Placement Opportunities
This page contains information about placements developed with Techne partner organisations for Techne students to apply for. Please note that you need to be within your funded period when the placement begins in order to apply. You can find out more about funding for placements here.
23 Things International: Techne Engagement Mentor
23 Things International is a unique collaboration between universities across the world, lead by the University of Surrey. It’s an online learning programme that introduces researchers of any discipline and career stage to useful online tools and techniques to support their work and professional profile building.
In 2022 we had 550 participants from the Universities of Surrey, Cambridge, Royal Holloway and Swansea (UK), University College Dublin (IRL), Otago and Auckland University of Technology (New Zealand) and Avondale University (Australia), as well as the Africa Research Excellence Fund, and the Techne doctoral training partnership. For 2023 we also welcome Kings College London (UK) and the International College of Management (AUS), as well as guest institutions in Ireland and the USA.
One of the best parts of 23Things is that we put researchers from similar disciplines into ‘pods’, to instantly create connections around the world. It’s a chance to meet new people, work together on the tasks for each Thing, and dream up new collaborations beyond the programme.
This year we are delighted to recruit a Techne Engagement Mentor, with the specific task of facilitating interaction within the pods, adding new content relevant to Techne researchers, and assisting with our small research project into participants’ experience.
As an Engagement Mentor you will be responsible for devising and implementing strategies to help our pods communicate, making sure that initial contact takes off and each pod has a plan for how they want to meet. You will also be asked to give participants feedback and encouragement through the community forum, and to support other activities as needed.
Depending on your interest and agreed time commitment, you may also be involved in supplying content and resources for the blogs, and helping to run our participant feedback questionnaire and focus group. There may be opportunities to contribute to subsequent research outputs.
You will report to project lead Mike Rose (FASS FRIO / Doctoral College, University of Surrey) and will be part of the core organising committee. You will be offered full support and mentorship training.
Start & end date of placement: The core period will be March-June 2023, over the 14-week duration of the programme. Depending on the mentor’s preference, they may get involved in the planning stages before this (from late February), or in the assessment and research, June-Aug 2023.
Hours of work: Hours can be arranged to suit the individual mentor. Total hours worked would reflect the length of funding extension applied for – minimum 30 working days, to max 12 weeks equivalent. During the 14-week programme we would anticipate at least one day per week.
The placement student will be eligible for a stipend extension for the duration of the placement, pro rata if part-time.
Because they will be working with ‘pods’ split over different time zones, some early morning / early evening meetings will be required.
Essential criteria: the placement is open to all techne-funded researchers. It will suit researchers with an interest in fostering international collaborations, public engagement work, and mentoring.
No prior experience or knowledge is necessary, but the successful applicant will demonstrate an understanding of building team relationships, and the ability to give constructive feedback.
The role will be largely self-directed, so a proactive approach is crucial. Knowledge of some of the ‘Things’ will be helpful, but more important will be an interest in learning.
All of our project meetings are online, so the candidate will need to have their own IT equipment and internet connection. No regular travel is required.
Depending on what is feasible by March, we may hold occasional in-person live events to supplement the online programme. The mentor may be compensated for travel to these events if attending (but it would never be compulsory).
Expected project outcomes: the engagement mentor is a new role, designed to promote greater connections within and between pods, allowing research relationships to flourish. 23Things is a growing project, with unique opportunities for the mentor to contribute to its future shape. This is an opportunity for you to make connections internationally and across disciplines, with potential research publications, as well as developing new skills in mentoring, digital tools, and project management.
At the end of the placement we will ask you to write a short report on your experience to inform future recruitment.
Please email M.Rose@surrey.ac.uk if you are interested in this placement, including a a short statement (max one page) outlining your interest in the role and relevant experience. The successful student will then need to complete a Techne Career Enhancement Activity form.
Deadline: Applications must be submitted by 17th February 2023.
For further details, please contact Mike Rose: M.Rose@surrey.ac.uk
Techne Racial Justice Fellow Partner Placements
Techne has established an ongoing programme of Racial Justice Fellow placements to help address issues of racial justice across the Techne community. As a Techne community it is vital we ensure support for global majority students and students of colour at all stages of the PhD process; from application, through to experiences and support during the PhD, and then into careers beyond. The Techne community includes a set of proactive partners from across the creative and cultural industries who work with Techne to provide opportunities for knowledge exchange through student placements, training and Collaborative Doctoral Awards (CDAs).
