Position: PhD position

Organization: Uppsala University

Apply: https://uu.varbi.com/en/what:login/jobID:419743/type:job/where:26/apply:1/

Location: Sweden

Duties/Project description: 

A rising rate of urbanisation, coupled with climate change impacts and the transition to a carbon-neutral society, will put considerable pressure on the increasingly stretched metropolitan areas.

To meet these challenges, there is need to significantly enhance the use of the space below the city landscape.

The underground is a place that, once transformed, becomes a permanent future. For this reason, underground spatial planning requires strategically driven, comprehensive, and long-term visions. By taking the case of Stockholm municipality as the analytical point of entry, the overall purpose of the project is two

: 1) to develop conceptual tools and empirical insights for better understanding social, technical and geophysical dynamics of sustainable urban underground planning and use;

2) to provide practical solutions and guidance for long-term planning and envisioning sustainable use of the underground space. The project will be conducted in a collaborative interdisciplinary research environment involving Natural Resources and Sustainable Development (NRHU) and Geophysics.

The work of the PhD student will be focused on two interrelated objectives:

1) to investigate what currently happens in the city subsurface and identify challenges and opportunities regarding the future transition of the urban underground space;

2) to anticipate future visions of the city subsurface in terms of transportation, storage, energy, and public uses.

The position can include up to 20% of teaching and administrative work, which extends the employment period with a corresponding time.

Requirements: 

The applicant shall have a university master's degree in urban planning, human geography, political science, science and technology studies, sustainable development, or equivalent.

The successful candidate shall have documented experience in applying qualitative research methods, such as text/discourse analysis, interviews, observations, stakeholder mapping, and/or ethnographic approaches.

Good written and spoken English language skills are a requirement. Experience in interdisciplinary research is a requirement.

Salary: According to local agreement for PhD students.