The Banister Fletcher Global Fellowship in Urban Studies was established by the University of London’s Institute in Paris in 2020 to foster work in urban studies and innovation between 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 and analysis.

https://www.london.ac.uk/institute-paris/research/banister-fletcher-global-fellowship

The Fellowship

Over more than a hundred years, twenty different editions of Banister Fletcher’s A History of Architecture were published, each one bringing into play a different range of authors, from Professor Banister Fletcher and his son Banister Flight Fletcher, their wives Lady Fletcher and Alice Maud Mary Fletcher, to an ever-boarder community of contributors. In 2019 Murray Fraser published a completely new collection, Sir Banister Fletcher’s Global History of Architecture, involving 88 scholars from around the world. This work marked a major departure from the colonial hierarchies that shaped the prior editions.

The Banister Fletcher Global Fellowship in Urban Studies builds on this transformation of the field of architectural history by expanding attention to minor infrastructures and to the way that two major imperial capitals are adjusting to the changing patterns in labour, mobility and urban policy priorities.

It invites scholars to develop new perspectives on how we conceive, define, preserve or restrict the built environment. Prioritising interdisciplinary work, it aims to address these questions by fostering experientially embedded expertise that reflects and informs the ways in which urban environmentsare responding todeepening inequalitiesand environmental crisis, with particular attention to the way community-led knowledge and practice is addressing sustainability and transmission.

Over the first six years of its work, the Banister Fletcher Global Fellowship has developed a body of groundbreaking researchthatwill constitute a reference point in the future of urban studies. Through plenary sessions with policy makers, practitioners and scholars, through workshops and research training sessions, through exploratory walks, sound-based events, street theatre and community radio engagement, Fellows and the participants in their programmes have experimented with different methods for identifying, assessing and enhancing forms of urbanity often overlooked or underestimated in policy analysis.

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 PolicyPartnership(LRaPP) and the Institute of Historical Research (IHR) as well as the University’s leadingcentresof 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.

Applications

What is expected of the fellow

The Fellowship will be for a period up to 6 months (normally betweenJanuary and June), 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 conveneaprogrammeconsisting of a combination of lectures, workshops, trainings and/oralternative 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.

Person specification

You must have a substantial research track record and hold a PhD (or equivalent) in a relevant field or have demonstrated the impact of your work through creative practice and dissemination.Candidates areinvited to consult the University of London Institute in Paris website (or directly here) forfurther details on this fellowship and a sense of the range of approachesadopted so far.

We particularly welcome applicants from minority groups.

We will accept applications fromsalaried andnon-salaried candidates.

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).

To be considered for this opportunity, please submityour application by clicking ‘apply for job’ at the bottom of this page

Applications closemidnight (BST) FRIDAY 3 JULY 2026. Online interviews are expected to take place on 16 July 2026.