Doctoral studentship in Human Geography - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Job assignment:
The candidate will work on a four-year project on artisan goldmining labour in Burkina Faso. The position is part of a wider research project entitled “Frontier settlement: Territories of artisan mining labour in Africa”, that looks at goldmining and artisan goldminers’ labour dynamics in Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zimbabwe. It is co-funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), is in collaboration with the Department of Geography, University of Zürich, and in partnership with the University of Zimbabwe, the University of Ouagadougou I, the Institut National des Sciences des Sociétés in Burkina Faso, and the Groupe de Recherche Action sur les Conflits et la Sécurité Humaine in the DRC.

The PhD candidate will be expected to define her/his own focus of research interest from the case of Burkina Faso, within the scope of the project which includes (but is not limited to):

• artisan goldmining labour recruitment, labour rights and general regulation, amidst current formalization and other transnational mineral governance policies
• the formal and informal dimensions of artisan goldmining labour regulation in a local context, especially in relation to a contested wider global gold supply chain
• urbanization dynamics in relation to artisanal goldmining
• the political ecology of extractive labour in the context of historical and contemporary goldmining rushes

The doctoral candidate will be part of the doctoral program in the Department of Human Geography at Lund University, which amounts to 240 credits (equivalent to four years of full-time study). It formally ends with the doctoral candidate publicly defending his/her printed doctoral thesis. The holder of a doctoral position has as primary obligation to successfully fulfill the third cycle education ending with a PhD degree. 

The holder of a doctoral position is expected to participate actively in the research and teaching environment of the department and may have to perform departmental duties, above all teaching, amounting to about 20 per cent of full time.

Eligibility
Students with basic eligibility for third-cycle studies are those who- have completed a second-cycle degree- have completed courses of at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits are from second-cycle courses, or- have acquired largely equivalent knowledge in some other way, in Sweden or abroad.

In addition to the requirements described above the specific entry requirements for the PhD program in Human Geography is a Master 's degree in Human Geography, or other relevant social science discipline. The applicant must also have proficiency in spoken and written English corresponding to English B from Swedish upper secondary school. The assessment will be based on national guidelines.

The employment of doctoral students is regulated in the Swedish Code of Statues 1998: 80. Only those who are or have been admitted to PhD-studies may be appointed to doctoral studentships. When an appointment to a doctoral studentship is made, the ability of the student to benefit from PhD-studies shall primarily be taken into account. In addition to devoting themselves to their studies, those appointed to doctoral studentships may be required to work with educational tasks, research and administration, in accordance with specific regulations in the ordinance.

Basis of Assessment:
In accordance with the Higher Education Ordinance Chapter 5, paragraph 5, particular emphasis for admission shall be placed upon the applicant’s ability to successfully complete PhD studies, as indicated by academic qualifications and merits. The research plan, previously written theses or publications, previous qualitative research experience in the research domain and/or study country (Burkina Faso), and proficiency in some of the languages spoken in Burkina Faso (eg Mooré, Dioula. Fulfuldé, French) are important indicators of ability. Proficiency in spoken and written English is required.

Application:
The application must contain:
• A cover letter of max 700 words, including a brief presentation of yourself and your qualifications, as well as a brief explanation of why you are interested in the position
• Curriculum Vitae
• Copies of grades and examination certificates
• Master’s thesis in human geography or in a social science discipline judged as relevant to human geography
• A writing sample of 5-10 pages written in English (it can be the master thesis, a publication, or a paper written for a course)
• A concise research plan (maximum 2000 words including references). Your plan should explicitly make clear how the proposed research relates to the project
• Name and contact information of two academic references
• Other qualifications of relevance for the position.

The application must be in English

Type of employment
Limit of tenure, four years according to HF 5 kap 7§.