About the V&A PhD Placement Scheme
The V&A has created a range of PhD placements based in collections departments, archives, the National Art Library, research, and collections care and access to support the professional development of PhD researchers across the UK and internationally. In addition to on-the-job experience and mentoring from supervisors, PhD placement students will have access to the Museum’s wider range of workshops, talks and postgraduate training opportunities, alongside a training package designed for the PhD placement cohort. Depending on the project, placements may combine onsite and remote work, with the exact working pattern agreed between the student and placement supervisors.
Eligibility: V&A doctoral placements are unpaid and only open to students currently studying on a funded PhD programme. International applicants welcome. All successful applicants will be required to attend an induction day on 30 September 2026.
Purpose of the Placement
This PhD placement, based in the Design and Digital Section of AAPD (Art, Architecture, Photography and Design), will undertake critical research into contemporary generative art practices from a global perspective, with a particular focus on geographies including South Asia, Africa, Latin America, and their diasporic communities. The placement researcher will map key practitioners, studios, collectives, and networks working with generative systems, including machine learning systems and algorithmic images, while exploring how these practices intersect with questions of identity, cultural sovereignty, and technological access.
The placement will contribute to the Design and Digital Section’s aim to further collections from both the Global Majority and emergent practices employing generative technology. The placement researcher will review existing V&A holdings to identify gaps and potential acquisition pathways, helping to build a critically informed overview of global generative art and surface underrepresented voices and practices. Possible outputs may include an internal white paper for the collections team, an external-facing academic paper, a network and practice map, internal presentations or workshops, and research to inform future acquisitions and interpretation.