Building on the work of our Racial Justice Fellows a selection of Techne’s partners (The National Archives, The Wellcome Collection, London Metropolitan Archives, Kew, The Natural History Museum and the ICA) have come together to identify the opportunity for a shared programme of Racial Justice Placements to review the current practices and processes across the partner organisations.
Although we encourage applications from global majority students and students of colour, we would like all Techne students who are eligible to consider this opportunity. We will provide additional supervision to support the emotional safety of those undertaking these placements.
We are now recruiting for the third iteration of Racial Justice Placements students. We are looking for up to 4 students that will work on separate projects with a host partner. One student will take on of activities around racial justice with the partner organisations.
For each placement a specific project with the host partner will be agreed. For example:
- Anti-racism and discrimination policies, plans and strategies
- Collections – researching content, exploring context, structure, description and language and guidance on acquisitions, dispersals and repatriation
- Archival research on past programme and institutional practices around racial justice
- Recruitment
- Training
- Pastoral Care and Mental Health; including in relation to engaging with collections
- Education/Outreach team / External Engagement / Community Activity
- Communications, including audience development, audience research, producing inclusive and accessible content.
The host partners for this call are: London Metropolitan Archives, the Natural History Museum, the ICA.
Click here to read the full placement brief, including further details about each partner project, application details and a timeline for the placement. The deadline for applications is 28th February 2023.
Techne – Impacts and Futures - Research Placement
Techne is looking to recruit at least one Techne student to conduct a research project on Techne’s impact on its students, supervisors, all participating and affiliated institutions and organisation and its potential futures.
Techne has been funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council to deliver doctoral training since 2014. It supports outstanding PGRs employing innovative, interdisciplinary and creative approaches to scholarship. In 2023 the Techne team need to deliver an assessment of the impact of Techne since its inception. In 2025, Techne will recruit the final student cohort in this funding round. After this time, if we want to recruit more PhD students we need to apply for further funding. Reflecting on Techne’s successes and potential new directions for development will help us when we apply for this funding.
We are seeking students to work with the Techne Director, Deputy Director and wider team to do the following:
- Design and deliver a research project that collects data
on the impact of Techne on students, supervisors, the research institutions,
and non-academic partners past and present.
This will involve developing a research proposal in response to the data collection needs of the report due in April 2023 and collecting and presenting the data for this report. Methods might include: questionnaires, interviews and focus groups, as well as potentially more creative methods with three goals: i) assess the cohort-wide impacts of Techne, ii) detail individual stories about how Techne might have shaped the careers of individuals and the direction of institutions and organisations; iii) collect data on future directions for arts and humanities research PhDs. These processes will require ethical approval and risk assessments. - Contribute data and writing to the official reports on
Techne and its impacts due in April 2023
and September 2023 and other potential outputs.
The primary goals of the placement(s) will be to collect and present data for the April 2023 report, and to inform the application for future Techne funding. There may be scope to publish the data as part of wider research and discussion around doctoral education.
Skills and experienced gained will include:
- The design, development and completion of a brief-driven short-term research project, akin to research consultancy work
- Team-work including collaboration around output production
- Data presentation and report writing
- Research skills that might complement those used in doctoral research
The placements are subject to the standard eligibility and practice of terms of the Techne placement/ career enhancement scheme. They will come with funding stipend and extension, and can be held for up to six months. The role will involve working with the Techne team, and will be line managed by the Director, and will require the delivery of the data needed for the report by April 2023, but other aspects of the placement may continue after this time.
Any questions about this role please email techne@rhul.ac.uk
To apply for these placements please complete the Study Support and Work Placement Application (Techne 1 students – funding started before 2019) or Career Enhancement Application (Techne 2 students – funding started in 2019 onwards). email a max. 300 word statement on why you are interested in the role and confirm that you have the support of your supervisor. Please submit this to Techne by the deadline of 26th January 2023.
Zaha Hadid Foundation Placement
The Zaha Hadid Foundation (ZHF) is offering two placements of 6 months to Techne students to extend or complement their area of research, and to support the development of their skills and experience working with archives and collections. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the early development of a new research organization and to engage in collaborative research leading to significant public engagement.
ZHF is based in London, and the students are expected to work primarily at the Foundation’s research headquarters in Clerkenwell, with some time being spent at our collections’ facility in Shad Thames. The project may also require occasional visits to other specialist archives and libraries In London for research purposes. The work will contribute to a large-scale exhibition research project in 2025, as well as feed directly our ongoing work into the history of Zaha Hadid’s practice and the documentation of our extensive collections. The work can be undertaken on a full or part-time basis, with the expectation of a minimum 2 days a week. The Foundation will cover all appropriate expenses in support of this work.
