Academic visitor applications

The Department of Philosophy offers excellent research opportunities in an array of areas within philosophy.

Our research community

The Philosophy Department at the University of Sheffield welcomes applications from visiting scholars working in any area of philosophy. We also welcome inquiries about potential postdoctoral research applications. In recent years we have hosted visitors from China, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, United States, Denmark and Turkey. Some visitors come for short visits of a few days or weeks, others visit for a full semester or a year. All visitors are welcome to participate fully in the life of the department, including attending reading groups, departmental seminars, workshops and conferences, and other events.

Facilities

The School is based in 45 Victoria Street at the heart of the University campus, just a short walk from the university's two main libraries: the Information Commons and Western Bank.

The University Library subscribes to the major databases and peer-reviewed journals, and there is a regular free minibus to the British Library’s depository at Boston Spa. We also have strong links with Sheffield’s museums and theatres, contacts which we use in our research and teaching.

As an Academic Visitor, you will have full access to the University Library, computing services and other University facilities. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide office space specifically for Academic Visitors, however quiet workspaces are available in the Information Commons, the Diamond and Western Bank Library.

Accommodation

Finding accommodation is the responsibility of the individual Academic Visitor and it is recommended you view the University’s Accommodation Services webpages for further guidance. Please note that, whilst at the University, you would be classed as Visiting Staff and would need to pay the Council Tax for private housing.

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Recent visitors

Dr. Júlia Martín Badia

Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain

Visiting May 2022 - November 2022

My academic background in philosophy and applied ethics led me to develop a PhD on defining a community-based accompaniment model to foster autonomy (self-care capabilities) in adolescent patients. Following this thesis, and as a member of the Barcelona Science and Technology Studies Research Group from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, I started a postdoctoral research project entitled “Using AI and robotic technologies to empower adolescents in the healthcare field”. 

Within this project, I came as an academic visitor at both the University of Sheffield and the NIHR Children and Young People MedTech Cooperative. Once here, Professor Christopher Bennett helped me to develop a sound theoretical framework and Nathaniel Mills and Dr. Gemma Wheeler (NIHR CYP MedTech) helped me to ground my ideas through gaining practical experience by visiting some labs from Sheffield Robotics. 

After my visit to Sheffield, I narrowed my initial research project into “Using social robots to foster autonomy in adolescents with ASD”. You will see the results of my research, including interviews with multidisciplinary experts from Sheffield and Spain, in a poster that will be displayed next 8^th and 9^th November in the Child Health Technology Conference 2023.

Prof. Yuxin Luo

Heilongjiang East University, China

Visiting November 2017 - November 2018

Majoring in English Linguistics, I spent most of my teaching days in the research of Cognitive Linguistics and have already been keen on English Language Philosophy based on the theories of Lakoff. G and Langacker. I believe that Linguistics and Philosophy correlated with each other by way of human behaviors and psychological evolution, and philosophy could throw more light on the research of linguistics and ignite lifelong learning.

During my stay in the Philosophy Department, my research interests turn primarily to the philosophy of mind and psychology. And with the help of Prof. Stephen Laurence, who is knowledgeable and ingenious, I quickly found myself indulged in a much more enjoyable academic atmosphere. The on-class discussion and the time with the members of each reading group not only sparkle wisdom and thoughts, but also predict the mutual beneficial communication between eastern and western culture.

Dr. Zhao Kai

Heilongjiang University, China

Visiting November 2017 - November 2018

I have come to the Philosophy Department of the University of Sheffield to further the research of Language Philosophy, especially Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s linguistic phenomenology under the supervision of Dr. Komarine Romdenh-Romluc, who is specialized in Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology. The Philosophy Department is famous for its world-leading staff, rigorous academic atmosphere, diversified research areas and interdisciplinary programs.

During my first several months at the Philosophy Department, I am deeply impressed by Dr. Komarine’s wide-range and solid-founded knowledge and her dedication to the academic research. What’s more, the seminars organized by the department give me a lot of inspiration and spark my enthusiasm for interdisciplinary research. I believe that the one-year visiting experience must be productive and fruitful.

Dr Cecilea Mun

Visited July - October 2017

During my tenure as an academic visitor with the Department of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield, I worked on my monograph on the interdisciplinary foundations for the science of emotion, my edited collection on shame, and continued my work as the founding president of the Society for Philosophy of Emotion and the founding editor for the Journal of Philosophy of Emotion, which included an NEH grant proposal on emotions and biases.

I also had the opportunity to take advantage of the University’s generous resources, attended various conferences and events, including the 2017 Ideas Bazaar, and became friends with a number of students, scholars, and members of the community.

Throughout my experience at Sheffield, I have come to greatly admire and appreciate both the Department and the University for their sincere interest in and desire to help those for whom they do the work that they do.

Finally, I am excited about the future possibility of working with members of the Philosophy Department and the Sheffield community on a project about emotions, biases, and democracy for the 2018 Sheffield Festival of Mind, which was made possible by my participation in the Ideas Bazaar.