Project Assistant for a Research Project on Water from a Social Science Perspective (LU4Water)

We are seeking a candidate interested in working part-time during six months as a project assistant within the research project LU4Water at the Division of Human Rights, Lund University.

Description of the workplace

The position is based at the Department of History, Division of Human Rights, and forms part of a larger research project involving twelve researchers across six departments within Lund University (History, Sociology, Law, Division of Water Resources Engineering (TVRL), Economics, and Earth and Environmental Sciences).

The multi-year LU4Water research project is funded as part of Lund University’s excellence initiative Excellence Programme for Sustainable Development - Lunds universitet. We study water governance and water management, primarily in Sweden but also in a European and global context. The project focuses in particular on governance, legislative and policy processes in the water sector, providing insight into Swedish water management and its associated challenges. A specific strand of the project examines rights- and justice-based claims in national water management plans and related processes.

As part of the research project, your closest colleagues will be Johanna Ohlsson | Human Rights Studies and Erik Brattström | Department of Sociology, as well as the project’s other postdoctoral researchers. As a member of the Division of Human Rights, you will also have the opportunity to participate in, among other things, the division’s research seminars

The majority of the work will be carried out at the Department of History in Lund; however, some tasks may also be undertaken in collaboration with other researchers within the project and with partner organisations in Sweden.

We offer

Lund University is a public authority which means that employees get particular benefits, generous annual leave and an advantageous occupational pension scheme. We also have a flexitime agreement that provides good conditions for work/life balance. Read more on the University website about being a Lund University employee: Work for us | Lund University

Duties and responsibilities

The duties associated with this position include:

• systematic collection of information on water governance processes and water management plans;
• building a database based on collected data;
• data collection work at Swedish authorities, regions and municipalities might be needed;
• data curation and preparatory analytical work;
• supporting the project through assistance with basic administrative and communications tasks;
• supporting the research environment and its activities (e.g. booking travel or rooms).

Qualifications

To be eligible for the position, you must:

• hold a degree at least at bachaelor's level (e.g. first-cycle studies) in a discipline relevant to the theme (e.g. human rights or sustainability studies);
• have strong knowledge of water issues from a social-scientific perspective;
• have an excellent command of English, spoken and written;
• be able to work independently and in a structured manner;
• have strong collaborative skills.

It is an advantage if you:

• have a good command of Swedish, spoken and written;
• have experience working with policy material; have experience working within a research project;
• have experience working with collection, systematising and analysis of research data using software such as NVivo, Excel, or equivalent tools;
• have experience using reference-management software such as Zotero, EndNote, or equivalent tools;
• have an interest in research themes such as human rights and justice in relation to water and sustainability; have experience conducting qualitative interviews;

Further information

The position is a fixed term position for six months at 30 per cent of full time and starting 1 May 2026 or by agreement.

How to apply

Applications are to be submitted via the University’s recruitment system. You apply by submitting your CV and by answering a number of questions in the recruitment system.