PhD fellowship in Urban Frontiers

The Department of Food and Resource Economics invites applicants for a PhD fellowship in Urban Frontiers. The project is part of the research project, Urban Frontiers, directed by Professor Christian Lund. The project is funded by the European Research Council (ERC). Three PhD positions are advertised.

Start date is expected to be January 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The project

The world is currently undergoing the largest wave of urban growth in human history. However, no land, that government and developers see as future cities in the Global South, is vacant. There is no empty ‘no-man’s land.’ Individual citizens, social movements, squatters, and urban developers already engage in making their land use look legal. Urban property development in the Global South therefore often starts out in illegality, and only subsequently does it become legal. The project investigates how land is accessed, coded, and controlled in urban peripheries.

Applicants will work within the theoretical and conceptual framework of the programme as described on www.urbanfrontiers.eu. The research project will conduct a series of extended case studies of concrete social struggles in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Applicants must propose a country and within it an urban research site and describe how the research priorities of the programme will be relevantly addressed in the project (maximum 4 pages). Significant fieldwork is envisaged. Relevant language capabilities are important qualifications.

The PhD students will be working within the Global Development Section in the Department for Food and Resource Economics at the University of Copenhagen.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for candidates within the fields of anthropology, development studies, economics, geography, political science, sociology or similar.

We are looking for the following qualifications:

• Professional qualifications relevant to the PhD project.
• Relevant work experience with qualitative research methods.
• Familiarity with quantitative research methods.
• Curious and collaborative mind-set.
• A strong interest in dynamics of social change.
• Knowledge of the country proposed in your application.
• Relevant language capabilities.

Our group and research- and what do we offer?

The project is a part of Section for Global Development, and the Department of Food and Resource Economics, Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen. We are located in Copenhagen.

Global Development, engages in inter-disciplinary research on economic, political, environmental, and institutional dynamics in developing countries. Research areas include issues of livelihoods, small-scale industry, trade, and labour; of climate change mitigation and adaptation; of forest and natural resource management; of resource conflicts and land grabbing; and of governance, state formation, and corruption.

Principal supervisor is Professor Christian Lund (clund@ifro.ku.dk) or Associate Professor Mattias Borg Rasmussen (mbr@ifro.ku.dk).

The PhD programme is a three year full-time study within the framework of the regular PhD programme (5+3 scheme). To be eligible for the regular PhD programme, you must have completed a degree programme, equivalent to a Danish master’s degree (180 ECTS/3 FTE BSc + 120 ECTS/2 FTE MSc) related to the subject area of the project. For information of eligibility of completed programmes, see General assessments for specific countries and Assessment database.

Terms of employment in the regular programme
Employment as PhD fellow is full time and for maximum 3 years.

Employment is conditional upon your successful enrolment as a PhD student at the PhD School at the Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen. This requires submission and acceptance of an application for the specific project formulated by the applicant.

Terms of appointment and payment accord to the agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State. The position is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure.

Responsibilities and tasks in both PhD programmes

• Carry through an independent research project under supervision

• Complete PhD courses corresponding to approx. 30 ECTS / ½ FTE
• Participate in active research environments, including a stay at another research institution, preferably abroad
• Teaching and knowledge dissemination activities
• Write and defend a PhD thesis on the basis of your project

Application and Assessment Procedure

Your application including all attachments must be in English and submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below.

Please include: 

• Motivated letter of application (max. one page)
• Project proposal (maximum 4 pages). Applicants will work within the theoretical and conceptual framework of the programme as described on www.urbanfrontiers.eu. Applicants must propose a country and within it an urban research site and describe how the research priorities of the programme will be relevantly addressed in the project Significant fieldwork is envisaged.
• Curriculum vitae including information about your education, experience, relevant language skills and other skills relevant for the position
• Original diplomas for Bachelor of Science or Master of Science and transcript of records in the original language, including an authorized English translation if issued in another language than English or Danish. If not completed, a certified/signed copy of a recent transcript of records or a written statement from the institution or supervisor is accepted.
• Publication list (if possible)
• Reference letters (if available)

Application deadline:

The deadline for applications is 4 October 2024, 23:59 GMT +1.

We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline, and not to consider applications that do not live up to the abovementioned requirements.

The further process
After deadline, a number of applicants will be selected for academic assessment by an unbiased expert assessor. You are notified, whether you will be passed for assessment.

The assessor will assess the qualifications and experience of the shortlisted applicants with respect to the above mentioned research area, techniques, skills and other requirements. The assessor will conclude whether each applicant is qualified and, if so, for which of the two models. The assessed applicants will have the opportunity to comment on their assessment. You can read about the recruitment process at https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/.

Interviews with selected candidates are expected to be held in the first week of December 2024.

Questions
For specific information about the PhD fellowship, please contact the principal supervisor.

General information about PhD study at the Faculty of SCIENCE is available at the PhD School’s website: https://www.science.ku.dk/phd/.

The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the surrounding community and invites all regardless of personal background to apply for the position.