Call for Applications (2025)-Please see link for additional application requirements

International Fellow Application Eligibility 

Applications are invited to the USF’s International Fellowships for urban scholars from the Global South. Each award will cover the cost of a visiting sabbatical period at a host university of the candidate’s choice, for the purpose of writing-up the candidate’s existing research findings in the form of publishable articles, book chapters, and/or books. The proposed work should be completed under the guidance of a chosen Mentor in the candidate’s field of study. Funding is available for a period ranging between three and nine months, and eligible research may cover any urban studies theme pertinent to a better understanding of urban realities within and across the Global South.

The scheme is intended to serve the USF’s over-arching strategic mission to advance global urban studies. Supporting over seventy Fellows from over twenty countries, the scheme has also contributed enormously to the USF’s goals of supporting early-career researchers, strengthening scholarship of the Global South, fostering collaboration, and developing excellent urban research. Through promoting the global exchange and mobility of both individuals and ideas, the scheme also aims to intervene in the production of knowledge in a manner that both champions epistemic justice and elevates new understandings of diverse global realities. In the longer-term, the scheme works towards cultivating the research leadership and capacities of tomorrow.

Beyond supporting the Fellow in achieving their published outputs, the USF expects that prospective Mentors and host organisations should be capably invested in contributing to these wider outcomes and impact of the International Fellowship scheme. This includes demonstrating the value-added by the Mentor and host both during and after the Fellowship period, which must include the provision of a stable and productive working environment for the Fellow during their visit. It should also include integrating the Fellow into relevant research communities and networks, ensuring that long-lasting connections can be built to support future collaboration. It is expected that Fellows should be fully released from any existing obligations and/or responsibilities in order to benefit from the time and space that the Fellowship will provide.

Proposed research outputs must be based on existing and completed primary data collection and analysis, and candidates should be ready to write-up their findings as academic publications. The planned outputs should present a clear connection and novel contribution to any topic within urban studies, including but not limited to: climate, development, ecology, finance, governance, housing, migration, mobility, planning, policy, political economy, public health, social equity, sustainability, transport, and technology. Applicants must be familiar with the wider urban studies discipline (including through relevant publications such as the Urban Studies Journal), and be confident that their scholarship can make a significant contribution to the field. This contribution should also expand theoretical and empirical understanding of the major social, economic, political, and other issues associated with the specific development trajectories of cities in the Global South.

Information about current and previous (see Alumni) International Fellows can be found on the ‘Funding > Grants Awarded‘ section of this website.