PhD opportunity: Idea Transformer A History of Curatorial Innovation at Tate Modern

The successful candidate will be expected begin the studentship on 1 October 2023 on either a full-time or part-time basis and will be required to spend time at both RCA and Tate Modern, gaining access to resources and services across the two institutions. They will be part of a wider cohort of CDP funded students across the UK.

Project summary

This PhD studentship will investigate Tate Modern’s curatorial models and their histories. We invite proposals that interrogate notions of transhistoricity, transnationality and transmediality through and beyond the evolution of Tate Modern’s collection displays.

Applicants should identify a particular focus, approach and/or range of areas of curatorial practice to be researched. These may include, but are not limited to, the ways in which displays have related and responded to shifting acquisition strategies and to the wider programmes of exhibitions, commissions, learning activities etc., the critical responses they have elicited over the years, connected strategies of knowledge dissemination through interpretation and research initiatives, and how they compare to those of other Tate sites or similar collecting institutions.

We are open to developing the research project with the candidate, with an understanding that a ‘complete’ history of Tate Modern would be beyond the scope of a single doctorate, and welcome focused proposals that seek to address current issues facing curatorial practice through the analysis of an area of the Tate Modern’s dense and layered history.

The project will be co-supervised by Dr Ben Cranfield (Senior Tutor, Curating Contemporary Art MA) and Valentina Ravaglia (Curator, Displays and International Art, Tate Modern).

Benefits and opportunities

The successful candidate will be hosted by the School of Arts & Humanities at RCA. The Royal College of Art is a world-leading postgraduate university and is ranked the most research-intensive university of art and design in the UK since 2014. The School of Arts and Humanities has a thriving interdisciplinary PhD community of researchers across the spectrum of art and writing practice, art and design history and theory, curating and criticism.

The successful candidate will benefit from a wide-range of research activity across the School and College, including the School’s Post-Graduate Research Groups and the College’s termly Doctoral Training Programme.

At Tate, you will join our community of doctoral researchers, benefitting from staff-level access to Tate’s collection, resources and events. You will be embedded within Tate Modern’s Curatorial department and will develop an advanced understanding of the development, delivery and management of curatorial programmes, particularly collection displays.

You will also have the opportunity to engage in a minimum of 3–6 months’ professional development, allowing you to nurture your career, gain transferable skills and expand practical knowledge alongside your studies. Throughout the PhD, you will also have the opportunity to engage in networking and events with Tate and the wider network of museums, galleries and heritage organisations affiliated with the AHRC CDP scheme as part of the CDP Cohort Development programme.

Funding information

This doctoral training grant is funded through the AHRC’s Collaborative Doctoral Partnership (CDP) scheme, which offers doctoral studentships as part of a collaboration between a Higher Education Institution and an organisation in the museums, libraries, archives and heritage sector. The studentship is fully funded for 45 months (3.75 years) or part-time equivalent, with the possibility of being extended for an additional 3 months to cover professional development opportunities.

Through the doctoral grant held by the RCA, tuition fees will be paid up to the value of the full-time home UKRI rate for PhD degrees – Research Councils UK Indicative Fee Level for 2023/24 is £4,596. Both home and international students will receive a maintenance stipend at the standard UKRI London rate of at least £20,218 which includes the following annual provisions: £17,668 stipend (stipend rates for 2023/24 are being finalised by UKRI), £2,000 London weighting and a £550 CDA maintenance payment. In addition, Tate will cover agreed research-related expenses of up to £1,000 per year (or £500 for part-time students) incurred by the student.

Eligibility and how to apply

To apply for this studentship, you must submit an online application to the PhD in Arts and Humanities via the RCA’s admission’s porthole by Friday 16 June 2023. Please title your proposal clearly ‘Tate RCA CDA Studentship: Idea Transformer’.

For the application process we require a proposal, a portfolio of work and a short video setting out your ideas. Please refer to the RCA’s application process webpages here for more information on making an application.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a virtual interview in the week beginning 10 July 2023.

• We are keen to encourage applications from a wide range of candidates with suitable qualifications and/or experience. Applicants should ideally have or expect to receive a relevant Masters-level qualification in a relevant discipline, such as museum studies, art and exhibition histories, curating, arts management and sociology in connection to the arts and the cultural sector.
• We also welcome applicants who can demonstrate equivalent experience which might include, but is not restricted to, a strong track record of employment in a museum, non-commercial art gallery or comparable cultural institution.
• Applicants should demonstrate an interest in and enthusiasm for developing their skills in the museum sector or curatorial studies/practice.
• The RCA is committed to promoting equality and diversity in its application processes. See RCA’s Equality and Diversity Policy and Statement for further details.
• This studentship is open to both Home and International applicants. To be classed as a Home student, candidates must meet the following criteria:
  • Be a UK national (meeting residency requirements), or
  • Have settled status, or
  • Have pre-settled status (meeting residency requirements), or
  • Have indefinite leave to remain or enter
  • Download the full guidance (PDF)
• Please note: all applicants must meet UKRI terms and conditions for funding.

Informal enquiries

If you are interested in applying, you are welcome to contact Dr Ben Cranfield ben.cranfield@rca.ac.uk and Valentina Ravaglia valentina.ravaglia@tate.org.uk for an informal discussion about this opportunity.