Techne Collaborative Doctoral Award (CDA) Studentship - ‘Listening in from the Museum’. With the Science Museum.

Listening in from the Museum

Royal Holloway, University of London and the Science Museum Group (SMG)are delighted to announce a call for applicants for a fully funded collaborative doctoral studentship from September 2024, under the AHRC’s Collaborative Doctoral Award scheme funded by Techne.

The successful applicant will work with specialists from Royal Holloway and the Science Museum and will contribute to the expanding field of museum sound scholarship. The project will address how listening is facilitated in a museum context through an interdisciplinary combination of practice-led and scholarly research on exhibitions hosted by the Science Museum Group. Focussed on a range of major forthcoming projects around space, as well as related public programmes, the project offers rich potential for practical investigations into a range of approaches to sonic curation in a mainstream institutional context.

We encourage the widest range of potential students to apply for this studentship and are committed to welcoming students from non-standard pathways.

Research aims 

Broadly, the project examines how immersive, interactive, and experiential sound practices can augment visitor experience in museum contexts. The precise questions that the project will address will be developed with the student but will cover: 

• How can the specific challenges of presenting extra-terrestrial sound be overcome? How can sound technologies contribute to ideas of space as a site of human occupation?
• What can sound achieve in museums? How are audio technologies currently being used and what developments are on the horizon? How might new practices enhance or threaten accessibility?
• What sonic content or technologies are effective? What methods of evaluation of sonic curation exist? How can they inform future practice?

The candidate

The ideal candidate would have a good degree and have a Masters qualification in music, music technology, sound studies or a related subject, or equivalent professional experience. They would have experience of working with sound practically as well as an understanding of the theoretical territory. The ability to effectively communicate in writing and in person to both specialist and non-specialist audiences is also key. Specific essential skills include practical experience of spatial and locational audio software and hardware, which could include, for example, binaural headphone work or multi-channel audio systems. Desirable experience includes curation and exhibition work in either artistic or heritage contexts. This could include, for example, gallery exhibitions or installation projects. The candidate should also be able to demonstrate that they have the capacity to organise and manage creative events for public audiences.

The successful applicant will have the opportunity to be embedded with the Science Museum, developing curatorial and technical skills alongside academic capabilities. The project will be supervised by Dr Tom Parkinson (Senior Lecturer in Digital Composition), Dr Georgina Guy (Senior Lecturer in Theatre and Performance); and, at the SMG, by Dr Scott Anthony (Deputy Head of Research and Public History) and Doug Millard (Deputy Keeper of Technologies and Engineering).

Applications should include:

• Personal Statement (max. 1500 words) explaining why you are interested in researching this topic, including what you would bring to the project and how you think you would take it forward.
• Your CV
• A sample of academic writing (e.g. a BA or MA dissertation) and/or links to examples of practical work.
• Passport
• Qualification Transcript/Certificates
• Two references 

Informal enquiries regarding this studentship should be directed to Dr Tom Parkinson [email protected]  

Interviews end January 2024.