Virtual Reality and Interactive Storytelling in Contested Archaeological Heritage Contexts

We are seeking a PhD candidate to investigate the use of interactive digital technologies, including virtual and augmented reality environments and game-based applications, for engaging with complex and contested pasts and with a particular focus on interactive storytelling.

Interactive technologies are increasingly used in heritage, memory, and research contexts for their ability to contextualise information, represent and integrate multiple perspectives, and provide access to sites that are otherwise inaccessible or sensitive. They also enable new forms of storytelling, agency over, and engagement with layered, non-linear, and sometimes conflicting narratives.

This PhD project will explore how interactive storytelling can be developed, implemented, and critically evaluated across a set of case studies from both heritage and archaeological contexts. As such, a key part of the project will be the development of a series of virtual reality environments. The project is embedded within the broader Traumascapes project, alongside additional empirically grounded research contexts, including archaeological investigations on sites of mass violence and burial, and places of exile and imprisonment.

The project will examine how virtual environments can translate material, spatial, and narrative information into meaningful, interactive experiences across different case studies and communities, and how they can support engagement with ethically sensitive and contested pasts. The project will be conducted in collaboration with academic and societal partners, including the VALUE Foundation.

This is what you will be doing

Designing and developing virtual environments in collaboration with the 4D Research Lab (University of Amsterdam) and developing and applying interactive storytelling methods across multiple case studies;
Exploring how different types of data (e.g. material, spatial, archival, testimonial) can be integrated into virtual environments;
Collaborating with memory communities, heritage institutions, researchers, and technical experts through co-creation workshops and focus groups;
Investigating how interactive storytelling can facilitate engagement, dialogue, and reflection across different stakeholder groups, and critically evaluating the ethical implications of representing sensitive and potentially conflicting pasts in interactive digital formats;
Contributing to the development of an evaluation framework for the use of interactive digital technologies and storytelling for contested sites that addresses both academic and societal needs.
Submission of a PhD thesis within the period of appointment;
Presenting intermediate research results at relevant workshops and conferences, such as the CAA;
Participation in the Amsterdam School for Heritage, Memory and Material Culture (AHM) and Faculty of Humanities PhD training programmes;
(co-)teaching courses at BA-level in the second and third year of the appointment (maximum 0,2 fte per year).
Participating in national activities of the “Traumascapes” consortium, particularly those for the PhD cohort within the larger project.

This is what we ask of you

a completed Master's degree in Archaeology (especially Digital Archaeology), Heritage & Museum Studies (with a focus on Digital Heritage), or Digital Humanities (only with a focus on 3D/VR applications or Game Studies/Development for heritage or museums);
demonstrable experience in 3D modelling, game development, and/or XR technologies, to be submitted as a portfolio of any previous work in developing VR/AR/MR/XR/(digital) games or reconstructions of cultural heritage;
enthusiasm for communicating academic research to non-academic audiences;
a strong cooperative attitude and willingness to engage in collaborative research;
good command of English, and working command or willingness to learn Dutch;
the names and contact details of two referees who are familiar with your work.

Please note that if you already hold a doctorate/PhD or are working towards obtaining a similar degree elsewhere, you will not be admitted to a doctoral programme at the UvA.

This is what else we offer you

We offer a temporary employment contract for the period of 48 months. The first contract will be for 16 months, with an extension for the following 32 months, contingent on a positive performance evaluation within the first 12 months. The preferred starting date is 1 September 2026.
Based on a full-time appointment (38 hours per week) the gross monthly salary will range from €3.059 in the first year to €3.881 (scale P) in the last year. This does not include 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% year-end allowance. The UFO profile PhD candidate applicable. The Collective Labour Agreement of Universities of the Netherlands is applicable.
PhD candidates receive a tuition fee waiver;
PhD candidates have free access to courses offered by the Graduate School of Humanities and the Dutch National Research Schools;
excellent possibilities for further professional development and education;
an enthusiastic, inclusive and supportive academic team.

This is where you'll be working

The candidate will be jointly supervised by researchers at the University of Amsterdam and Leiden University, bringing together expertise in digital archaeology, game studies, forensic archaeology, cultural politics, and the study of play and heritage. The daily supervisory team will consist of Dr. Hayley Mickleburgh and Dr. Aris Politopoulos.

This PhD project is based at the University of Amsterdam and is part of the broader NWA ORC project “Traumascapes: Valuing, Negotiating and Sharing Sites of Trauma, Pain, and Loss” (2026-2032), in which interdisciplinary teams of scientists, together with societal partners, memory communities, and citizen scientists, conduct research on landscapes and locations associated with collective traumas rooted in our deeper past. Traumascapes aims to develop new approaches to reveal and better understand the complex history of these places and their diverse values and meanings for groups in society. This approach will be experimental, including the application of the performing arts, and seeks new ways of connection, dialogue, appreciation, presentation, and management surrounding Traumascapes.

