Open call: Visiting Fellowship at Monash Architecture

The Department of Architecture at Monash Art Design & Architecture (MADA) announces an open call for leading architectural thinkers, practitioners and teachers, to apply for a Visiting Fellowship in Melbourne, Australia. We invite applicants at all career levels including academic staff on sabbatical leave, and post-doctoral and mid-career researchers, from all over Australia and the world.

The Faculty of Art Design & Architecture at Monash provides a vibrant environment for interdisciplinary, critical and creative research in architecture and urban planning, within a lively Faculty of creative researchers and practitioners. The Department’s research work ranges from design and practice-based enquiries into pressing architectural issues, particularly in urban environments, to engagements with the history, theory and criticism of architecture, and speculative and projective approaches of design and drawing. We strive to integrate the highly conceptual with the grounded and practical; we aim to take a political and ethical position and engage with the world; we look to put architectural ideas to work.

The Department hosts four active research labs: the Monash Urban Laboratory, the Critical Practices Research Laboratory, the Informal Cities Lab, and the Future Buildings Initiative. Each comprises a collective of academics, research fellows, PhD candidates, and Masters students working collegially together towards common goals. More information can be found here.

The Visiting Fellowship (Architecture) is an opportunity to work within this dynamic context, to incubate new ideas, make new contacts, undertake innovative teaching, conduct independent research—and preferably all of the above.

We are particularly seeking integrations of teaching and research, innovative interdisciplinary approaches, and research which aligns with and is complementary to our research labs and academic staff. Applicants’ sub-disciplines may include:

–Architectural design research, practice-based research, or project-led research
–Architectural history, theory, and criticism: the architectural humanities
–Architectural science, environmental sustainability, and building performance
–Computational design and advanced digital design processes
–Advanced building construction and fabrication including architectural robotics
–Advanced and innovative Professional Practice in architecture 
–Experimental research methods and methodologies
–Interdisciplinary approaches to architecture from adjacent or distant fields, disciplines and practices
–And others...

During the Visiting Fellowship, researchers are expected to share their work and thinking. We suggest that they undertake at least three of the following:

–An independent research project (including practice-based research) which aligns with the work of at least one academic and/or Research Laboratory in the Department
–Masterclass or workshop for staff and/or students
–Contribution to coursework teaching program—across any sub-discipline in architecture
–Delivery of a design-make studio—producing a 1:1 construction with students
–Contribution to Masters and PhD programs and forums
–Collaborate on one or more publications or working papers with Monash Architecture academic staff
–Public event, e.g., lecture, debate, manifestation of work completed during the residency

Visiting Fellows will receive accommodation in the heart of Monash’s Caulfield campus (adjacent to the Monash University Museum of Art) and funding of up to AUD 5000 to cover travel and living expenses, pro-rated for a period ranging from three to ten weeks.

Applications will be judged according to the:
–Originality and significance of the proposed program of work
–Viability of the proposed program of work
–Compatibility or complementarity with existing research and/or teaching within the Monash Department of Architecture
–Proposed engagement with and collegiality within the Monash Architecture program
–Contribution to building local and international networks with the Monash Department of Architecture
–Alignment with the strategic objectives of the Monash Department of Architecture, and the larger Monash Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture

We are seeking applications for Visiting Fellows to be located at Monash between March 2020 and November 2020. There is usually one Visiting Fellowship in Architecture granted each year, although we may select more than one from time to time, and depending on resources. Residencies which propose to engage with the teaching program must fall within Monash semester dates. Visits which fall within the Monash semester dates will be looked upon favourably.

The application process proceeds via two stages.

The first stage is an Expression of Interest. This should include:

A project proposal: a brief account of what is proposed for the residency. This proposal can comprise text and images, and should include:
–Project title, outline, intended outcomes
–The relation of the project to the applicant’s past and future research and/or teaching practice
–The relation of the project to the Department’s existing teaching, research, or work
–CV with contact information
–Citizenship and employment status (including whether this is a sabbatical)
–Preferred dates and proposed duration of residency (cognisant of Monash term dates)
–Requirements for financial support and brief budget (up to AUD 5000, dependent on distance of travel and length of stay)

Expressions of Interest are due no later than September 15, 2019 at 5pm (AEST).

Selected Expressions of Interest will be invited for elaboration and refinement through a second stage process.

For enquiries, and to submit the Expression of Interest, please contact Timothy Moore: timothy.moore@monash.edu