The Melbourne Centre for Cities has been purpose-designed as a collaborative, international and impact-oriented hub for cities research and leadership. The Centre aims not only to reach out to partners and audiences (industry, government, community or indeed academia) domestically and internationally but also and principally to foster partnerships and conversations with these.
Central to this approach is an engaged and proactive group of Visiting Fellows taking part in our programs, events and initiatives.
Building on the successful visiting staff work of the Connected Cities Lab, the Centre is committed to engaging practitioners and scholars outside of the University of Melbourne and not least internationally in our activities, programs and Centre life.
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Centre Visiting Fellows have access, even virtually when not able to be at the University of Melbourne in person, to a variety of support and activities from the Centre. They are in turn expected to play a part in Centre work and development, within the scope and purpose of their visit. Visiting Fellows are appointed for one year in the first instance (renewable), and a minimum of 3 months. They can access Centre development programs (for early career academics), academia-practice exchange initiatives (for both scholars outside the University and professionals outside academia), or bespoke workshop sessions (e.g. centre seminar series) along with playing an active part in organising Centre activities as relevant to the focus of their visit, facilitated external and international engagements, and more.
The Melbourne Centre for Cities runs two Visiting Fellow cohort calls per year in Summer and Winter to facilitate collaboration and cohort building. Interested in joining?
Find the expression of interest forms for this role here:
Applications for Visiting Fellowships are managed as per University of Melbourne Guests policy and procedures, and require:
- a completed application form (includes nomination of a Centre Fellow or Associate host for the Visiting Fellow),
- an updated CV, and
- a statement of maximum two pages detailing the interest and perspective (or ongoing/prior) engagement with the Centre foreseen by the applicant.
The Centre does not discriminate on the location (domestic or international) of the prospective Fellow, the mode of engagement (virtual, hybrid or in-person), or the degree of seniority of the applicant. Assessment of applications is instead focused on the strength of the case in particular by considering the articulation of current or prospective engagement with Centre projects and staff, as well as the Fellows’ commitment to cities and city leadership.
Please note: While you can submit an EOI at any time, these requests are reviewed on a monthly basis.
Expectations
Depending on length of stay, during their program, Visiting Fellows are expected to make a contribution to Centre activities:
- Presentation – making at least one public presentation (seminar/ roundtable) of their academic work to the Centre community and relevant faculty.
- Communications – Providing biographic information for use and promotion on the Centre’s website; be available for media interest regarding their research ideas.
- Contributing to the enrichment of the Centre by participation in one or more of the following:
- Consultation with postgraduate research students with shared theoretical framings – Horizon's Program or ECR network
- Professional development session for professional community within the applicant’s area of expertise
- Acknowledgements – Visiting Fellows are requested to acknowledge the Centre in any published work or presentation arising from research undertaken during their visit.
- Email Summary – As part of finalising their visit, the Visiting Scholar will submit a brief email summary outlining their key activities and outcomes during the period of their stay.
Application procedures and processes
Expressions of interest should be submitted using the Melbourne Centre for Cities Visiting Fellow Form. Centre Director and Visiting, Program Scholar's Coordinator and Centre Coordinator will review all submissions, considering their compatibility with Centre themes, projects, and the visitors' calendar; with endorsement sought at the next available monthly Management Committee Meeting. Applications are welcome throughout the year, but to assist with planning, we recommend submitting them at least 6-12 months before the intended visit.
Visitors require an academic host within the Centre to support their visitation, and you will need to list their approval to host in your application form., As such we encourage you to contact a potential academic host in Centre as soon as possible
Once your Visiting Scholar Expression of Interest has been endorsed by our Management Committee, it will be forwarded to the appropriate host faculty affiliated with the Centre: either the Faculty of Architecture Building and Planning, the Faculty of Arts or Faculty of Science.
It is your responsibility to obtain an appropriate visa. Visa related processes can take several months. For further information, visit the Australian Government's Home Affairs website.