The research includes a variety of projects, among which former colonial plantations of Suriname, the coastal landscape of Bonaire, and the gas landscape of Groningen. The researchers involved in the project have backgrounds in history, archaeology, social psychology, public administration, cultural sciences, and spatial planning and design. The consortium consists of 22 partners, including 12 Dutch universities, and places a strong emphasis on exchange and collaborative reflection. Within this context, the candidate will participate in regular project-wide workshops and meetings.

How can immersive technologies change the way we understand and experience difficult pasts? This PhD project explores the use of interactive digital technologies and storytelling across archaeological and heritage contexts, to examine how they can support engagement with ethically sensitive and contested pasts.

Virtual Reality and Interactive Storytelling in Contested Archaeological Heritage Contexts

This is what you will be doing

Designing and developing virtual environments in collaboration with the 4D Research Lab (University of Amsterdam) and developing and applying interactive storytelling methods across multiple case studies;
Exploring how different types of data (e.g. material, spatial, archival, testimonial) can be integrated into virtual environments;
Collaborating with memory communities, heritage institutions, researchers, and technical experts through co-creation workshops and focus groups;
Investigating how interactive storytelling can facilitate engagement, dialogue, and reflection across different stakeholder groups, and critically evaluating the ethical implications of representing sensitive and potentially conflicting pasts in interactive digital formats;
Contributing to the development of an evaluation framework for the use of interactive digital technologies and storytelling for contested sites that addresses both academic and societal needs.
Submission of a PhD thesis within the period of appointment;
Presenting intermediate research results at relevant workshops and conferences, such as the CAA;
Participation in the Amsterdam School for Heritage, Memory and Material Culture (AHM) and Faculty of Humanities PhD training programmes;
(co-)teaching courses at BA-level in the second and third year of the appointment (maximum 0,2 fte per year).
Participating in national activities of the “Traumascapes” consortium, particularly those for the PhD cohort within the larger project.

This is what we ask of you

a completed Master's degree in Archaeology (especially Digital Archaeology), Heritage & Museum Studies (with a focus on Digital Heritage), or Digital Humanities (only with a focus on 3D/VR applications or Game Studies/Development for heritage or museums);
demonstrable experience in 3D modelling, game development, and/or XR technologies, to be submitted as a portfolio of any previous work in developing VR/AR/MR/XR/(digital) games or reconstructions of cultural heritage;
enthusiasm for communicating academic research to non-academic audiences;
a strong cooperative attitude and willingness to engage in collaborative research;
good command of English, and working command or willingness to learn Dutch;
the names and contact details of two referees who are familiar with your work.

Please note that if you already hold a doctorate/PhD or are working towards obtaining a similar degree elsewhere, you will not be admitted to a doctoral programme at the UvA.

This is what else we offer you

We offer a temporary employment contract for the period of 48 months. The first contract will be for 16 months, with an extension for the following 32 months, contingent on a positive performance evaluation within the first 12 months. The preferred starting date is 1 September 2026.
Based on a full-time appointment (38 hours per week) the gross monthly salary will range from €3.059 in the first year to €3.881 (scale P) in the last year. This does not include 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% year-end allowance. The UFO profile PhD candidate applicable. The Collective Labour Agreement of Universities of the Netherlands is applicable.
PhD candidates receive a tuition fee waiver;
PhD candidates have free access to courses offered by the Graduate School of Humanities and the Dutch National Research Schools;
excellent possibilities for further professional development and education;
an enthusiastic, inclusive and supportive academic team.

This is where you'll be working

If you recognize yourself in the profile and are interested in the position, we look forward to receiving your application. Including:

A cover letter with motivation
A list of all Master-level modules you have taken, with an official transcript of grades.
The names and contact details of two references who may be approached by the selection committee (please note we do not require reference letters with the application).

A portfolio of any previous work in developing VR/AR/MR/XR/(digital) games or reconstructions of cultural heritage, submitted in PDF format or as a link to an online website/repository in the cover letter.

Please send the above as a single PDF file.

The vacancy closes on 15-5-2026. Interviews will take place in June.

For questions about the position or department, please contact:

Hayley Mickleburgh, Assistant Professor Archaeology & Director 4D Research Lab
h.l.mickleburgh@uva.nl

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Virtual Reality and Interactive Storytelling in Contested Archaeological Heritage Contexts