Horizons Program

The Horizons program is an intersectional training program designed to expand the conceptual, spatial, and collaborative horizons of graduate researchers' and their future career trajectories.

About the program

Horizons is a doctoral training program, jointly hosted by the Melbourne Centre for Cities and RMIT University's Centre for Urban Research. Over six months selected graduate researchers will developed a suite of skills designed to further their postdoctoral careers, building on intersecting disciplines, campuses, sectors and countries.

Each year a cohort of doctoral researchers from across Melbourne are competitively selected to share their research, knowledge and ideas on working across disciplinary, industry and international intersections.

The Horizons program offers peer-learning opportunities and small group mentoring from high profile academics and urbanists. Participation in the program will involve engagement with internationally focused scholars and organisations, as well as the fostering of critical skills that can inform the development of their own research and equip them in career building. The program has a particular focus on:

• expanding participants' understanding of the modes, possibilities and challenges of engagement across intersecting disciplines, sectors and countries when conducting cities research;
• reviewing the changing landscape of key career development processes for graduate researchers (e.g. overseas fieldwork, conferencing, visiting, joint degrees/supervisions, funding sources, career opportunities beyond academia) and;
• building an inclusive community of practice and exchange that goes beyond one-directional training and expands the support system available for cities researchers to ‘think intersectionally’ across disciplines, sectors and countries.

For 2024, the cohort will be engaging in a series of Masterclasses with esteemed urban scholars and practicioners. Following each session Horizons participants will be developing content collaboratively as part of an emerging urban scholars dialogue piece, to be published in a top-ranking journal following the conclusion of the course. As with previous years, Horizons participants will also be provided wider opportunities to engage with activities across the two Centre's, including as part of the Centre for Cities Annual Symposium.

Horizons Alumni

The Horizons program has been running since 2022! Click here to meet our inaugural cohort of 13 brilliant urban researchers from across the University of Melbourne.

In 2023 we expanded the Horizons program to include doctoral candidates from across metropolitan Melbourne, with our University of Melbourne urban scholars joined by representatives from RMIT University, Victoria University, Monash University, and Zhongnan University of Economics and Law.

Time commitment

The Horizons program is a six-month program running from late May to October.

What does participation involve? 

• 3 hours of in-person attendance at six monthly Masterclass sessions
• 2 hours of independent learning in preparation for each monthly session
• half an hour of reflective writing following each monthly session (including contribution to a collective journal article and optional candidate profiling opportunities)
• Participation in a final full day workshop

All sessions will be run in person at the University of Melbourne's Parkville Campus. It is not a requirement to be present for every session. However, regular participation is expected and candidates should only apply if they are able to attend at least 80% of the program.

There is no cost associated with taking part in the program.

Session details

Participants will attend a closed, Chatham House panel session, provided by esteemed urban scholars and experts, aligned with six monthly themes. In each instance the guests will be provided the opportunity to provide a reading for the group.  Panels will last for an hour, with the opportunity for participants to engage with each guest speaker following the session.

Following an hour lunch break, a two hour bespoke session will be held, which will include: a guided discussion of each of the monthly Masterclass themes with a focus on intersectional, interdisciplinary, and intercultural contexts and; a practical, skill building activity designed to further embed knowledge and understanding of different concepts.

What are the session times?

Sessions will take place on the first Thursday of every month from May to October 2024:

• 11am - 12pm Horizons Masterclass
• 1pm - 3pm Horizons Workshop Session

What topics will be covered?

• Session 1: Career trajectories
• Session 2: Writing portfolios
• Session 3: Grants & research partnerships
• Session 4: Wellbeing & support networks
• Session 5: Conference know-how
• Session 6: Knowledge exchange

How to apply

To be considered for the 2024 academy, please complete this form below by the Monday 22nd of April 2024. Successful applicants will be notified within the following fortnight.

Apply for the 2024 academy

Selection Criteria

Applicants must be enrolled in doctoral studies based in Melbourne, and will ideally have completed their doctoral confirmation process (if relevant). Applications will be reviewed by a selection panel appointed by the Melbourne Centre for Cities, who will assess applicants against the following criteria:

• Does the applicant’s research align with the core aims of the Melbourne Centre for Cities?
• Has the applicant demonstrated ambition and plans that show a clear interest in engaging intersectionally across disciplines, sectors and/or countries in their research?

In determining successful applications, the Centre will seek to bring together a mix of students from a diverse range of disciplines.

Application Process

Applicants are asked to provide the following information via an online form. We strongly recommend that you prepare your answers offline (in Microsoft Word or similar) and save a copy for your own records.

• Name, faculty and contact information
• Thesis title or summation of core research project
• Research progress and expected completion date / project timeline
• Principal supervisor's name and contact information / Head of School or Department
• Research Summary: Please provide a brief summary of your research and key research questions (up to 200 words)
• Briefly outline how your research topic aligns with the aims of the Melbourne Centre for Cities (up to 200 words)
• How do you expect your participation in the Horizons program will benefit your research?
• Briefly outline how you engage across intersecting disciplines, sectors and/or countries in your research (up to 200 words)
• A current CV (upload attachment)
• A letter of support from your supervisor, indicating their support for your participation in the program if accepted (upload attachment – a copy of an email is sufficient)