Job Description
A Paris/London Fellowship in Urban Studies (secondment or short-term appointment)
The University of London is pleased to announce a new round of applications to its Banister Fletcher Global Fellowship in Urban Studies, established between its two bases in London and Paris. This exciting international opportunity reflects the University’s commitment to connecting two of the most economically and ethnically diverse cities in Europe, championing the development of comparative research and new methodologies in urban policy innovation.
As patterns of labour and mobility change, as the imperatives of climate action and disease control increasingly shape urban policy and infrastructure, how are cities adapting, transforming, failing, and thriving? We welcome interdisciplinary work to help us address these questions, building experientially embedded expertise that reflects and informs the ways in which urban environments are responding to deepening inequalities and environmental crisis, with particular attention to the way community-led innovation and knowledge are increasingly shaping urban and design cultures.
We invite scholars to submit a proposal for a series of potential workshops, trainings, plenary sessions and roundtables, through which you will explore alternative forms and spaces of knowledge production in Paris and/or London. Your proposal may build on research and creative practice developed in relation to cultures and histories of the built environment across the world. Candidates are encouraged to consider how your work will both benefit from sustained consideration of this Paris-London framework, while also contributing to the elucidation of it. We also anticipate the importance of historical perspectives and welcome proposals anchored in the city as archive as part of this Fellowship.
The Fellowship will be for a period up to 6 months (normally between January and June 2026), based in Paris or London, or split between the two cities. As a Fellow, you will develop a programme of original research while contributing to the research training environment of the supporting institutions and partners in the University of London Federation. More specifically, our Fellow will design and convene a programme consisting of a combination of lectures, workshops, trainings and/or alternative collaborative activities with funds available for this programming (additional to the Fellow’s remuneration). This programme may take place in a series of discrete events or in one consolidated period of programming. It may also involve some digital dissemination, but the Fellowship places a strong emphasis on experiential and in-person exchange and it is expected that you be able to undertake this programming and delivery in person.
By developing an archive of events through video and audio production as well as subsequent publication of lectures and/or associated writings, the Banister Fletcher Global Fellowship intends to establish a body of groundbreaking research that will constitute a reference point in the future of urban studies. Applicants are also strongly encouraged therefore to consider how your programme of work will contribute to this longer-term goal.
You must have a substantial research track record and hold a PhD (or equivalent) in a relevant field or have demonstrated the impact of their work through creative practice and dissemination. Candidates are invited to consult the University of London Institute in Paris website via the Research tab (or directly here) for further details on this fellowship, which will give a sense of the range of approaches adopted so far.
We particularly welcome applicants from minority groups.
We will accept applications from salaried and non-salaried candidates.
The Banister Fletcher Global Fellowship in Urban Studies is piloted by the University of London Institute in Paris, drawing on the support of the London Research and Policy Partnership (LRaPP) and the Institute of Historical Research (IHR) as well as the University’s leading centres of research and learning in urban history, culture, design and theory, including the Bartlett School of Architecture (UCL), Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and Goldsmiths, University of London. All relevant programming will be offered as part of the School of Advanced Study’s research training portfolio.
Further Information
How to Apply
Applicants should submit (amalgamated in one document):
- CV (including names and contact details of two referees);
- Short summary/pitch outlining the key objectives for the Fellowship (300 words max);
- A project document explaining the aims for the period of the Fellowship and tentative organisational objectives for the collaborative work. This may include an outline of programming possibilities for workshops or a sequence of lectures associated with working groups/exploratory sessions, including possible invited participants (speakers or session leaders). Applicants are also invited to underline the possible relation between London and Paris events, with attention to the University’s objectives of ensuring benefit for a broad community of learners and researchers. Indicative titles for workshops/lectures may be given and/or short abstracts may be given. Candidates are encouraged to diversify the means/modes of interaction in the workshops (up to 4 pages; font: times new roman 12).
Applications close midnight (BST), Tuesday 8th July 2025.
If you would like to discuss the post informally, or have questions about the application process, contact Professor Anna-Louise Milne: Anna-Louise.Milne@ulip.lon.ac.uk.
The University reserves the right to close the vacancy earlier than the published end date should it receive sufficient applications to warrant earlier shortlisting.
Pursuing excellence in education and equal opportunities.