Doctoral student in Water and Environmental Engineering - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

This doctoral student will be one of several PhD-students within the Lund University Agenda 2030 Graduate School, but with an employment at the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering.

Agenda 2030 is the framework for sustainable development that the world’s nations have signed to end extreme poverty, reduce inequalities, solve the climate crisis, promote peace and equity and much more. In order to achieve the goals, research has several important roles: to identify challenges and conflicting objectives, contribute new solutions, generate dialogue and learning between different societal stakeholders and critically analyse the goals. Lund University aspires to be a part of the solution and has therefore started a graduate school focusing on societal challenges, sustainability issues and Agenda 2030. We now welcome to the graduate school applicants from various disciplinary backgrounds who want to take an active role in Agenda 2030 research. The graduate school offers a unique opportunity to gain interdisciplinary perspectives on global challenges and contribute to current research while deepening your subject knowledge.

The graduate school will have at least 12 doctoral students from all faculties. You will be associated with a specific research studies programme, and simultaneously take part in the university-wide interdisciplinary research studies courses, developed on the basis of the issues defined by the global goals. The courses provide great potential to develop new forms of collaboration and work for change across disciplinary boundaries. Besides the research studies courses, you will participate in several activities linked to the graduate school in order to take an active part in the global sustainability agenda and to advance the research front on issues concerning Agenda 2030, for example through seminars, conferences, study trips and collaboration with various societal stakeholders. 

More information on the graduate school is available here: https://www.sustainability.lu.se/agenda-2030-graduate-school

Subject description
The subject of Water and Environmental Engineering presupposes elementary knowledge of hydrology, hydraulics, microbiology, mathematics and chemistry. Research studies within the subject can include experimental studies ranging from laboratory work to pilots and industrial applications, modelling and simulation of technical processes, as well as process design and system analysis. Focus of research can be e.g. separation of nutrients and micropollutants, sludge treatment, separation engineering, infrastructure and technical processes for treatment of drinking water, urban runoff and wastewater.

The specific focus of this employment is re-use of wastewater. Re-use of wastewater has traditionally gotten most attention in areas with water scarcity because of high energy demand for treatment. However, nowadays water scarcity is seen also in countries like Sweden. In addition, increasing demands (for e.g. removal of micropollutants) on effluent quality is leading to application of more advanced wastewater treatment processes resulting in a treated effluent quality which could be attractive for direct re-use e.g. in farming, for industrial use or even for production of drinking water. This PhD study will focus on engineering aspects, but since many of the challenges are connected to other areas the work will include interdisciplinary elements of, for example, law, economics, politics, communication and health aspects.

Work duties
The main duties of doctoral students are to devote themselves to their research studies which includes participating in research projects and third-cycle courses. The work duties will also include teaching and other departmental duties (no more than 20%).

Admission requirements
A person meets the general admission requirements for third-cycle courses and study programmes if he or she:

• has been awarded a second-cycle qualification, or
• has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second cycle, or
• has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

A person meets the specific admission requirements for third-cycle studies in Water and Environmental Engineering if he or she has:

• completed a specialised project of at least 30 second-cycle credits in the subject.

Additional requirements:

• Very good oral and written proficiency in English.

Assessment criteria
Selection for third-cycle studies is based on the student’s potential to profit from such studies. The assessment of potential is made primarily on the basis of academic results from the first and second cycle. Special attention is paid to the following:

• Knowledge and skills relevant to the thesis project and the subject of study.
• An assessment of ability to work independently and to formulate and tackle research problems.
• Written and oral communication skills.
• Other experience relevant to the third-cycle studies, e.g. professional experience.

Other assessment criteria:

• Experience from scientific work on re-use of wastewater
• Experience from laboratory work including chemical analyses of water
• Good oral and written proficiency in Swedish
• Experience of collaboration in multi-disciplinary projects
• Drivers license (B)

Consideration will also be given to good collaborative skills, drive and independence, and how the applicant, through his or her experience and skills, is deemed to have the abilities necessary for successfully completing the third-cycle programme.

Terms of employment
Only those admitted to third-cycle studies may be appointed to a doctoral studentship. Third-cycle studies at LTH consist of full-time studies for 4 years. A doctoral studentship is a fixed-term employment of a maximum of 5 years (including 20% departmental duties). Doctoral studentships are regulated in the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100), chapter 5, 1-7 §§.

Instructions on how to apply
Applications should be written in English. In your personal letter you should briefly describe why you are interested in research studies at Lund University. On the basis of your disciplinary background, describe how, through the graduate school, you could contribute to innovative thinking and boundary-crossing research linked to Agenda 2030. Describe also how your experiences can be connected to the graduate school/Agenda 2030 and research on re-use of wastewater.

The application must also contain a CV, degree certificate or equivalent, and other documents you wish to be considered (grade transcripts, contact information for your references, letters of recommendation, etc.).