Operational since early 2022, the Zaha Hadid Foundation is dedicated to the work and artistic legacy of Zaha Hadid (1950-2016), to the advancement of research and education in areas pertaining to both, and to areas in architecture, design, and related disciplines that reflect her creative spirit. The collection comprises c.12,000 works across a range of media, including architectural models, plans and blue-prints, drawings, furniture, interior design, paintings, fashion design, and jewellery. Additionally, there is a considerable archive, consisting of works on paper and various types of ephemera, and a research library. Work has begun to produce a publicly accessible and searchable database which will support research projects, loans, and exhibitions. A major retrospective exhibition is being staged in 2025 (followed by international tour) and our research is focussed primarily on this at present. More information on ZHF can be found here www.zhfoundation.com.
The placements will support the work of the research and curatorial team in the following ways:
- - object-based research into Hadid’s architectural and design projects
- - oral history (through interview and questionnaire) into the history of Zaha Hadid, her practice and her networks
- - bibliographic research in support of the exhibition project
- - research documentation
Students will be provided with appropriate training, support and supervision during the project and will work as part of the research and curatorial team, led by ZHF’s Head of Research and Learning. Whilst prior research knowledge of Zaha Hadid is not a requirement for the placements, applicants should outline their experience and aptitude in the following areas:
- - collections-based and archival research methods
- - bibliographic research methods
- - oral history research methods
- - knowledge of modern and contemporary architecture and design in a UK and global context
- - use of appropriate digital tools to support research and documentation
- - any additional area of complementary knowledge related to Hadid’s life and work, for instance her Arab/Iraqi heritage and influences; architectural training, pedagogy and professional practice in the period c.1970-2020; the history of computer-aided design in relation to architecture; gender and ethnicity in architectural practice and history.
If you would like to discuss this placement opportunity, please email Professor Jane Pavitt, ZHF Head of Research and Learning at jane@zhfoundation.com. To apply, please send a CV (with at least one named academic referee) and statement of no more than 2 pages outlining the above by 12pm 26th January. Please indicate if you are registered full or part-time. It is expected the placements will begin in February 2023.
Mimosa House Placement
Curatorial Assistant Placement for 3 months to start but may be extended to 6 months
Location: Mimosa House, 47 Theobalds Road, London, WC1X 8SP
Mimosa House is a young and independent, non-profit art space in central London, dedicated to supporting experimentation, collaboration, and dialogue between intergenerational female and queer artists, and their audiences. Our aim is to create a safe and empowering space which embraces inclusivity and sensitivity, the fluidity of identity and the need for change.
We are currently working on a major survey show ‘transfeminisms’, to take place from Autumn 2023 for 9 months. With 6 curators and over 60 artists, all from different generations and geographies, this will be our most ambitious exhibition to date, and will explore a multiplicity of urgent, pressing, and ongoing issues faced by women, queer and trans people across the globe. The exhibition will be accompanied by significant programming, e.g., artist talks, poetry readings, performances, film screenings, reading groups, panels, and an exhibition catalogue will be published.
As an organisation invested in feminist, queer and decolonial community building, we are also constantly looking to expand our artistic programme to wider audiences, and those that might otherwise be excluded from contemporary arts spaces. In doing this, we are particularly keen to create spaces which centre local women and queer people, particularly BPOC* women and queer people.
The curatorial assistant placement would support our small team in the production of the transfeminisms exhibition, as well as its public programme. Reporting directly to the Director and Gallery Manager, they would undertake a variety of curatorial and administrative tasks including exhibition research, contributing to fundraising strategy, events planning; managing contacts and correspondence; assisting with the coordination of publications, interpretative materials, and exhibition documentation; writing and editing exhibition-related copy; and registrarial activities.
In addition, they would have the opportunity to input on our ongoing outreach strategy and activities - particularly the areas of this which pertain to the transfeminisms exhibition. This could involve building on our existing partnerships with community groups and organisations, as well as developing innovative and inclusive methods of reaching new audiences, and engaging them in collaborative projects.
They will be expected to take a hands on roll in the day-to-day operations of the gallery alongside other staff, this could include opening and invigilating exhibitions, greeting visitors and conveying details about the programme to them, as well as other admin tasks involved in running the gallery.
Please direct enquiries to info@mimosahouse.co.uk. The deadline for applications is 31st January 2023.
Other placement opportunities will be added to this page when available.