Forensic Architecture Open Verification PhD Fellowship

Awarded to one successful candidate beginning in the autumn term of the academic year 2024-25, Forensic Architecture (FA) is offering a fully funded PhD Fellowship at the Centre for Research Architecture. This is a ‘practice-led’ programme, the aim is to train the PhD Fellow as an early career practitioner in FA’s methods while also developing critical insights on these methods and on the political / historical context of the work, which will be developed in the written submission of the PhD.

Throughout their fellowship, fellows will undertake a work placement at FA and their research and experience will assist the FA team in contextualising, activating, and reflecting upon our casework. The successful candidate will be expected to join the FA research team (typically 3 days/week) in developing and utilising new techniques and methods for investigating human rights and environmental violations by state and corporate actors.

The FA cases that the PhD Fellow works on will be suited to their own research direction, interests and skillset, as the PhD Fellow will also need to meet the broader scholarly criteria as set out by the Graduate School, which includes the development of a substantive individual research project.

The PhD Research Architecture programme is aimed at practitioners of architecture and other related spatial practices who would like to develop a sustained multi-year practice-led research project. It allows you to produce intensive, rigorous, and scholarly research as well as further elaborate your own practice. The programme is structured around PhD seminars, a Critical Methods module, as well as a series of two-day long roundtable seminars that bring invited guests to share relevant scholarly knowledge and practices with the staff and students in the Centre.

Value

One fully-funded PhD with a monthly stipend for a period of three years.

Number available

One

Year of entry

2024

Eligibility criteria

This fellowship is specifically for candidates for the MPhil/PhD in Research Architecture.

• This PhD Fellowship is aimed at candidates who already have on-the-ground and lived experience in conflict zones, grassroots activism, and/or community organising, and it is expected that the candidate will facilitate connections with rooted communities and activists at the forefront of struggle.
• The ideal candidate will be technically skilled in techniques related to those used by FA (e.g. 3D modelling and animation, video editing, software development, etc.) as well as able to integrate conceptual and theoretical writing alongside spatial practice.

Application deadlines

10am GMT, 15 March 2024

How to apply

You will apply directly through our programme page for MPhil/PhD in Research Architecture.

You'll then need to provide the following:

• Qualifications (copy of MA Degree certificate or equivalent).
• Personal Statement summarising your motivation to pursue a PhD in research architecture, your desired research direction, and your on-the-ground experience in conflict zones, grassroots activism, and/or community organising (500 words).
• Two references.
• Employment History.
• PhD Research Proposal (4-6 pages.) - please note that you are applying for the Forensic Architecture fellowship at the top of this proposal.
• Current CV, outlining previous employments, exhibitions, residencies, awards, publications, public programming, talks, symposia, etc.
• Portfolio on previous projects.
• Writing sample of your MA dissertation (3000-5000 words) and a further writing sample free of choice (1500-2500 words).
• English Language requirement: If English is not your native language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification) of 6.5 with a 6.5 in writing and no element lower than 6.0 to study this programme.
• Optional: a sample of an academic publication (500-1500 words).

Find out more about Goldsmiths scholarships and bursaries regulations.