The School of Law, Politics and Sociology offers Visiting Research Fellowships (VRF). Our Fellowships are open to all scholars who are educated to doctoral level and wish to spend research time in the School, or establish stronger research links with its members. Fellowships can run for any length of time between two weeks and three years (renewable annually). Our Fellowships are open to both national and overseas applicants. There is no deadline for applications.

Who can propose Visiting Research Fellows?

Visiting Research Fellows must be proposed by a member of faculty in the School, who should agree to act as their sponsor for the period of their visit. Fellows can be associated either with a Department, or with one of the School's interdisciplinary Research Centres or with LPS School as a whole.

What are the expectations of Visiting Research Fellows?

The purpose of appointing Visiting Research Fellows is to contribute to the intellectual life of the School. With this in mind, those proposing the appointment of a VRF should agree with the Fellow in advance what outputs are expected from the Fellowship. These would normally include one or more of the following:

• Giving seminars to faculty and students or Guest Lectures within an undergraduate or postgraduate course

• Production of a working paper or equivalent

• Giving advice to, or engaging in knowledge exchange with students, faculty and research staff (e.g. on dissertations, careers, data sources, analytical strategies, policy frameworks etc.)

• Production of a collaborative research proposal with a member of faculty

What the School offers Visiting Research Fellows

The School offers the Fellows a vibrant, interdisciplinary context within which to undertake their planned programme of study or activities. In each semester, the School hosts a variety of stimulating research events including open papers and lectures by external and internal academics, workshops and lunchtime seminars. Fellows must be supported by an academic sponsor who can facilitate their integration into the life of the School.

The Visiting Research Fellows will be provided with a University of Sussex email address. They will be able to use of the library and have access to the online resources. Depending on individual requirement and School availability, Fellows may also be given access to office space and PC. However, please note that office space in the School is in very short supply and cannot be guaranteed. The School’s Assistant Operations Manager will be consulted if office space is requested and we would request as much notice as possible for this. Fellows can also use the Library’s Research Hive (a dedicated area for visiting researchers and doctoral students). Fellows will be able to use any shared desktop computer on campus and can also configure their laptop to access University systems.

Visiting Research Fellowships incur a non-negotiable fee of £200 for up to a one year visit period to cover costs of administration and allocated resources. 

How do I request a Visting Research Fellow appointment?

To request a Visiting Research Fellow appointment, applicants should confer first with the faculty member they are interested in working with, or the Head of the Department or the relevant Research Centre.

Decisions on appointment of  Visiting Research Fellows rest with the Director of Research and Knowledge Exchange and the Head of School. All decisions will be based on the following criteria:

• The anticipated contribution the applicant will make to the School's academic life

• The quality of the proposed project or activity

• The fit between the applicant's interests, and those of the proposer and host centre or Department

• The appropriateness of the proposed outputs

To apply, please email lpsresearch@sussex.ac.uk to obtain the formal application form. You will need to attach the following with the application form:

1. A covering letter with brief description of the research activities you wish to undertake during your visit;
2. Current CV; and
3. Dated letter or email of academic or professional reference.

Please send the application pack via email to lpsresearch@sussex.ac.uk