McHarg Fellowship - 2026-2027

McHarg Fellowship - 2026-2027

Location: Philadelphia, PA
Open Date: Sep 20, 2025
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 $75,000 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, 2026 through May 31, 2027 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 does not provide private office space, a computer, specialized software, or materials. Research carrels in the Fisher Fine Arts Library may be available and/or shared office space in other areas of the school. 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, 2026, and will continue until the fellowship position is filled. The fellowship position will begin on August 1, 2026.

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/174341