OVERVIEW
The MIT-UTM Malaysia Sustainable Cities Program (MSCP) is seeking Visiting Scholar applications from college and university faculty in the developing world (G-77 countries). Ten successful candidates will be selected as Visiting Scholars to spend one academic year at MIT and UTM documenting sustainable development efforts in Malaysian cities. Participants will be able to extend their own research agendas by contributing to ongoing research initiated by MSCP partners focusing on Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Johor Bahru, and Georgetown. MSCP Visiting Scholars are expected to create video-based teaching materials, intended for global distribution, and a publishable research paper during their appointments.
Areas of inquiry include:
socially and environmentally sustainable infrastructure development
governance and strategies for public engagement
indicators for measuring sustainability
historic preservation and urban design
coastal and marine resource management
resilience of environmentally-protected areas
eco-tourism
affordable housing
public transportation
high-tech job creation
Malaysia offers a rich context for comparative, in-depth analysis of urban planning and development that can be used to create online, digital, and video-based teaching materials about sustainability. Over the past decade, Malaysia has improved its ranking on the UN's Human Development Index (HDI). It has also advanced in its ranking on the Environmental Performance Index (EPI). The MIT-UTM MSCP is interested in how this has been accomplished and whether Malaysia's experiences with sustainable city development can be instructive for other countries. Through their interaction with other Visiting Scholars and partnering institutions, MSCP Visiting Scholars will have an opportunity to contribute to the creation of new ways of teaching about sustainable development in the developing world.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS AND FORM
To apply, please complete the attached form and send it with CV or resume, writing sample, and two reference letters to malaysiacities@mit.edu. Questions may be addressed to Lawrence Susskind, Ford Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning at MIT (susskind@mit.edu).
Applications are due by MARCH 1, 2016.
QUALIFICATIONS
Applicants should have graduate level teaching experience in a field related to urban planning and development at a college or university in the developing world. No prior experience creating video-based teaching materials is required. Excellent English writing and speaking skills, however, are essential. For those who will be on leave or sabbatical from a paid teaching position, university endorsement is a prerequisite.
APPOINTMENTS
Appointments are for one academic year (September 2016 – May 2017). Residency begins August 25, 2016, at the Universiti of Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and continues in the spring semester at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) through May 31, 2017. Ten Visiting Scholars will be appointed and eligible to receive salaries, travel allowances, and living stipends. Appointments will be announced on or before May 31, 2016.
Participating Visiting Scholars will be subject to all of UTM’s and MIT’s standard policies and procedures, including those related to intellectual property.
Download Application Form