Academic visitors are welcomed into the department’s research and teaching community and are offered full library and IT access during the period of fellowship. Visitors have access to office space in the department if required. This is not available full time and may need to be shared. Visiting academics are unfunded positions, and the department does not reimburse visitors’ research, travel or accommodation expenses.
Academic visitors are expected to make a contribution to the teaching, research and intellectual life of the department. Depending on the length of appointment, level of experience, and departmental academic year rhythm, this may include the following:
- Presenting research in the department’s research seminar series.
- Engaging with our PhD cohort, for example by participating in the Doctoral Workshop or offering a mentoring session to our PhD candidates.
- Contributing to a session for MSc students, for example by offering a masterclass in the visitor’s area of expertise.
- Participating in research development by collaborating with faculty on new research initiatives, reading and commenting on work in progress, or reviewing research output.
Visitors are asked to provide their ORCHID ID and to list the ‘London School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street, London, UK’ as one of their affiliations on publications emerging from research undertaken during their time in the department.
All visitors are invited to provide a photograph and short biography for the department’s People Page, in addition to a brief interview for our Meet the Researcher series.
See our list of current Visiting Scholars.
If you would like to visit as a PhD student, you can apply via our Visiting Research Student programme.
If you are interested in applying to visit the Department of Gender Studies in any of the visiting categories, please review our faculty and their research interests to find a suitable sponsor for your visit.
Email your application to gender.research@lse.ac.uk. The application should contain:
- A full academic CV.
- An outline of the programme of work you wish to undertake during your visit, situating your work in relation to that of the department's faculty or research programmes.
- Your preferred dates of visit.
We consider new applications twice a year in May and October. The next deadline for applications is 16 May 2025.
Thereafter our Research Committee, representing all our interdisciplinary interests, will meet to consider all applications for places from all visiting academics and will recommend affiliation to the School on the basis that a member of faculty will 'sponsor' the applicant. The offer of a visiting fellowship will come from the School itself and is subject to internal deadlines, so please apply well in advance of your intended visit.
Please note that the Research Committee panel reviews applications during specified times following the deadlines listed above. Applications submitted late will not be considered until the next meeting, except in exceptional circumstances.
Once approved by the Committee, applications then have to be submitted to the School for confirmation. The process can take several months, and we therefore advise prospective visitors to apply well before they intend to come.
Applicants can apply under one of the following schemes, which grant status to individuals from outside the School associated with School departments, Institutes or Centres.
Visiting Fellows
The Visiting Fellow Scheme is aimed at scholars (pre-Major Review equivalent/or early post-doctoral status), persons/practitioners of equivalent standing in an appropriate profession/occupation, and researchers in the early stages of their career. The status of Visiting Fellow given to those intending to seek external research, is in itself non contractual and unremunerated, and confers no special privileges, excepting those usually granted to Visiting Fellows. Please note postdoctoral fellows must have already been awarded their doctorate at the time of application. Visiting Fellow visits are usually for one term.
Visiting Senior Fellows
The Visiting Senior Fellow Scheme is aimed at scholars who are of Lecturer (post-Major Review equivalent), Senior Lecturer, or Reader level, and professionals at a broadly comparable level in their profession. The title of Visiting Senior Fellow is given to individuals from outside the School associated with School Departments/Institutes/Centres. The status is intended to apply to scholars who have already published work of distinction, as well as recognising the contribution from those in government service, in professional practice, in the private sector, or in other appropriate fields, to research and other Departmental/Institute/Centre activities. Visiting Senior Fellows visits are usually for one term.
Visiting Professors
The School may confer the title of Visiting Professor for a defined but renewable period on persons of appropriate distinction whose connections with the School are appropriate to the visiting title. It includes individuals with a non-academic background who may have achieved prominence in public life, or who have attained distinction in their profession.
LSE 100 Fellows
This scheme is only open to teachers on the LSE100 course. Applicants should apply via the department as detailed above.