Jump to menu

Visiting Scholars

There are four schemes through which visiting scholars can come and spend time in the School of Geography:

School of Geography Distinguished Visitor

The School of Geography will welcome a variety of visiting academics over the next few months as part of the HSS Distinguished Visiting Fellows Scheme. Events and seminars in the School of Geography will involve Professor Jim Murphy, Associate Professor of Geography at Clark University; Professor Karen Morin, Professor of Geography at Bucknell University, and Dr Tom Cronin, a Research Geologist from the US Geological Survey. Find out about the range of events coming up from the list below. For more information about any of the events or visitors, please contact Dr Amy Tan, Research and Teaching Officer in the School of Geography: 020 78828129 or a.tan@qmul.ac.uk.

Professor Jim Murphy (hosted by Al James).

Web page profile: www.clarku.edu/faculty/facultybio.cfm?id=588.

Jim is Associate Professor of Geography at Clark University. His research examines the socio-spatial dynamics of economic change in the Global South, working on the economic geographies of everyday practices; on relational economic geographies and ICT technologies in Africa and wood products in Latin America.

5pm Thursday 7 February - Research Frameworks session (Staff Common Room): "Examining the global economy through Southern voices: Epistemological choices, methodological challenges, and the implications for economic/development geography".
Followed by informal dinner. Paper for discussion is Murphy, J.T. (2012) "Global production networks, relational proximity, and the socio-spatial dynamics of market internationalization in Bolivia's wood products sector," /Annals of the Association of //American Geographers/, 102(1), 208-233.

12.15 Tuesday 12 February - School of Geography Seminar (City Centre Seminar Room, School of Geography). Paper entitled "Reordering global economic relations or reproducing inequalities? A critical assessment of Africa's ICT revolution" Followed by School lunch.

3–5pm Wednesday 27 February - Graduate Masterclass (City Centre Seminar Room, School of Geography). 'Expanding the Economic-Development Geography Trading Zone in Practice'. Methodological / practical orientated session targeting masters and PhD students engaged in research that challenges the traditional boundaries of Economic Geography and Development Geography.

Friday 1 March - One Day Symposium: Economic (In)Security and the Global Economy. Organised by the QMUL Centre for the Study of Global Security and Development. Venue: The City Centre Seminar Room, School of Geography. Organiser: Adrian Smith. Jim Murphy to present in first session:

11.30–13.00: “Globalizing livelihood security? Global production networks and small enterprises in Bolivia and Tanzania”.Other speakers: Cathy McIlwaine, Adrian Smith, Siobhan McGrath, Liam Campling.

Professor Karen Morin (hosted by Miles Ogborn)

Web page profile: www.bucknell.edu/x30750.xml.

Karen is a feminist historical geographer who has worked on travel writing, geographical knowledge (her most recent book is /Civic Discipline: Geography in America, 1860-1890 /(Ashgate, 2011). She is currently working on, among other things, the US prison system.

12.15 Tuesday 5 March - School of Geography Seminar (City Centre Seminar Room). Entitled "Spatial Violence in the Late Modern US Prison". Followed by Lunch.

1pm–4pm Wednesday 13 March - Workshop (particularly for graduate students) on the *US Penal Crisis:* The American prison system is currently in a state of crisis; the U.S. now has a higher incarceration rate than anywhere else in the world and the highest rate in its own history, with 2.3 million behind bars. The workshop will centre on the philosophies of punishment and related spatial tactics that have developed within the U.S. prison system over the 20th century, examining the crisis through though readings, discussions, and related media (including film excepts).

5pm Thursday 21 March - Research Frameworks session (Staff Common Room): Pre-circulated paper discussion on 'Geography and its Publics'. Followed by dinner.

Arctic sea-ice history from sediment records: implications for future sea-ice

Presented by Dr Thomas M. Cronin, from the United States Geological Survey.
Date: 6pm, 14 March
Venue: David Sizer Lecture Theatre, Francis Bancroft Building, Mile End Campus
More: www.qmul.ac.uk/events/items/2013/89511.html.

Previous fellows include: Katharine Rankin (University of Toronto), Maria Kaika (University of Manchester) and Wendy Larner (University of Bristol). Maria Kaika writes: The unique combination of intellectual stimulation and friendliness made my engagement with academic staff and graduate students one of the most inspiring periods of my academic life. I would also like to comment on the excellent infrastructure available for Visiting Scholars at Queen Mary. Giving me full access to brilliant office space, and IT and library facilities at the City Centre and the Graduate School and offering me superb accommodation –with majestic views of my research area- enabled me to pursue my work effectively. I enjoyed life on Queen Mary campus, with its formidable built environment, open spaces and high quality catering facilities.

School of Geography Distinguished Visitor

Each year the School invites a Distinguished Visitor to come and spend a week with us. Those visiting alternate between human and physical geography. The visitor gives a public lecture, meets with postgraduate students, and takes part in other events designed to encourage intensive discussion of research interests. Previous visitors include Professor Cindy Katz (City University of New York), Professor William Ruddiman (University of Virginia) and Professor Julie Graham (University of Massachusetts, Amherst).

“I enjoyed my time ... at Queen Mary immensely. What a department you’ve got! I had wonderful interactions with so many people there, and got terrific and inspiring and incredibly useful feedback on my work in both the research frameworks and more formal sessions, as well as in all the various informal gatherings. I so appreciated ... your colleagues’ generosity intellectually ...”

Professor Cindi Katz (CUNY)

School of Geography Visiting Scholars

Academics who are planning to take sabbatical leave are invited to apply for the position of Visiting Scholar in the School of Geography. We will pay up to £1000 towards the cost of air fares and will provide desk, computer, library and office facilities for a period of up to eight weeks. Although we are unable to provide accommodation in London, the College has rooms that can be hired for a reasonable price (subject to availability). The Visiting Scholar will be expected to take part in School research activities and to give a research seminar to staff and graduate students.

All those who are interested should contact a member of academic staff or the acting School of Geography Research and Teaching Officer (Marta Timoncini at m.timoncini@qmul.ac.uk). Application must include current CV and statement of the work to be undertaken during the proposed visit.

Dr Phil Kelly (York University, Toronto) commented in August 2005: “I found the department to have an exceptionally rich intellectual life and a rare degree of collegiality and friendliness. I think of Queen Mary as a model department in every respect, and a perfect place for the weary sabbaticant to recharge batteries!”

Visiting PhD student application procedure

The School of Geography at QMUL is internationally recognised as a centre of research excellence in an intellectually-stimulating, friendly and supportive environment. We welcome expressions of interest from PhD students at other institutions who wish to spend a period of study at Queen Mary. Visiting PhD students are welcome to join our research activities, including School Research Seminars, Research Frameworks and Physical Geography Group Meetings.

We invite potential applicants to make contact with a member of staff who could act as mentor during their stay in the School of Geography. Staff research interests can be found here http://www.geog.qmul.ac.uk/staff/index.html

Once mentoring arrangements have been put in place, students should formally submit an application to QMUL Admissions using the PhD Associate Application Form which will be sent to them. Acceptance of this will recognise the visitor as a student at QMUL and will provide Library, building and network access. The School of Geography will offer shared desk space in a dedicated computer room.

Visiting PhD students will normally be charged a bench fee of £500 per semester (or for an equivalent 3 month period). This is payable prior to completing enrolment.