Ph.D Scholarship Funding: ARCHITECTURE + URBANISM

As part of MMU's £2.5m Ph.D. Scholarship Funding the Manchester School of Architecture seeks high quality research applications in the professions, practices, policies, histories and theories of architecture, planning and design.

Proposals may be based on individual research projects or on student-initiated projects in collaboration with a cultural organization outside of Higher Education.

Project aims and objectives

In an age where more people live in the city than the countryside, issues of architecture and its relationship to urbanism have never been more intellectually fascinating, socially vital and environmentally urgent.

The Architecture Research Group is involved in debates about the role of architecture in an age of economic globalisation, technological futurism, environmental and societal change which demand an approach to architectural studies that draws upon a diverse range of practices and plural forms of knowledge.

The research group is at the heart of an interdisciplinary project in which competing conceptions of design and development are brought into critical dialogue and we would welcome applications which fit with this remit. Central to this dialogue is the pursuit of research through which we aim to critically understand the evolution of design and development strategies, histories and theories of architecture and the wider social, economic and environmental processes shaping buildings, neighbourhoods, public spaces and cities. Drawing upon and connecting an energetic and diverse research community stretching across social sciences in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Manchester and art and design research within the Manchester School of Art at the Manchester Metropolitan University, our research staff possess a unique and broad range of interests and expertise across theory and design, policy and practice.

Specific requirements of the project
Successful candidates will have training in the specified disciplines or cognate fields. normally with a high 2:1 or first class BA (Hons) and a merit or distinction at MA or equivalent professional experience.

Full scholarship and fees only awards for full time and part time study are available.

Proposals may be individually initiated, or collaborative and have interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary perspectives. They will respond to the area of research excellence defined within the activities of the Architecture Research Group in the Manchester School of Architecture.

You will be supervised by leading practitioners, theorists and historians. Be sure to contact Dr Myna Trustram (M.Trustram@mmu.ac.uk) before you make a formal application for advice and feedback on your proposal.

Student eligibility
UK, EU and international students

Deadline for applications 21 March 2016 (9.00 AM)

Informal enquiries can be made to:

Dr Myna Trustram
Email: m.trustram@mmu.ac.uk

Examples of recent postgraduate research are available on the following website ARCHITECTURE RESEARCH
http://architectureandgraduateresearch.blogspot.co.uk

Architecture + Urbanism recommends "We Built This City"

We built this city: Manchester Architects at 150
Celebrating generations of innovation
30 November 2015 - 18 March 2016

MMU Special Collections Gallery
3rd Floor
Sir Kenneth Green Library
Manchester Metropolitan University

WE BUILT THIS CITY profiles architectural drawings of key members of the Manchester Society of Architects alongside the historic Library collection, promoting the rich architectural history of Manchester. The exhibition charts the influence of the Society on the cityscape and architectural design in Greater Manchester through original drawings. Rare folios from the Manchester Society of Architects Library at MMU Special Collections will show the wealth of material on offer to members who frequented the Society's rooms. Highlights include work by W and G Audsley, Owen Jones, William Kent, Palladio, Piranesi, and Stuart and Revett.

Alumni Loyalty Discount 2015-16

MA A+U full time (12 months) or part time (24 months) modes are two of the routes eligible for a 20% discount on fees for post graduate taught courses being offered to MMU Alumni.

Details available from the Funding and Financial Support pages of the MMU Postgraduate Study site

'Studying for a taught postgraduate degree can increase your skills and knowledge in your chosen profession making you more employable and a more attractive candidate to employers. In today’s climate, it is increasingly important for your CV to stand out and a taught postgraduate qualification can be a way of achieving this. We want all our graduates to have the best possible chance of maximising their career success. Our Alumni Loyalty Discount reduces the burden of further tuition fees and encourages our undergraduates into further study. Eligible alumni receive a 20% discount on their taught postgraduate tuition fees when they enrol as a new student on one of our eligible full-time or part-time postgraduate taught courses starting in September 2015*.'

Vice-Chancellor's International Scholarship

MA A+U student Honghao Zeng is pictured receiving his Vice-Chancellor's International Scholarship certificate from Manchester Metropolitan University Vice-Chancellor Professor John Brooks at a recent celebratory event.

The deadline for application for the 2015-16 MMU Vice-Chancellor International Scholarships for Taught Postgraduate programmes such as MA A+U is June 30 2015.

Architecture + Urbanism recommends '50 Shades of Green: The benefits and challenges of managing urban greenspace'

Professoriate Lecture from Prof. C. Philip Wheater

Dean and Pro-Vice Chancellor, Faculty of Science and Engineering

50 Shades of Green: The benefits and challenges of managing urban greenspace

Most urban dwellers look favourably on the greenspace that lies close to their homes or places of work, few realise the richness of the wildlife that can be supported by such environments. Nor do many of us understand the different benefits, pressures, opportunities and challenges that are involved in designing, maintaining and enhancing such spaces. This talk presents a wide ranging tour of the different types of space and considers conflicts and resolutions to these issues with reference to work carried out by researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University. The topics covered will include benefits (including on the public’s health and wellbeing) of urban habitats, urban ecology, problems in urban open spaces, and the management of urban wildlife and habitats.

Phil Wheater is the Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering and a Pro-Vice Chancellor at Manchester Metropolitan University. He has been teaching, researching and writing about wildlife and urban ecology for over 30 years, including textbooks on urban habitats and invertebrate animals, reports on site management, and articles on human / environmental interactions. Phil has worked on many different aspects of urban management from wildlife ecology, through habitat management, to personal security and public health issues. He has worked with a wide range of organisations associated with urban habitats. These include metropolitan authorities (such as Manchester City Council and the Corporation of London), national organisations (including Natural England and the National Trust), and managers of a number of urban fringe areas including sites of special scientific interest and national nature reserves.

Wednesday 26 November 18.00-20.00

John Dalton Building
Manchester Metropolitan University