Professor Henrik Schoenefeldt

Our current doctoral students are undertaking research across a variety of academic disciplines. This diversity of research subjects reflects the cross-disciplinary character of architectural research, and it also reflect different ways in which architectural research, alongside its contribution to academic scholarship, can make contributions to architecture and planning in practice.

During the autumn and Spring Term, we held weekly PhD seminars. These were conducted in a hybrid mode to increase inclusivity. It enabling those PhD students that were abroad for fieldwork, archival research or industry placements, to take part remotely. These seminars provided a forum for weekly gatherings, during students were able to share and discuss their individual research but also engage in open debates about some of the wider challenges of research in the built environment. These were also joined by personal supervisors as well as other academics from the school. 

This year we took the initiative to give postgraduate research, alongside the research undertaken by academic staff, a more prominent place in the end of year show, and examples of research has also been included in the catalogue for the first time. For this our PhD students formed an organising committee, Previously the focus of the show has been on design work undertaken by architecture students from the BA and MArch. At this year’s show we are giving the Graduate School a dedicated space to make its work more visible. We hope that it will invite new conversations with practitioners and applicants about the role of architecture and planning schools in advancing research, independently or in collaboration with industry or local government. There is the opportunity for practitioners consider the possibility of a part-time PhD, choosing research subjects that are important for their professional development or help to develop a new area of expertise within their firm.