Postdoctoral position in Sociology with focus on water within the Lund University Agenda 2030 - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

The 2030 Agenda is the framework for sustainable development that the world’s nations have signed to end extreme poverty, reduce inequalities, solve the climate crisis, promote peace and equity and much more. To achieve the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals, research has several important roles: to identify challenges and conflicting objectives, contribute to new solutions, generate dialogue and learning between different societal stakeholders and critically analyse the goals. Lund University aspires to be a part of the solution and has therefore initiated a research programme on sustainable development with postdoc fellowships in interdisciplinary projects. The projects will not only constitute platforms for the postdocs’ career development, but also form a basis for national and European applications, and for future environments for excellence and profiling. The programme is also to develop the postdocs’ expertise in teaching and learning in higher education. For more information about the programme, please visit Excellence Programme for Sustainable Development | Sustainability Forum (lu.se)

Researchers from six faculties will collaborate on developing a new framework for implementing Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) built on digitalisation, big data, remote sensing, and water governance following the legal and economic structures within the family of EU water directives.

The postdoc in Sociology will contribute with an analysis of general socio-technical characteristics of water sectors globally and in Sweden as a basis for further research on how these characteristics impact water governance and management, innovation, as well as transformation on different geographical scales. Based on that research, the postdoc will contribute to developing policy designs specifically informed by sustainability transition thinking, which considers the socio-technical interdependencies prevalent in the water sector. Research will span different disciplinary and interdisciplinary fields, such as environmental sociology, STS, organization studies, sustainability transition and innovation studies, economic geography, and other related fields. The postdoc will be supervised by Lea Fünfschilling.

The main duties involved in a post-doctoral posistion is to conduct research. Teaching and administrative duties are included up to no more than 20% of working hours.

Appointment to a post-doctoral position requires that the applicant has a PhD degree in Sociology (or other subject relevant to the tasks of the position). The PhD needs to have been completed no more than three years before the date of employment decision. Applications from persons without a doctoral degree can be accepted, but the requirement needs to be fulfilled before the position starts. Under special circumstances, the doctoral degree can have been completed earlier.

Additional requirements:

• Experience with inter- and transdisciplinary work environments as well as willingness to collaborate in interdisciplinary project teams
• Demonstrated interest in sustainability questions from a social science perspective, preferably with a focus on water-related issues and questions of governance
• Oral and written proficiency in English demonstrated by publications, essays or reports in English

We are looking for an independent and creative person with a broad scientific and societal interest who thrives in a dynamic research environment. The project requires close collaboration with national authorities, contractors, and consultants as well as Swedish and foreign scientists, and accordingly, the applicant should be able to work both independently and collaboratively.

Assessment criteria:

This is a career development position primarily focused on research. The position is intended as an initial step in a career, and the assessment of the applicants will primarily be based on their research qualifications and potential as researchers.

For appointments to a post-doctoral position, the following shall form the assessment criteria:

• A good ability to develop and conduct high quality research.
• Documented experience in teaching at undergraduate/graduate/postgraduate level

Additional meritorious competencies:

• Demonstrated ability of speaking and understanding the Swedish language is beneficial.

Consideration will also be given to good collaborative skills, drive and independence, and how the applicant’s experience and skills complement and strengthen ongoing research within the project group and how they stand to contribute to its future development.

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