Visitor and Exchange Programmes
"What did I like about my visit? Engagement with world class scholars... everyone had time to talk and I was made to feel very welcome."
Alex Bellamy, Visitor
The Department of Politics and International Relations (DPIR) visitor programme exists to facilitate links and research collaborations with other universities, governments and organisations, both in the UK and overseas. We welcome visiting academic and practitioners and outstanding doctoral students who wish to benefit from Oxford’s vibrant research culture and contribute to the activity of the department.
Our collaboration with Sciences Po through the OxPo (Oxford-Sciences Po Network) facilitates various academic and student exchanges. These opportunities are advertised at the beginning of each calendar year.
Each round of visitor and exchange programme applications will be listed on this page, below.
Visiting Research Centres
The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism offers journalism and visiting fellowships.
Additionally, if your field of research is aligned with the research agenda of either of DPIR's research centres below, and you would like to work within the unit as a visitor, please contact the relevant centre administrator in the first instance, who will be able to confirm if the centre is willing to host you.
Visitor experience
Oxford is a world class institution, and the Department of Politics and International Relations is a leader in the field, combining strength across all the major sub-disciplines, geographical coverage and intellectual pluralism with an excellent research environment.
Each Academic or Practitioner Visitor has an academic host who will supply a letter of support as part of your application; provide advice on collaborations, events and other research activities; and introduce the visitor to relevant members of staff and other contacts.
Each Student Visitor will have an Academic Mentor who will be the main point of contact for the student, meeting twice termly and actively involving the student in the work of the department. The Mentor will provide advice on events and other research activities and introduce the visitor to relevant members of staff and other contacts, but will not provide formal academic supervision.
Academic visitors have the opportunity to contribute to a wide range of department activities during their stay. This may involve collaborating on a research project, organising an event, authoring or co-authoring a research paper or working paper, developing a research proposal for external funding or assisting a research centre in developing networks. Visitors are asked to provide an account of their activities within the department at the end of their stay.
Student Visitors have the opportunity to get involved with a wide range of department activity during their time in Oxford. They may wish to engage with researchers in their field, perhaps in association with a DPIR research centre or programme; attend events such as open seminars, workshops and informal gatherings; or assist a research centre in developing networks. They will also be able to access Oxford’s world-class library resources during their stay. We ask Student Visitors to provide an account of their activities within the department at the end of their stay, which will be received by the Head of Department and the Director of Research. We will also ask the Academic Mentor to provide feedback on the success and productivity of student’s visit.
In addition to the support of an academic (via a host or mentor), visitors will be provided with:
- a University card,
- University email,
- access to library and printing services
- and a workspace with IT facilities in the department (where possible, may be in our open-plan area).
Visitors are welcome to attend seminars and guest speaker events throughout the University (we regret, however, that visitors cannot attend course-specific classes).
All visitors are allowed to join one of the research networks in the Department once they have arrived if they are interested in doing so.
The timing of visits is an important consideration, as the atmosphere of the department changes across the academic year.
Applicants are advised to time their visit to coincide with one of Oxford’s three terms, as colleagues are more likely to be available during these times, and visitors who wish to participate in a full calendar of events and other similar research activities should aim to visit in Michaelmas or Hilary terms.
Conversely, if looking for a quieter working environment, you may prefer to visit in Trinity term or the long summer vacation.
Current visitor and exchange opportunities
Associate Members
Those wishing to apply for associate membership of the department should first read the associate membership policy. All applications are submitted to the Administrative Officer Jason Hussain (jason.hussain@politics.ox.ac.uk) and are discussed at the General Purposes Committee meetings in Week 0 and Week 7 of each term.