Postdoctoral Position in Political Science

Project description

Third-cycle subject: Sustainability Studies

We are looking for an ambitious PhD student to analyze the political ecology of coastal urbanization by developing a qualitative case study on the labour and workers behind dredging and land reclamation in Singapore, an often invisiblized labour that nevertheless laid the foundation for this global city of finance and trade. The focus is on workers' experiences, histories, migration, organization and everyday places. The project combines urban political ecology (UPE) and labour geography to understand how sediment, machinery and labor combine with industrial and financial capital to shape often unequal urbanization patterns. Employment at KTH's Environmental Science Department with a 15-24 month stay in Singapore at the School of Social Science at Nanyang Technological University (NTU). You will join a supportive research team that studies the political ecology of dredging and land reclamation. Go here for more information about the PhD project.

Supervision: Professor Henrik Ernstson at KTH and Associate Professor Ye Junjia at NTU. Decision at admission.

What we offer

• The possibility to study in a dynamic and international research environment in collaboration with industries and prominent universities from all over the world.
• A workplace with many employee benefits and monthly salary according to KTH’s Doctoral student salary agreement.
• A postgraduate education at an institution that is active and supportive in matters pertaining to working conditions, gender equality and diversity as well as study environment.
• Work and study in Stockholm, close to nature and the water.
• Participate in a vibrant interdisciplinary community at KTH: Situated Ecologies Platform, KTH Environmental Humanities Lab, Centre of Excellence for Anthropocene History, Climate Action Centre, that provide seminars and attracts world leading scholars.
• Join the research team Terra Potentia: The World-making Force of Dredging with ongoing studies in Hamburg, New Orleans, Savannah, and Luleå.
• Receive doctoral education at two leading universities and be part of a strategic partnership between KTH and NTU.
• Guidance on relocating and settling in Sweden and at KTH and access to on-campus graduate housing at NTU.

Admission requirements

To be admitted to postgraduate education (Chapter 7, 39 § Swedish Higher Education Ordinance), the applicant must have basic eligibility in accordance with either of the following:

• passed a second cycle degree (for example a master's degree), or
• completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 second-cycle higher education credits, or
• acquired, in some other way within or outside the country, substantially equivalent knowledge

In addition to the above, there is also a mandatory requirement for English equivalent to English B/6. 

Selection

In order to succeed as a doctoral student at KTH you need to be goal oriented and persevering in your work. During the selection process, candidates will be assessed upon their ability to:

• independently pursue his or her work
• collaborate with others,
• have a professional approach and
• analyze and work with complex issues.

Meritorious:

• MSc/MA degree in Human geography, Social anthropology, Sociology, Environmental humanities, Urban studies, or similar.
• Ability to use advanced social theory in human geographical and/or environmental studies.
• Experience of qualitative methods, e.g. participatory observation, interviewing, or historical/archival work.
• Solid communication skills (verbal, writing) and English proficiency.
• Language skills in Bengali or Chinese/Mandarin (for fieldwork, English is sufficient in Singapore, but these languages an advantage).
• Interest in Asian studies through coursework, traineeship, or similar.
• Interest in urban political ecology (UPE), political economy, urban or maritime studies.

Attach articles, thesis, course essays, and/or reference letters to verify the above.

After the qualification requirements, great emphasis will be placed on personal skills. 

Target degree: Doctoral Degree

Information regarding admission and employment

Only those admitted to postgraduate education may be employed as a doctoral student. The total length of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education in four years' time. An employed doctoral student can, to a limited extent (maximum 20%), perform certain tasks within their role, e.g. training and administration. A new position as a doctoral student is for a maximum of one year, and then the employment may be renewed for a maximum of two years at a time. 

Union representatives

Contact information for union representatives.

Doctoral section (Students’ union on KTH Royal Institute of Technology)

Contact information for doctoral section.

To apply for the position

Apply for the position and admission through KTH's recruitment system. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the advertisement.

Applications must be received at the last closing date at midnight, CET/CEST (Central European Time/Central European Summer Time).

Applications must include the following elements:

• CV including your relevant professional experience and knowledge.
• Application letter with description of why you want to pursue doctoral studies, your academic interests and how they relate to the PhD project, your previous studies and future goals. (Max 2 pages)
• Copies of diplomas and grades from previous university studies and certificates of fulfilled language requirements (see above).
• Translations into English or Swedish if the original document is not issued in one of these languages. Copies of originals must be certified.
• Representative publications or technical reports. For longer documents, please provide a summary (abstract) and a web link to the full text.

Other information

Striving towards gender equality, diversity and equal conditions is both a question of quality for KTH and a given part of our values.

For information about processing of personal data in the recruitment process.

It may be the case that a position at KTH is classified as a security-sensitive role in accordance with the Protective Security Act (2018:585). If this applies to the specific position, a security clearance will be conducted for the applicant in accordance with the same law with the applicant's consent. In such cases, a prerequisite for employment is that the applicant is approved following the security clearance.

We firmly decline all contact with staffing and recruitment agencies and job ad salespersons.

Disclaimer: In case of discrepancy between the Swedish original and the English translation of the job announcement, the Swedish version takes precedence.

About KTH

KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm has grown to become one of Europe’s leading technical and engineering universities, as well as a key centre of intellectual talent and innovation. We are Sweden’s largest technical research and learning institution and home to students, researchers and faculty from around the world. Our research and education covers a wide area including natural sciences and all branches of engineering, as well as architecture, industrial management, urban planning, history and philosophy. Read more here