The Urban Studies Foundation (USF) is recruiting new Trustees to serve on its Board, with start dates throughout 2026. Trustees may be based anywhere worldwide, but must be able to demonstrate significant, long-term, and ongoing involvement in urban studies research and education. They must also be able to fulfil the active commitments and legal duties required of charity Trustees in the United Kingdom.
The USF is an independent non-profit foundation committed to advancing research, education, and knowledge mobilisation in the dynamic field of urban studies. These aims and objectives are achieved through the successful delivery of a globally-established grantmaking programme, which has supported hundreds of individual scholars, research organisations, and non-academic actors worldwide.
Through their active engagement in the USF’s grant schemes and associated activities, Trustees play a crucial and responsible role in the strategies, polices, and financial decisions of the USF. The role requires collegiality and commitment to collectively guide and oversee the USF in the delivery of its charitable aims and objectives. Serving as a Trustee provides an opportunity to shape the future of global urban studies scholarship.
Further Particulars regarding the role, profile and personal qualifications of a Trustee Board Member can be found on the USF website, along with further information about the selection process. Applicants should ensure that they understand the role and legal responsibilities of a Trustee as defined by the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) before applying (though USF Trustees may reside in any country worldwide, and the majority of the existing Board is based outside of Europe).
After consulting the Further Particulars document, additional clarifications may be directed to the USF Executive Director via email, Joe Shaw (joe.shaw@urbanstudiesfoundation.org).
Key details
- Appointments to the USF Board of Trustees are for three years, renewable up to twice with the mutual consent of the Board.
- All Trustees will be required to serve on USF awarding panels and committees as requested by the Chair and Executive Director. These commitments can be intensive at times and should not be underestimated, with online committee meetings occurring throughout the year.
- Annual General Meetings are held twice a year, and attendance is compulsory for all Trustees. The USF holds in-person meetings on an ad hoc basis, every 12-24 months.
- The position of charity Trustee is unremunerated, but it is USF policy to cover all reasonable expenses incurred as a result of taking-up this position (e.g. travel and accommodation). The USF may also cover modest extra-ordinary care costs incurred by Trustees (e.g. childcare), and prospective applicants should contact the USF Executive Director prior to applying to discuss their specific needs and confirm eligibility.
- All applicants must ensure they have consulted the requirements below and the Further Particulars before applying.
Requirements of USF Trustees
Essential requirements of USF Trustees include:
- Trustees must have a firm and demonstrable commitment to the core aims and objectives of the USF and to the roles and responsibilities of a Trustee in upholding and delivering upon these aims and objectives.
- Trustees must have demonstrable experience, knowledge, expertise and active involvement in urban studies research (e.g. they are either an academic or are otherwise making a clear and sustained contribution to urban discourse and policy).
- Trustees must understand the role and legal duties of a charity Trustee in the United Kingdom (however, please note that Trustees may be based anywhere globally). Prospective applicants may consult the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) website to ensure they understand these requirements.
- They must have the ability to work with the USF in the English language (but it is not essential to have an extensive publication record in English).
- They must be responsive and readily available for Board Meetings and other roles and responsibilities required of Trustees. More information on the role of a Trustee may be found in the Further Particulars, but this includes a range of responsibilities, both administrative and strategic.
- This round of recruitment does not seek candidates from particular regions or sub-fields of urban studies, and the USF encourages applications from candidates worldwide and from all areas of urban studies.
Desirable experience might include:
- Demonstrable experience in strategic planning for non-profit organisations and research funding, including prior experience as a Trustee or comparative roles with other organisations.
- Demonstrable managerial experience in financial planning, fundraising, and/or administration for similar organisations.
- Demonstrable experience in academic publishing and/or editorial roles.
The USF operates with a firm commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion (as outlined in the USF Code of Practice and the Further Particulars for this role). This means that the USF Trustee recruitment process also recognises a need for the USF Board to collectively represent the diversity of urban research and the global reach of the organisation’s activities and objectives, and that the Board Membership secured is respectful of different dimensions of human diversity, and mindful of the existing composition of the Board.
Further particulars
Prospective candidates must ensure they have downloaded and read the Further Particulars for this role, available below.
Download Further Particulars (.pdf)
How to apply
To apply for this role, candidates must read the Further Particulars document available above and then submit the following materials using the application form link below:
- Cover letter (.pdf format, no more than two pages A4, maximum 2mb file size).
- CV (.pdf format, no more than five pages A4, maximum 2mb file size)
- Contact details for two suitable professional referees (who should also be working in the broad field of urban studies research and/or policy and practice).
Candidates should ensure that their cover letters clearly detail:
- Their motivation for applying to the USF Board of Trustees.
- Their commitment to urban studies, including a clear indication of which field(s) and region(s) their work is located (including any experience and/or connection to other relevant organisations outside of academia, for example in the realms of policy, practice, and industry). Information on theoretical and methodological orientations is also desirable.
- Their expected contribution to the USF (including in terms of connections to any relevant regional networks and research institutions, and any other wider benefits, skills, or representation that the existing Board may be lacking).
- If applicable, their experience and/or knowledge of research funding and charitable/non-profit organisations (including existing experience and contributions as a Trustee and/or non-profit Board member for other organisations).
The candidate’s CV should present a clear track-record that provides context and background for the content of the cover letter. The CV should be formatted appropriately, which might include either formatting as a standard academic CV (e.g. including relevant positions, publications, and research outputs) or as an industry-specific CV that details relevant positions and experience in their field. Applicants must not list “Forthcoming” or ‘in review’ publications on their CV unless they append evidence of the publication’s acceptance to their CV (maximum one page per publication).
Contact details should be provided for two referees who are willing to be contacted by the USF in order to supply a letter of reference for the candidate. The referees must be suitably senior colleagues of the candidate (e.g. former supervisors, line-managers, department heads, or other senior colleagues), who are well-positioned to comment impartially on their suitability for the role (and who work in the same relevant field). The relationship between the candidate and the referee should be clearly declared and without conflict of interest in relation to the role of USF Trustee. Current USF Trustees may not act as referees.
The recruitment short-listing process will take up to twelve weeks. Candidates may be requested to attend an online interview with the USF Recruitment Committee. Applicants will also be invited to complete an anonymous Equality and Diversity survey, which will be automatically sent to all candidates following the application deadline. Candidates who exceed the page count for either their cover letter or CV will not be considered. The USF regrets that it cannot offer any feedback on individual applications.
Apply now
Please use the application form below to apply to this role: