doctoral program

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CRC Doctoral Program

In recent years the CRC has expanded the depth and breadth of its research through the establishment of its doctoral program. Engaging with a varied range of topics that investigate the construction of architecture culture with a particular emphasis on social, economic, political, and cultural systems, the CRC doctoral program aims to develop new critical positions on architecture through advanced research and exhibitions, expanding conventional territories for academic architectural scholarship and purposefully engaging both academia and the broader public.

The current cohort of doctoral researchers is investigating a variety of issues, from the changing nature of archives to the exhibition practices of particular institutions and individuals, from the emergence of museological practices to the cultural and architectural influence of particular corporations.

Open Call

Every year, the Curatorial Research Collective (CRC) invites new doctoral research proposals that further investigate the construction of architecture culture, with a particular emphasis on social, economic, political, and cultural systems.

With every Open Call, we continue to expand our investigation of architecture culture through doctoral research projects that either question the work of the formal and informal institutions shaping architecture culture (such as museums, archives, centers, groups, movements, …), or probe initiatives that occupy the intersection of architecture and society (such as exhibitions, biennales and triennales, books, journals, public discussions and programs, support policies, new media, …), or any other pressing issue that has shaped architecture culture. Furthermore, we invite innovative proposals that productively collide theory and practice, particularly those that reveal rather than smooth the breaks, difficulties, tensions, and discontinuities within architecture culture, in both its historical and contemporary condition.

Calls for doctoral research proposals are open every year, usually being launched at the start of the calendar year with a submission deadline a few months later, in early April. Select applicants are expected to begin their research by the start of the following academic year, that is, in September.

REQUIREMENTS

To be eligible, applicants must have previously completed a Master degree (or will have completed by the time the doctoral research is to be initiated) and provide evidence of distinguished academic work either in architecture (or its related fields) or in the intended research topic. Applicants must also provide proof of an excellent command of both spoken and written English.

Applications will be assessed on the basis of the quality of the applicant, the quality, originality and potential impact of the proposed research, as well as how these fit within the Curatorial Research Collective stated goals.

While TU Eindhoven does not provide direct financial support (and candidates must demonstrate their ability to support themselves during the period of their PhD research), the Curatorial Research Collective may assist applicants in securing individual grants or fellowships.

Position

Upon acceptance, doctoral research will begin at the start of the following academic year with a nine-month trial period. Upon this period, the candidate will present his/her work to a review panel tasked with assessing the quality and rigor of the work developed thus far and the candidate’s plans for the following three and a half years of research (the entire doctoral research is expected to be completed within four to four and a half years).

Accepted PhD candidates will conduct advanced independent research on their topic supported by a daily supervisor as well as other members of the Curatorial Research Collective and the Chair of Architecture History and Theory. PhD candidates are expected (and supported) to present their research and results through journal and magazine articles, conference papers, as well as public symposia and exhibitions. Opportunities for teaching research seminars and studios might be available for advanced candidates.

RESEARCHING remotely

Starting from 2021, it will be possible to follow the CRC doctoral program either in Eindhoven or remotely (with supervision being conducted via online platforms). While this choice is at the discretion of each applicant, it is important to note that remote candidates will be required to travel to Eindhoven twice a year to participate in intensive workshops, present their work and develop collective projects, as well as to fulfill the University’s various formal requirements for doctoral degrees. These week-long stays in Eindhoven will take place every six months.

For the academic year of 2024-25, these have been scheduled for:

January 13-17, 2025

June 16-21, 2025