Course summary

The topic of your PhD at the Lancaster School of Architecture can be drawn from of a wide range of topics within architecture and the built environment and we actively welcome interdisciplinary PhD subjects. As a PhD student, you will normally be supervised by two experienced staff members, one of whom will be in the School of Architecture and will be an expert in your academic field. Frequently, a second supervisor will be selected from a different discipline, depending upon your chosen subject focus. Your supervisory team is selected to give the best possible academic support for your topic and hence each supervisory team is as individual as you are. During the period of your doctoral studies, your supervisory team will be there to provide structured guidance, advice, support and encouragement through regular supervisory meetings. In the past our team has supervised PhD projects on the growth of spontaneous, informal settlements; using tracking sensors to measure interaction dynamics in the workplace; people’s cognition and experience of urban environments; using eye-tracking to understand the effect of visual stimuli on how we move through cities; the relationship between urban design and electric vehicle infrastructure; the effect of the spatial layout of museums and galleries on memory and attention; the use of a smart phone, game environment, to investigate the effect of landmarks in city design. As a PhD student based in the Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts (LICA) and part of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), you will be part of a multidisciplinary community of research students, able to participate in seminars, reading groups, conferences, and research training courses. We also offer opportunities to study for a certificate in higher education teaching. We encourage you to contact the LICA postgraduate coordinator or any member of the architecture staff team to discuss your ideas for PhD research. We run regular events featuring talks and discussion with leading experts on the theme of Technology, Environment and Architecture (TEA talks!).