commission for UNESCO and the Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding under the auspices of UNESCO.

How to Apply

Each application should consist of:

1. A curriculum vitae including education history, programming skills (if applicable), research projects/publications, contacts of two academic referees and other relevant information;
2. A cover letter (max 1,000 words) providing an explanation of your interest in the research to be conducted and why you believe you are suitable for the position;
3. A brief PhD project outline (max 1,500 words) including a proposed research topic, research questions, research aims, methodology, methods, expected outcome and why you believe your research is important and feasible;
4. Scanned copies of relevant academic transcripts;
5. English Language Proficiency for non-native English speakers, in line with UCD requirements
   (https://www.ucd.ie/registry/prospectivestudents/admissions/policiesandgeneralregulations/generalrequirements/minimumenglishlanguagerequirements/).

Applications need to be submitted via UCD’s application portal (a €70 application fee applies):https://www.ucd.ie/registry/prospectivestudents/admissions/graduateapplicants/applying/

The candidate should apply to Programme Code W139 using the UCD Admissions online application portal. Please see the main ICS and UCD Graduate Studies sites for detailed application requirements:

https://www.ucd.ie/ics/study/phdresearchprogrammes/ andhttps://www.ucd.ie/graduatestudies/studywithus/applicationprocess/

For any questions related to this post, please contact (opens in a new window)Dr. Sun Park at (opens in a new window)sun.park@ucd.ie

Project Title: A new vision for dairy cattle lameness

Project Description

This PhD position offers an exciting and novel opportunity to help to tackle dairy cattle lameness, one of the most significant welfare concerns in dairy production globally.

In recent years a growing body of research as led to the conclusion that current lameness detection methods based on human visual assessment severely lack sensitivity for even the most severe lameness lesions and suffer from poor inter and intra-scorer variability. Although many new precision livestock technologies have been applied to the detection of lameness, all are based on limited human scoring.

This project will seek to use machine vision coupled with unsupervised predictive modeling to re- imagine lameness detection and identify cows requiring treatment and to use this new technology to predict the future occurrence of lameness and associated changes in animal performance.

The successful candidate will join our excellent and dynamic research team based in UCD school of Veterinary Medicine and will collaborate closely with colleagues in the school of Mathematics and Statistics and Vistamilk more broadly.

Requirements

The successful applicant must hold a primary degree (level 8; 2H1 or higher) or Masters degree (level 9) in an appropriate discipline (Computer Science, Statistics, Veterinary Science, Agricultural Science or similar). The successful candidate should be highly motivated. The candidate must be proficient in both written and spoken English. A full EU (B) driving license is required. Previous researcher experience, proficient coding skills in Python and data management are considered highly advantageous

Award

This prestigious four-year PhD Scholarship offers a generous annual stipend of €25,000, along with a fee contribution of €5,500 per annum. This funding is provided as part of the VistaMilk Research

Ireland research centre. The Scholarship will start on the 1st of January 2026. Applicants are asked to consult UCD’s EU fee assessment eligibility: https://www.ucd.ie/students/fees/eufeeassessment/

About UCD:

UCD is one of Europe's leading research-intensive universities; an environment where undergraduate education, masters and PhD training, research, innovation and community engagement form a dynamic spectrum of activity. The international standing of UCD has grown in recent years; it is currently ranked within the top 1% of higher education institutions world-wide. UCD is Ireland's most globally engaged university with over 38,000 students drawn from 152 countries, including over 5,000 students based at locations outside of Ireland. The University's main Dublin campus occupies an extensive parkland estate of 133 hectares and offers world-leading facilities, including Lyons estate research farm.

About Vistamilk:

This position is funded as part of the VistaMilk Research Ireland funded centre. As members of this centre, successful applicants will join a large group of postdoctoral researchers and PhD students tackling challenges in cattle production from the soil, pasture, animals and food in 13 different research institutes all across Ireland. More information on Vistamilk can be found at (opens in a new window)www.vistamilk.ie

Equality, diversity and inclusion:

UCD and Vistamilk embody the values of equality, diversity and inclusion and embeds these fairness principles into all aspects of operations and As such, we warmly welcome applicants from all the communities.

Further Information/Applications

For informal enquiries and further information regarding the position, please contact: Dr Luke O’Grady, School of Veterinary Medicine, UCD

Email (opens in a new window)luke.ogrady@ucd.ie

Application Procedure

Submit an electronic copy of your current Curriculum Vitae and a brief letter of interest detailing your motivation, qualifications and experience to:

Dr Luke O’Grady ((opens in a new window)luke.ogrady@ucd.ie).

Closing date

12 pm, 17th October 2025. Interviews for selected candidates will take place shortly afterwards