One PhD student in Political Science. Topic: Power and Polarisation in Swedish Forestry. From Lock-ins to Sustainable Transitio

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 student will receive a salary from the University for four years, and the primary obligation is to complete the PhD studies. The position may involve departmental duties, for instance 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 workspace at the Department of Political Science. The terms of employment for doctoral students are regulated in the Swedish Higher Education Ordinance (HF 1993: 100), Chapter 5, Sections 1– 7.

The position is part of the interdisciplinary research project “Power and Polarisation in Swedish Forestry: From Lock-ins to Sustainable Transition” of Lund University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. The project is funded by FORMAS (2025-2030) and led by Professor Fariborz Zelli at the Department of Political Science, Lund University.

Debates over forest management in Sweden have become increasingly heated and polarised. Key actors stress the importance of intensive forest management for Sweden’s role as a major exporter of forest products. Others criticise that Swedish forestry is locked into practices that favour large-scale clear-cutting over alternatives like continuous cover forestry – at the expense of Sweden’s compliance with national, EU and global environmental goals.

The overarching aim of the project is to analyse these lock-ins, their drivers and impacts – and to identify sustainable compromises to alleviate polarisation. The project team employs a diversity of methods across disciplines, from interviews and focus groups, a survey, ethnographic approaches, network and scenario analyses. The team also collaborates with major stakeholders to identify strategies to address polarisation towards a sustainable transition in Swedish forestry.

Within these parameters and in dialogue with the project participants, the doctoral student will conduct independent research and will enjoy the freedom to formulate research questions, develop theoretical ideas and choose methodological approaches. 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 FORMAS.

More information about the project: https://portal.research.lu.se/en/projects/power-and-polarisation-in-swedish-forestry-from-lock-ins-to-susta/

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 studentship will commence on 1 September 2026. The general syllabus and other information about the PhD programme in political science is available at: https://www.svet.lu.se/en/internal/research-education-external-engagement/doctoral-studies-introduction

The limit of tenure is, in accordance with HF, chap. 5, 7§, four years.

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).

Applicants meet the general entry requirements for third cycle courses and study programmes if they:

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

Specific entry requirements

In addition to the general entry requirements, the successful candidate must have completed at least 30 second cycle credits of coursework within the main field of political science, or acquired the equivalent knowledge, i.e. coursework with an orientation towards politics in another discipline deemed equivalent, in Sweden or abroad. Moreover, a completed Master’s degree project/thesis of at least 15 credits in political science or other discipline deemed equivalent is required for appointment.

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 or 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. Experience from prior studies on environmental politics, forest governance or Swedish policy processes and political culture is considered a merit. Interviews will be conducted with a short-listed number of applicants during the final stages of the admission process.

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 brief research plan with regard to the research project’s theme in Swedish or English of max 2 000 words including references.
• 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/thesis, a Bachelor's degree project/thesis can also be submitted).
• 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.

The evaluation of applicants is based on documents submitted by the application deadline. Only complete applications will be considered. It is not possible to add documentation after the deadline.

We look forward to receiving your application!