About this position
McHarg Fellowship - 2027-2028
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Open Date: Aug 31, 2026
Deadline:
- The McHarg Fellowship is a teaching and research fellowship award
- given by the McHarg Center for
- Urbanism and Ecology to an emerging voice in landscape
- architecture and its related fields. The Fellowship is awarded
- competitively on an annual basis and the selected fellow is
- expected to be in residence at the University of Pennsylvania
- Weitzman School of Design, in Philadelphia, full-time for one
- academic year, from the beginning of the Fall semester (August)
- through the end of the following Spring semester (May).
- The purpose of the Fellowship is to create a unique opportunity for
- an emerging professional and/or academic who would benefit most
- from support to conduct research, to teach, and to be mentored by
- faculty during the term of the fellowship. The award includes
- $76,000 paid as salary to the fellow and an additional $4,000
- awarded as a discretionary stipend for travel, research, and
- exhibition-related expenses.
- Housed in the Department of Landscape Architecture at the
- University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design, the
- McHarg Center for Urbanism and Ecology was launched in 2019 as a
- transdisciplinary platform for collaborative research supporting
- the future of life on Earth. The Center funds and broadcasts
- original scholarly research; convenes students, faculty, and
- practitioners; and awards the annual McHarg Fellowship. It adheres
- to the values set forward by the Weitzman School of Design and the University of Pennsylvania .
Expectations
- Though the structure of the fellowship is flexible, it is expected
- that the fellow be in residence from August 1, 2027 through May 31,
- 2028 and undertake both teaching and research at the Weitzman
- School of Design. The fellow may be assigned teaching roles in the
- Department of Landscape Architecture as part of a team in the
- August Summer Institute and in a core landscape design studio
- during the fall semester (either Studio I, which focuses on the
- fundamentals of site-based inquiry and design, or Studio III, which
- focuses on regional-scale social and ecological systems), as well
- as a new elective seminar related to their research during the
- spring semester.
- The fellow is expected to conduct research concurrently and
- participate in the intellectual and cultural life of the school.
- They will be invited to present their work-in-progress to the
- standing faculty of the Department of Landscape Architecture at
- least once during their fellowship appointment, and to make a
- public presentation of their work during the spring semester. The
- department's faculty is available to support and mentor the fellow
- during their fellowship year.
Facilities
- The Department provides and maintains a laptop computer with a
- standard software package for the fellow's use during the
- fellowship term. Research carrels in the Fisher Fine Arts Library
- may be available and shared office space at the Weitzman School is
- provided. The fellow will have access to all Penn libraries, the
- Weitzman Fabrication Lab, and the Architectural Archives. This
- fellowship is a visiting position and would allow access to the ACA
- affordable insurance coverages. ACA Affordable Care Act
- (upenn.edu)
Qualifications
- Minimum qualifications: a professionally accredited bachelor's
- degree or master's degree in landscape architecture (or the
- international equivalent) is required. Graduate or undergraduate
- level teaching experience in landscape architecture is preferred
- but not required.
Application Instructions
- Applicants should submit a cover letter addressed to the McHarg
- Fellowship Search Committee expressing their interest in the
- fellowship and their agenda for research and scholarship; a
- curriculum vitae; and a 10-page portfolio of their creative work
- (8.5"x11" PDF file format, maximum 10MB). In addition, applicants
- should provide the names of three references who will be contacted
- at a later time.
- Review of applications will begin on January 1, 2027, and will
- continue until the fellowship position is filled. The fellowship
- position will begin on August 1, 2027.
- Questions should be directed to Melissa DiGiacomo, Assistant
- Director of Administration / Department Coordinator, Landscape
- Architecture, at: landarch@design.upenn.edu
To apply, visit https://apply.interfolio.com/192337
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
- The University of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer.
- Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race,
- color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin
- (including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics), citizenship
- status, age, disability, veteran status or any class protected
- under applicable federal, state, or local law.
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How to apply
- Read the full advert on the source site — it carries the authoritative terms.
- Email the contact below with your CV and a short, specific message. See Emailing Professors.
- Prepare your SOP, CV, transcripts and referees before the deadline.
- Apply through the university's own portal. Never pay a fee to a third party.