Visitors
The Mason Institute offers a range of opportunities throughout the year to visit and engage with the Institute and the Edinburgh Law School community.

Call for Applications
The Mason Institute’s Visiting Fellows programme offers scholars in medical law, bioethics and related disciplines the opportunity to spend a period of time conducting their research in a stimulating interdisciplinary environment, as part of the University of Edinburgh’s vibrant research community, while enjoying the rich cultural life and picturesque surrounds of the historic city of Edinburgh.
The Mason Institute is based in the School of Law, located in Old College, in the centre of Edinburgh. Our research community includes lawyers, bioethicists and social scientists working on a wide range of topics at the interface of medicine, life science and law.
During their stay, Visiting Fellows will be provided with access to University facilities including workspace, library and IT access, and will have the opportunity to work alongside Mason Institute researchers, take part in MI activities and research meetings, and attend other events across the University. They will give informal talks on their research and may also be invited more formally to participate in events such as the MI Lunch seminar series or MI Lecture. Each Visiting Fellow will have a sponsor from the MI Executive Committee who will act as a point of contact and assist in organising their participation in these activities.
Visiting Fellows will ordinarily be responsible for their own costs, including travel, accommodation and subsistence.
We welcome applications from scholars at all levels. Visiting Fellows will generally spend between two weeks and three months at MI; longer or shorter visits may be possible by arrangement.
Please contact mason.institute@ed.ac.uk about applications and general queries.
Visiting Edinburgh: travel, accommodation and local facilities
Edinburgh has an international airport (EDI) and can also be reached by train (to Edinburgh Waverley) from other major cities in the UK.
Short-term accommodation in Edinburgh is usually readily available (with the exception of August) on a nightly, weekly or monthly basis; prices vary depending on the time of year but as a rough guide, visitors should allow £80 per night for hotel stays, and from £300 per week for short-term apartment rental. Your MI Sponsor may be able to offer advice and assistance in finding accommodation.
Edinburgh is a major city with extensive shopping, dining and entertainment options. For groceries and other daily needs, there are several supermarkets and other shops within a few minutes’ walk of Old College.
Thank you for your interest in being a research visitor affiliated with the Mason Institute at Edinburgh Law School. We receive a considerable number of applications for such research visits and they are normally approved at least 3-6 months in advance of the requested time frame for the visit. Additional requirements include approval by the Edinburgh Law School Research Office, sponsorship by an academic colleague and availability of office space in the Law School building.
Application process
It is a two-part process to apply to be a research visitor with the Mason Institute. Your application first needs to be considered by the Mason Institute Executive Committee. The Committee meets two times a year - in November and in March - to consider visitor applications.
If you wish for your application to be considered by the Committee, then you would need to submit the following:
- Details of the research project that you would intend to undertake during your research visit (500 words maximum)
- Full Curriculum Vitae
- An academic reference setting out relevant research, teaching or other experience or expertise
- What funding, if any, you have to support your visit
- Which Mason Institute staff member that you have been in touch with, who is prepared to sponsor your application, or that would wish to sponsor your application
- Why you wish to be a research visitor at the Mason Institute
- Whether you would be prepared to present your research at a Mason Institute webinar during the period of your visit, provide some guest teaching on a topic within your area of research interest, or offer some mentoring support to our PGR/ECR colleagues
- Any visa requirements that may be needed to support your visit, and what arrangements you have put in place to satisfy such requirements
When applications are considered by the Mason Institute
For a research visitor application to be considered by the Mason Institute Executive Committee at its November meeting, such applications need to be submitted by the end of October. For the April meeting, the application would need to be submitted by the end of February. Completed applications should be submitted to the following email address: Mason.Institute@ed.ac.uk
Approval by Edinburgh Law School Research Office
In the event that your application is initially approved by the Mason Institute Executive Committee, then it would need to be submitted for final approval to the Edinburgh Law School Research Office. The application will then be assessed to determine suitability, as well as availability of support, during the requested timeframe for the visit. Details regarding the application that needs to be submitted to the School Research Office can be accessed here. For further queries about the School application process, please contact Law.research@ed.ac.uk
In the event that the School Research Office approves the visitor application with affiliation to the Mason Institute, then it is usually approved for the following semester or academic year. The successful applicant will be notified of the outcome at their nominated email address.