Visiting Scholars

The Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences welcomes applications from academics and practitioners to its Visiting Scholars Programme. Visitors will have the opportunity to be involved in some of the activities within the department and are encouraged to contribute to the department's research environment. Amongst the benefits, the visitor will be entitled to make use of the University's research facilities and libraries, in addition to attending seminars, lectures and other academic events.

Application Process

If you wish to come to the Department of Sport & Exercise Sciences as a Visiting Academic you need to:

• Provide an up-to-date CV
• A statement on how you will contribute to research in the department
• Have written support from an identified academic sponsor (a member of academic staff) in the Department
• Make sure that you have enough funds to pay your bench fees (see below) and support yourself whilst in Durham

Applications must be submitted to ses.researchadmin@durham.ac.uk. Once the application is received, details will be forwarded to the Director of Research who will either refer the application to a full Research Committee meeting or take Chair’s action. One of three decisions will then be taken:

1. To decline the application
2. To approve the application as requested
3. To approve the application subject to negotiation

Please note that letters of invitation will only be issued once the decision by the Research Committee or the Director of Research has been taken. Compliance with recent changes to immigration regulations require us to adhere to this. The department will not sign any contracts or enter into any agreements with either visitors or their institutions.

Important: It is the Visiting Academic's responsibility to deal with immigration, visas, accommodation and family issues.

This scheme is not available to PhD researchers, and if you are currently a postgraduate research student, please visit our information for Visiting Research Students.

Bench Fees

The Department charges a bench fee to cover the basic costs of access to the University and Department facilities as follows:

£400 per month inclusive of V.A.T. (or pro-rata per week).

The bench fee covers the following:

• A University campus card
• Reasonable use of stationery, postage and faxing
• Internal and local telephone calls from the Department
• IT facilities, photocopying and printing in the Department
• Departmental University library facilities
• Permission to attend lectures and seminars run by the Department of Sport & Exercise Sciences (by arrangement)
• Permission to join in the activities of the various discussion groups that are active during term time (by arrangement)
• The visitor is also welcome to attend other talks, lectures and events as appropriate
• Visiting academics may identify themselves as 'Visiting Scholar, Sport and Exercise Sciences' during their visit. Prospective visitors who wish to identify as Visiting Professors should follow the conferment of honorary or visiting titles policy

The bench fee does not cover:

• Housing and subsistence
• Laboratory consumables costs
• Equipment costs
• Field research costs
• Long distance and overseas telephone calls from the Department
• Use of a workstation (you are advised to bring your own laptop)

Durham University provides wireless access points throughout the department and the centre of Durham, to which visitors will have access. Visitors are therefore welcome to bring their own laptops with them, but must be aware that all laptops must have suitable and regularly updated anti-virus software, and must have up-to-date critical updates for Windows. Macintosh computers are also supported by the University’s IT department.

Duration

Visiting Academics may be based at Durham for a period from a month to a year. Applicants are strongly encouraged to plan their stay to cover at least part of an academic term, in order to maximise their exposure to the research community in the department.

Reporting

At the end of their stay, visitors will be asked to provide a short report, providing a brief account of any research or other activities undertaken and how they have contributed to the department during their stay.

In addition, the Department of Sport & Exercise Sciences requests that any visitors who uses their visit for research purposes, and subsequently publishes material arising from this research, send the department a copy or off-print of any book, article or any other publication which results.