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Hello folks. Apologies for the silence lately, been busy doing interviews and collecting chunky chunky data.

I'm currently researching architectural education towards a PhD at Queen's University Belfast. My friend, Anna Holder, is working on a PhD at the University of Sheffield. Together, we've taken our respective experiences of having zero formal training in research methodologies and decided to host a student-led colloquium in January.

The blog is here: http://exploringcommongrounds.wordpress.com/

If you want to join us, the instructions are on the website. Just email us directly, it's not formal, no peer review etc. Here's the formal call we launched on Friday:

Common Grounds: exploring methodologies for research within or research about architecture and the built environment

St. Deiniol's Library, Clwyd, Friday 14 & Saturday 15 January 2011

Call for participation

A winter colloquium for post-graduate students and early career researchers on methodologies for researching architecture and the built environment.

Doing research on or in the field of architecture can feel like a methodological free-for-all, borrowing from the arts, humanities, physical sciences, social sciences etc. Conscious of the difficulties facing early career researchers in the built environment (who may not feel they have received adequate training in this area) Common Grounds proposes a weekend away from the university to present, discuss and constructively critique research-in- progress. This event will focus on developing thematic clusters and working relationships to support research in the field of architecture.

Early-career researchers in any discipline with an interest in architectural research are invited to submit:

- a 100 word introduction to your topic and key questions
- a 200 word abstract describing your current / proposed research methodologies
- a brief statement of what you would like to get out of this event

Timeline

Call for papers: 22 October 2010
Deadline for submissions: 26 November 2010
Programme announced: 10 December 2010

Outline programme

On the Friday: attendees will be invited to present an informal 20 minute paper specifically discussing their research approach and methodology. Time will be allocated for detailed discussion and feedback. Submissions are particularly invited from researchers who have are still developing their research questions and approaches. Informal conversations may continue over dinner.

On the Saturday: based on the outcomes of the previous day's presentations, we will collectively design structured workshops to consolidate and develop methodological themes.

Organisers

Anna Holder, University of Sheffield James Benedict Brown, Queen's University Belfast
We are two PhD candidates in architecture who have identified a shared concern and interest in our methodological approaches.