Into the heart of artworks Studying Hans Memling Where He Painted Choose Belgium 2

Choose Belgium is a video series introducing the international researchers who chose Belgium for their science career, and the institutions that make it possible.
Episode 2: From a PhD in Germany to studying Hans Memling's paintings in the very hospital they were made for, art historian Melis Avkiran shares why Belgium became her home, both professionally and personally.
Melis takes us through her path from art history studies in Germany, where she felt the distance between the lecture hall and the actual artworks, to research trips that brought her into contact with Belgian universities, museums and the heritage sector. She is now a postdoctoral researcher at the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK-IRPA) in Brussels and at UCLouvain in Louvain-la-Neuve, working under Belspo's FED-tWIN programme. Her IOHANNES project, jointly led by KIK-IRPA and UCLouvain/GEMCA (Group for Early Modern Cultural Analysis), focuses on 15th-century Early Netherlandish paintings still preserved in their original setting, with a major case study on the works of Hans Memling at Saint John's Hospital in Bruges.
Beyond the science, Melis speaks about something that resonates with many international researchers: a collaborative and international working environment, access to leading experts, and a five-year funded position that allows for the kind of in-depth research her field needs.
Belgium hosts a dense network of world-class research institutions, generous funding instruments, and an international community of scientists from every continent. If you are considering a research career in Europe, Choose Belgium introduces you to the people who already made the move.

🔬 About BELSPO
The Belgian Federal Science Policy Office (Belspo) supports scientific research and coordinates the ten Belgian Federal Scientific Institutions, including museums, observatories, archives and research centers active in space, climate, biodiversity, cultural heritage and many other fields.
https://www.belspo.be

🎨 About KIK-IRPA
The Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage studies, conserves and documents Belgium's artistic and cultural heritage, with internationally recognised expertise in technical art history, conservation science and material analysis.
https://www.kikirpa.be

🎓 About UCLouvain
The Université catholique de Louvain is one of Belgium's leading research universities, with a strong tradition in the humanities, including visual and religious culture and the history of art.
https://uclouvain.be

🔭 About the FED-tWIN programme
FED-tWIN funds joint research positions between Belgium's Federal Scientific Institutions and Belgian universities, fostering long-term collaboration on shared research priorities.
https://www.belspo.be/belspo/fedtwin/

🎓 Research opportunities in Belgium
https://www.research.be
https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/search?country=Belgium

📕 CHAPTERS

00:08 An art historian from Germany, in Brussels and Louvain-la-Neuve
00:25 The IOHANNES project: KIK-IRPA and UCLouvain
00:49 Hans Memling and the medieval hospital in Bruges
01:31 Beyond individual artworks: liturgy, architecture, ritual
02:06 First contacts with Belgium during the PhD
02:45 Why this postdoc, why this combination
03:30 A five-year funded position, and what it makes possible
03:54 A collaborative and international environment
04:21 What it takes to move abroad, and what you gain

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