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UCL and the British School at Rome (BSR) are inviting applications from UCL scholars wishing to live and work in Rome for a short visiting fellowship opportunity.
We seek applications from UCL scholars with an academically strong proposal which complements the disciplinary range and research priorities of the British School at Rome (BSR) and its community. Multi- and cross-disciplinary projects are warmly invited, as are practice-based and creative-critical proposals, including artwork.
Context
UCL and BSR enjoy a longstanding, close relationship. This has been significantly strengthened during the funding cycle of the Cities Partnerships Programme in Rome, when the BSR hosted more than twenty UCL-led and co-curated symposia and events, including live concerts, film screenings, virtual roundtables, lectures and exhibitions.
The Visiting Fellowship provides the opportunity for a UCL scholar to live and work at the BSR for a short time, with the aim of completing a small project such as a symposium, seminar, article or fieldwork. This project is expected to lead to a subsequent, larger initiative or grant application. In the long term, the Visiting Fellowship will seek to structurally reinforce the relationship between UCL departments and the BSR.
The Visiting Fellow will be able to immerse themselves in the culture and community of this unique organisation, and work with scholars and practitioners within the School. They will also be able to engage with UCL’s partner institutions across Rome, including Sapienza University Rome, Roma Tre University, LUISS, University of Rome Tor Vergata and others, as well as the museums, cultural institutions and other organisations in the region.
The Fellowship
The Visiting Fellowship takes into account how the coronavirus pandemic has changed the modus operandi of international mobility, and places an emphasis on sustainability. It is mixed-mode, with some parts residential in Rome on a full board basis, and others as a remote member of the BSR community, with access to the School’s resources.
The online resources of the BSR library, the programme of blended-mode seminars and other aspects of the BSR community will be available for the whole duration of the Visiting Fellowship, while site visits, physical resources and the full immersive potential of being an integral part of a scholarly community will be available to the Visiting Fellow during the residential portions.
We offer a Visiting Fellowships in Spring/Summer 2025.
The Visiting Fellowship lasts for three months. Each Visiting Fellow will spend a total of up to six weeks in Rome, in up to two parts, by arrangement. The nature of the proposed work and the availability of accommodation in the BSR, along with the Visiting Fellow’s commitments, will determine the precise configuration of this in-person placement. The remainder of the Visiting Fellowship will take place remotely.
The BSR has capacity in two slots in 2025: 3 March-30 April and 3-30 June. You can allocate your six (or fewer) weeks across those slots.
The Visiting Fellowship is supported by UCL Global Engagement and the BSR. It includes up to €6,500 for six weeks’ full board, and affiliation to the School for three months. It also includes €250 per return trip (up to two pairs); a bit more may be available for those travelling by train, which we naturally encourage. Further support may be provided, up to a maximum of €4,000, to support project-related activity and outputs (e.g. symposia, exhibitions).
The timing of the Visiting Fellowship is by negotiation with the BSR, which is near capacity 2025. It is very important that you specify the timeline you are able to undertake in the application, while indicating any flexibility in your schedule.
Eligibility
Applications are open to UCL staff members with the following roles:
- Professor or equivalent
- Reader/Assistant Professor or equivalent
- Senior Lecturer/Principal Researcher/Principal Research Associate or equivalent
- Lecturer/Senior Research Associate or equivalent
- Post Doc/Researcher/Research Associate or equivalent.
Applicants must have an open-ended UCL contract, or a fixed-term contract which lasts until at least the end of September 2025 (as you will need to report on the fellowship by the end of that month).
Process
Applications must be completed and submitted by 23h59 UK time on 17 November 2024 and submitted at the following link:
A panel, comprising Vice-Deans International from UCL, as well as delegates from the BSR, will be set up to choose a Visiting Fellow for the year. The successful candidates for 2025 will be selected on the basis of the academic strength of the proposal and its potential to create fruitful work with the BSR community. Multi- and cross-disciplinary projects are warmly invited, as are practice-based and creative-critical proposals, including artwork.
The panel will select the Visiting Fellow by mid-December 2024. Throughout, the Visiting Fellow is expected to fulfil contractual obligations, as appropriate, in their UCL department (e.g. marking, personal tutoring etc.). The programme does not fund teaching buy-outs. Visiting Fellows are required to submit a short report to the governance panel by September 2025.
- Visiting Fellow case study: Uncovering how academies in Early Modern Italy contributed to theatrical culture (Dr Lisa Sampson, UCL School of European Languages, Culture and Society)
