1 doctoral student in economic geography

Job assignment:
The doctoral candidate program 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. Regulations concerning appointment as a full-time doctoral student can be found in the Higher Education Ordinance Chapter 5, 1-7 §§.

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 percent of full time.

The research will be conducted within the field of economic geography and connect to the research projects “Geography of urban infrastructure transformation – understanding the global diffusion of innovation in the sanitation sector (GEO-SAN)” and “Toward circular urban water economies - Assessing the Global Scaling Trajectories of Four Innovative Water Reuse Solutions (GLOBALWATER)”. The joint goal of these projects is to understand how innovative urban water treatment and reuse solutions are developed, scaled and diffused across different spatial contexts. The PhD candidate is expected to engage in research on the geography of socio-technical transitions and analyze global innovation trajectories related to water treatment and reuse in centralized (large-scale network based) and de-centralized (modular, small-scale) systems respectively. The projects draw on a mixed-methods approach that combines qualitative in-depth case studies in lighthouse cities in high- and middle-income contexts (e.g. EU, USA, India, South Africa) with global system mapping using socio-technical configuration analysis (STCA). The position will include original data collection through fieldwork and interview campaigns in high- and middle-income cities.

More information on the PhD program at the Department of Human Geography is available at https://www.keg.lu.se/en/research/phd-education/phd-in-human-geography

Eligibility/Entry Requirements:
To be eligible for third cycle studies an applicant must:

•    Have been awarded a second cycle degree

•    Have completed studies the equivalent of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 credits are at the second cycle level, or

•    Have acquired comparable qualifications 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 related disciplines (e.g. sociology, economics, economic history, innovation studies, transition studies). Exams must include independent work of at least 30 higher education credits, of which at least half is at the second cycle level. 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 candidate positions. When an appointment to such a position 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 positions 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.

Applications will be reviewed according to the pertinence of research interests and profile in relation to the abovementioned research projects. Application texts, previous essays and published material are important documents for assessing the ability of candidates. Particular emphasis is placed on 1) experience of qualitative case study methods and/or mixed-methods research in human/economic geography or socio-technical transition studies and/or social network analysis, 2) experience of data collection and/or other professional activities in middle-income urban contexts and/or the urban water management sector. 

In addition to the obligation to engage in their own research studies, the holder may be required to perform duties related to education, research and administrative work according to special provisions in the regulation.

Application:
The application must contain:

•    A cover letter of a maximum of 700 words, which contains a brief presentation of you as an applicant and your qualifications as they relate to the above-mentioned project. Upload as a single pdf-format file.
•    Concise research proposal (max. 2000 words including references) including literature review, aim, research questions and methodology. It should relate broadly to the topic of the above-described research projects. It will be evaluated in terms of quality, feasibility and potential contribution to the research field. Upload as a single pdf-format file.
•    Curriculum vitae. Upload as a single pdf-format file.
•    An example of independently written academic work. This will typically be a master’s thesis. Upload as a single pdf-format file.
•    If available, copies of scientific publications authored or co-authored by you. Upload as a single pdf-format file.
•    Name and contact information of 2-3 people we may contact for personal references (in type-in box).
•    Copies of examination certificates and grades. Upload as a single pdf-format file.

The application must be in English and entered into the Lund University job application portal, varbi.

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