Vacant job

Responsibilities:

The holder of a doctoral position is expected to participate actively in the department's research and teaching environment and may need to perform departmental duties, primarily teaching, amounting to approximately 20 percent of full-time employment.

The doctoral researcher(s) will be employed within the project DECENT (Socio-technical modularity and the decentralization of infrastructure), which is funded by the ERC: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101219042 (https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101219042).

Cities have long relied on centralized systems to provide socially vital services such as electricity, water, and transport. These large-scale network-based infrastructures often fail to meet social, economic, and environmental needs. The DECENT project aims to investigate how decentralized infrastructure solutions – such as microgrids, small-scale wastewater treatment, multimodal transport, short food supply chains, or distributed finance – overcome the historical legacies of large-scale infrastructure systems and provide societal functions in a more modular way. The doctoral researchers will study decentralization from a configurational socio-technical perspective, focusing on aspects such as: local and global industrial dynamics, the geography of innovation, sustainable transitions, and/or urban experimentation. Empirically, the project will study and compare the decentralization of infrastructure in high-income (e.g., European or North American) and middle-income cities (e.g., South or Southeast Asian).

Doctoral researchers are expected to:

• design and conduct empirical research on the decentralization of infrastructure across different sectors (e.g., water, mobility, or food) and geographical contexts, in collaboration with the project group;
• author individual and co-authored scientific publications during the period of employment;
• work closely with the project group and contribute to joint meetings and activities;
• present their research at national and international conferences;
• write and defend a doctoral thesis.

Qualifications/Requirements:

To be eligible for doctoral studies, an applicant must

• Have completed a degree at advanced level
• Have completed studies equivalent to at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 higher education credits at advanced level, or
• Have acquired comparable education in another way in Sweden or abroad.

In addition to the requirements described above, the specific eligibility requirements for the doctoral program in Human Geography are a master's degree in Human Geography/Economic Geography or another relevant subject (e.g., transition studies, innovation studies, sociology, economics, economic history, political science). The degree must include an independent project of at least 30 higher education credits, of which at least half at advanced level. Applicants must also have the ability to express themselves well orally and in writing in English. The assessment is made based on national guidelines.

Employment of doctoral students is regulated in the Code of Statutes 1998:80. Only those who are or have been admitted to doctoral studies may be employed in doctoral positions. When appointing such a position, the student's ability to benefit from the doctoral education should be considered primarily. In addition to dedicating themselves to their studies, it may be required that the person appointed to a doctoral position work with educational tasks, research, and administration, according to special provisions in the ordinance.

Assessment Criteria:

In accordance with the Higher Education Ordinance Chapter 5, Section 5, special weight shall be given at admission to the applicant's ability to successfully complete the doctoral education, as indicated by academic qualifications and merits.

We are looking for candidates who have:

• a strong motivation for academic research and curiosity about societal transitions;
• a background in economic geography, transition studies, innovation studies, sociology, economics, economic history, political science, or related subjects;
• experience working with empirical data collection and analysis (qualitative or quantitative) as well as an interest in working with mixed methods approaches;
• a strong interest in interdisciplinary approaches that bridge transition studies and economic geography;
• excellent writing skills;
• ability to express themselves well orally and in writing in English.

Application:

• A cover letter of no more than 300 words, containing a brief presentation of you as an applicant and your merits in relation to the project described above. The cover letter should begin with 2–5 bullet points highlighting the most important merits. Upload as a single file in PDF format.
• A document describing a research idea related to the theme of the DECENT project (according to the description above). Upload as a single file in PDF format. This should be seen as a work sample and an indication of conceptual and empirical interest – not as a binding commitment to conduct the described research.
• The document should consist of the following headings:

- Societal relevance (max 200 words excluding references)

- Scientific relevance / research gap (with references to central studies) (max 200 words excluding references)

- Conceptual approach (with references to central studies) (max 200 words excluding references)

- Methodological approach and preliminary cases (max 200 words excluding references)

- Potential contribution (max 200 words excluding references)

• Curriculum vitae. Upload as a single file in PDF format.
• An example of independently authored academic work. This is usually a master's thesis. Upload as a single file in PDF format.
• If applicable, copies of scientific publications that you have authored or co-authored. Upload as a single file in PDF format.
• Name and contact details for 2–3 persons whom we may contact for personal references (stated in the text field).
• Copies of certificates, degrees, and transcripts. Upload as a single file in PDF format. The degree certificate is uploaded as a separate PDF file named "degree_certificate".

The application must be in English and is submitted electronically via Lund University's application portal.

Conditions:

Fixed-term employment for four years according to HE Ordinance Chapter 5, Section 7.