Dr. Tao Dufour

Assistant Professor

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Biography

Tao DuFour is an Assistant Professor in the History and Theory of Architecture and serves as the Director of the MArch Programme at the University of Cambridge. His work investigates the embodied nature of spatio-environmental experience, focusing on generative relations between lived experience and historical contexts. His research interests include phenomenology, perception, corporeality, and ethnographic descriptions of space. Currently, Tao is examining the regional context of the Caribbean Guianas, employing photography and documentary film to explore lived experiences of environmental change. He is particularly interested in the historical narrative qualities of spatio-environmental experience, drawing from the literary traditions of the region. He has collaborated with postcolonial scholar Natalie Melas and documentary filmmaker Kannan Arunasalam to produce the feature-length documentary film "Possible Landscapes," which emerged from a two-year Mellon-funded research project focused on environmental experience in Trinidad & Tobago. Tao has published works including "Husserl Spatiality: Phenomenological Ethnography of Space" (Routledge, 2022), for which he received the Edward Goodwin Ballard Book Prize in Phenomenology. He is a Fellow of Trinity College and has served as a guest editor for a special issue of "Future Anterior" dedicated to the theme of 'Space Heritage.'

Research Interests

Experience

Assistant Professor

— Present

Department of Architecture, University of Cambridge • Cambridge, England

Teaches and leads research in the history and theory of architecture.

Awards

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SAH Award for Film & Video

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Edward Goodwin Ballard Book Prize in Phenomenology

Requirements for University of Cambridge

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3.7
IELTS
Listening
Required:7
Reading
Required:7
Writing
Required:7
Speaking
Required:7
Overall
Required:7.5
TOEFL
Listening
Required:25
Reading
Required:25
Writing
Required:25
Speaking
Required:25
Total
Required:110
Prerequisites
UK Bachelor's Degree with good Upper Second Class Honours or international equivalent Background in international relations, politics, law, economics, security or history is a definite asset
Application Checklist
  • Two academic references
  • Official transcripts
  • CV/Resume
  • Personal statement (approx 500 words)
  • Research proposal (1-2 pages/500 words)
  • Application fee (£50)
Specialization Notes

Standard postgraduate requirements for Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) and related humanities departments.