PhD position in Political Science, Topic: Forest policies in Fennoscandia - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Duties
The PhD programme in political science consists of 240 credits (equivalent to four years of full-time studies) and is concluded with the public defense of a doctoral thesis. The appointed doctoral students will receive a salary from the University during four years, and their primary obligation is to complete their PhD studies. The position may involve departmental duties, mainly in the form of teaching, up to 20 per cent of fulltime working hours, in which case the appointment will be extended by the equivalent number of hours. The doctoral student will have access to a work space at the Department of Political Science. The terms of employment for doctoral students are regulated in the Swedish Higher Education Ordinance (HF), Chapter 5, Sections 1– 7.

The position is part of the research project “Green forest policies: a comparative assessment of outcomes and trade-offs across Fenno-Scandinavia (GreenPole). The project is funded by NordForsk, run by consortium across Lund University, Helsinki University, and Aarhus University, and coordinated by Assistant Professor Nils Droste. The project is highly interdisciplinary, employing multiple models and methods from ecology, environmental science, and social sciences and combines them in an overarching socio-ecological framework. The overarching aim of the project is to assess effects of forest policies through a modular, integrated policy assessment model, and derive evidence-based policy advice.

The student is expected to contribute to the project by an analysis of the behavioral responses of forest owners and other land users to (changes in) Fenno-scandinavian forest policies, e.g. through agent-based modelling. Within these parameters, the doctoral student will conduct independent research and will enjoy freedom to formulate research questions, develop a theoretical approach, and choose an appropriate methodology. The doctoral student is expected to be present and actively participate in the research and teaching environment at the department, as well as in the everyday activities of the project, including reporting to NordForsk. An interdisciplinary background from political geography, political economy, political ecology, sustainability studies or environmental sciences, and experience with agent-based modelling are a merit. 

A core departmental research area at Political Science in Lund is environmental politics, organized by the Environmental Politics Research Group (EPRG). Its research environment is linked to a series of inter-disciplinary initiatives of scholarly excellence at Lund University and beyond. For instance: the strategic research area ‘Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in a Changing Climate’ (BECC) and the graduate school on Climate, Biodiversity and Ecosystem services in a changing world (ClimBEco).

The main language of the PhD programme is English. However, non-Swedish speaking students are expected to acquire basic skills in Swedish during the period of employment. There are opportunities to participate in language courses taught at the University. The doctoral position will commence on 1 September 2021. The general syllabus and other information about the PhD programme in political science is available at: http://www.svet.lu.se/en/education/phd-studies

Qualifications
The requirements for admission to third cycle courses and study programmes (in accordance with HF, Chapter 7, Section 35) are that the applicant

• meets the general and specific entry requirements that the higher education institution may have laid down, and
• is considered in other respects to have the ability required to benefit from the course or study programme (Swedish Code of Statutes 2010:1064).

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

• has been awarded a second cycle qualification,
• 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.

Specific entry requirements
In addition to the general entry requirements, the applicant must have completed at least 30 second cycle credits within the main field of political science, or acquired the equivalent knowledge in Sweden or abroad. The applicant must also present a graded Master’s degree project of at least 15 credits in political science or other discipline deemed equivalent. 

Assessment criteria
Only applicants who are eligible for third cycle studies may be appointed to a doctoral studentship. Admission is primarily to be based on the applicant’s ability to benefit from the third cycle programme. The applicants will be ranked based on an overall assessment of the quality of their submitted thesis/ theses and research plan, grades from previous studies, and their personal suitability. As third cycle studies in political science are very demanding, the applicant must be highly motivated and able to work independently under time constraints. Good collaboration and communication skills are also required, as is proficiency in both written and spoken English. Interviews will be conducted with a shortlisted number of applicants during the final stages of the admission process. The applicants may be asked to provide work samples.

Application procedure
Applications are to be submitted electronically via the Lund University application portal.

The application must include:

• A cover letter in Swedish or English of max 1 000 words, which contains a brief presentation of yourself and your qualifications, as well as a brief explanation of why you are interested in third cycle studies at the Department of Political Science at Lund University.
• A CV in Swedish or English that demonstrated your qualifications for the third cycle programme in Political Science.
• Degree and grade certificates in Swedish or English.
• Master’s degree project in Swedish or English corresponding to at least 15 credits in political science or another discipline deemed equivalent (in addition to the Master’s degree project, a Bachelor's degree project can also be submitted).
• A brief research plan in Swedish or English of max 2 000 words including references.
• Name and contact information of two personal references (letters of reference are not required in the first stage of application).
• Other documentation of relevance to the position.
  
  Type of employment
  Limit of tenure, four years according to HF 5 kap 7§.