PhD Positions in Geography

Lund University

Lund University

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world’s top universities. The University has around 46 000 students and 8 500 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition.

Job assignments:

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 fulfil 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 perform departmental duties, above all teaching, amounting to about 20 per cent of full time.

The PhD student(s) will be employed in the DECENT project (Socio-technical modularity and the decentralization of infrastructure), financed by the ERC: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101219042.

Cities have long relied on centralised systems for providing essential services such as electricity, water and transport. These large network-based infrastructures often fail to meet social, economic and environmental needs. The DECENT project aims to explore how decentralized infrastructure solutions, such as micro-grids, small-scale wastewater treatment, multi-modal transport, short food chains, or distributed finance, overcome the historical legacies of large-scale infrastructure systems and supply societal functions in more modular ways. The doctoral students will study decentralization from a configurational socio-technical perspective and focus on aspects such as: local and global industry dynamics, geography of innovation, sustainability transitions and/or urban experimentation. Empirically, the project will study and compare infrastructure decentralization in high- (e.g., European or North American) and middle-income (e.g., South- or Southeast Asian) cities.

PhD students are expected to:

design and conduct empirical research on infrastructure decentralization in different sectors (e.g., water, mobility or agri-food) and geographies, in collaboration with the project team;
write single- and co-authored scientific publications during the duration of the employment;
work closely together with the project team and contribute to joint meetings and activities;
present their research at national and international conferences;
write and defend a PhD thesis.

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/economic geography or another relevant discipline (e.g., transition studies, innovation studies, sociology, economics, economic history, political science). 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. 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.

We are looking for candidates with

a strong motivation for academic research and curiosity about societal transformations;
a background in economic geography, transition studies, innovation studies, sociology, economics, economic history, political science, or related disciplines;
experience of working with empirical data collection and analysis (qualitative or quantitative), and an interest in working with mixed-methods approaches;
a strong interest in interdisciplinary approaches bridging transition studies and economic geography;
excellent writing skills;
proficiency in spoken and written English.

Application:

The application must contain:

A cover letter of a maximum of 300 words, which contains a brief presentation of you as an applicant and your qualifications as they relate to the above-mentioned project. The cover letter should start with 2-5 bullet points highlighting the most important qualifications. Upload as a single pdf-format file.
A document outlining a research idea related to the topic of the DECENT project (as described above). Upload as a single pdf-format file. This should be seen as a work sample and an indication of conceptual and empirical interest – not as a binding commitment to undertake the research described. The document should consist of the following headings:Curriculum vitae. Upload as a single pdf-format file.
- Societal relevance (max 200 words excluding references)
- Academic significance / research gap (with references to key studies) (max 200 words excluding references)
- Conceptual approach (with references to key studies) (max 200 words excluding references)
- Methodological approach and tentative cases (max 200 words excluding references)
- Potential contribution (max 200 words excluding references)
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 diploma is uploaded as a single PDF file named 'diploma'.
No other material should be uploaded or entered into the application.

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

Type of employment

Limit of tenure, four years according to Higher Education Ordinance Chapter 5, paragraph 7.

The Faculty of Social Sciences at Lund University is one of the leading education and research institutions in Sweden and operates both in Lund and Helsingborg.

The Department of Human Geography (Institutionen för kulturgeografi och ekonomisk geografi) at Lund University is a research-intensive academic unit within the Faculty of Social Sciences. It combines long academic traditions with modern and highly internationalised research and education. The department hosts a broad portfolio of education at undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels, including internationally oriented programmes such as the Master’s in Human Geography.

The department comprises a diverse faculty. The exact staffing varies, but the department currently employs 55–60 academic and administrative staff. The department educates roughly 400 full-time students across bachelor’s and master’s programmes, and it employs about 15 doctoral students.

The research environment is strongly oriented towards external funding and has been successful competitively at national and European levels. The department’s research and education activities have received very favourable assessments in internal and external evaluations, positioning it among Lund University’s leading disciplinary domains.

Lund University as a whole performs prominently in global rankings. According to the most recent QS World University Rankings, Lund University is placed #72 globally and achieves strong subject-level positions, including in fields related to human geography and environmental sciences. Lund University also ranks #1 in the world for sustainability in the same ranking, reflecting its strengths in socially and environmentally relevant research and education.

We kindly decline all sales and marketing contacts.

Type of employment

Temporary position
First day of employment 1 januari 2027 (eller efter överenskommelse)
Salary Monthly salary
Number of positions 1
Full-time equivalent 100
City Lund
County Skåne län
Country Sweden
Reference number PA2026/2008

Contact

Henrik Gutzon Larsen, Studierektor, +46462221758, henrik_gutzon.larsen@keg.lu.se
Johan Miörner, Från projektet, 0462220000, johan.miorner@keg.lu.se
Elin Johansson, HR-Admin, 046222000, elin.johansson@sam.lu.se

Union representative

SEKO: Seko Civil, 046-2229366, sekocivil@seko.lu.se
OFR/ST:Fackförbundet ST:s kansli, 046-2229362, st@st.lu.se
SACO:Saco-s-rådet vid Lunds universitet, 046-2220000, kansli@saco-s.lu.se

Published 09.Jun.2026
Last application date 28.Aug.2026

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