The CPNSS Visitors Programme gives philosophers of science from all over the world the opportunity to reside in the Centre for some time, participate in existing projects and pursue their own research.
Established researchers, usually members of a department or research centre at another university, can visit the Centre as Academic Visitors. Since the Centre recognises that the education of a new generation of philosophers of science is essential to the future of the discipline, it also accepts as Student Visitors research students from outside LSE (usually students working on a PhD thesis) who wish to spend some time in LSE's philosophy community. Whenever possible, visitors will be given a desk in the Centre's research area, have access to the LSE computer system, and can use the LSE library.
There are four different kinds of visits:
- Short Term Visit: Visits for no more than one term.
- Long Term Visit: Visits for no more than one year.
- Return Visit: Researchers who have already visited the Centre (either short term or long term) can apply for another visit (either short term or long term). This category also includes anyone who after one year at the Centre wishes to continue their affiliation.
- Occasional Visit: There is the possibility of accommodating scholars paying visits to a Centre project. Occasional Visitors will usually stay only for some days. If possible they will be given a desk and keys.
Visitors are expected to attend Centre events, contribute to seminars, and to intellectual life at the Centre. For this reason, it is important that visitors be present during the entire term of their visit. While it is understood that there will be short absences for conferences and other commitments every now and then, CPNSS must be their primary and active intellectual base during the visit.
Visitors should work on projects that lie within the target areas of the Centre. For this reason visitors are expected to have a "sponsor" within the Centre or LSE's Department of Philosophy, Logic, and Scientific Method, i.e. a person who is interested in the visitor's project and who will serve during the visit as his/her point of contact.
Those who wish to visit the Centre but do not know anybody at LSE personally are encouraged to contact those whom they think might be interested in their project and ask them whether they would serve as their sponsor (contact details can be found on the Centre's and the Department's websites).
Anyone who would like to come as an occasional visitor should get in touch with the Project Leader of the project they wish to visit. The project leader will then make a suggestion to the Director, who makes the decision (occasional visitors are not expected to go through the application procedures outlined below).
Those wanting to come as Short Term, Long Term or Returning Visitors should send an application to the Centre Manager, Ms Laura O'Keefe.
An application consists of:
- A covering letter, specifying, among other things, the intended visitor status (Academic Visitor or Student Visitor), and the kind of visit planned (short term, long term, return), plus proposed dates where available;
- A current CV;
- A description of the project to be undertaken during residence (500-1000 words);
- A selection of recent publications relevant to the project they propose to undertake at the Centre;
- All applicants should ask their sponsors to submit a note that the visitor would work on a topic germane to the appropriate Target Area of Centre research.
- In addition, Student Visitors are required to provide a letter of reference from their PhD supervisor.
All visitors from outside LSE pay a fee of £1000 per term which is reinvested in research activities.
Applications will be reviewed by the Centre's Visitor Selection Committee.