Architecture PhD Spring and Summer School

Università della Svizzera italiana & University of Liechtenstein

18.04.24-20.04.24, Vaduz (Liechtenstein) 
01.07.24-05.07.24, Airolo (Switzerland) 

As the world is faced with increasing challenges of climate change, resource extraction and social inequalities, architecture advances as an academic discipline. An increasing number of architects and urbanists not only integrate values of sustainable and resilient development into their work but advance their research skills by conducting PhD projects and thereby contribute to the scientific evolution of a field that is directly working on finding solutions to the multiple overlapping crises our world faces today. While in the past PhDs in architecture have been quite the exception, in contemporary times we are witnessing a scientific turn in architectural studies, which corresponds to a design turn in the social sciences. 

Conceiving, structuring and implementing a long-term research project is an important challenge for every young scholar. While students from other disciplines receive training in reading and writing during their studies, architecture PhD candidates often have developed other creative and design skills but find the exercise of writing a thesis even more difficult. Working together with peers can be an invaluable source of inspiration to solve the challenges that pop up along the way, enhance the endurance that is necessary to conduct such large project and improve one’s own problem-solving skills by helping others solving their problems.  

The architecture faculties of the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) and the Universität Liechtenstein (UNILI) are implementing a joint PhD residential workshop that aims to help young scholars in developing their professional network, to train their skills to approach the writing of a thesis in a systematic way, to sharpen their critical thinking and to expand their methodological perspectives. 

The first edition of the residential workshop will be organised around two stages: a 3-day spring preparatory stay at the Universität Liechtenstein and a 5-day summer stay at the Università della Svizzera italiana. This structure is aimed at giving the PhD candidates ample time to articulate their projects and formulate the challenges they are facing.  

The spring and summer school will include training session, discussion events on specific aspects of a doctoral thesis, opportunities to present one's own work or the problems one is tackling, time to work and, of course, moments of conviviality. 

• We offer 6 places for UniLi PhD students and 10 places for USI PhD students. People who will participate to both stays will be given priority. 
• Inscription fees: chf 50.-
• The residential workshop will cover the accommodation costs, but not the food nor the travel costs. 
• Deadline for inscription: 01 march 2024 
• For information and registration write to [email protected] and [email protected]

Organised by: M. Cometta, PhD (ISUP, USI); J. Herburger, PhD (UniLi); N. Levin, PhD (ISUP, USI); G. Scotto, PhD (ISUP, USI)