PhD student in Natural Resources and Sustainable Development/Food Security - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

PhD student in Natural Resources/Sustainable Development-Resilient Food Supply

The Department of Earth Sciences of Uppsala University focuses on subjects that range from the Earth's core to the atmosphere, on scales from submicroscopic structures in minerals to the formation of mountains and oceans, and from basic research on natural resources to research on how humans can sustainably manage these resources. For more information please visit: The Department of Earth Sciences.

The interdisciplinary research of the Natural Resources and Sustainable Development Programme within the department focuses on the different dimensions of sustainable development. We consider the environment and its natural resources and ecosystem services as an overarching foundation for society and economy and aim to provide knowledge on how to identify, explore for, extract, and utilize natural resources in a safe and sustainable fashion. Our work involves considerations of both natural and social systems and their interactions, often adopting transdisciplinary approaches.

The availability of, and access to food is important for sustaining life on earth. At the same time, the availability of food depends directly on the state of natural resources. The impacts of climate change, environmental degradation, pandemics and the decision to rebuild the total defense of Sweden have all raised questions regarding how food security can be guaranteed at a time of increased vulnerabilities. Self-sufficiency and a dependence on food imports are actively discussed in Sweden. In light of this development, there are several reasons to explore what the present conditions are in developing more resilient regional and local food systems. This project contributes to research on food preparedness and protection of agricultural land with focus on regional and local planning, policy and practice. The overall purpose of the project is to 1) explore and gain an understanding on if/how municipalities work with food preparedness and protection of agricultural land; 2) identify obstacles, opportunities, innovative approaches and possible ways to strengthen co-operations within the municipal organisation, between municipalities and between municipalities and other regional and local key actors.

The project will be conducted in a collaborative interdisciplinary research environment involving Natural Resources and Sustainable Development (NRHU) at Uppsala University; the Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, and the Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI).

The PhD student position is placed in Uppsala within the interdisciplinary research program Natural Resources and Sustainable Development.

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Duties
The work of the PhD student will focus on the following objectives: 1) to examine three selected case studies (selection of three municipalities based on the results of a regional survey) and investigate how the municipalities work with preservation of agricultural land and food preparedness in terms of policy, planning and practice; 2) to identify the conditions, opportunities, obstacles and goal conflicts  in realizing it; 3) to investigate innovative municipal and regional initiatives that contribute to the preservation of agricultural land and food preparedness; 4) explore intra- and inter municipal governance as well as collaborations with other local and regional key governance actors for the preservation of agricultural land and strengthen food preparedness.

Requirements
The applicant shall have a university master's degree in planning, human geography, political science, sustainable development, or equivalent. The successful candidate shall have documented experience in applying qualitative research methods, such as text/discourse analysis, interviews, focus group interviews, observations, stakeholder mapping, and/or ethnographic approaches and experiences of participation processes such as workshops and other types of co-production of knowledge. Good written and spoken Swedish and English language skills are a requirement. Experience in interdisciplinary research is necessary.

Application
The application must contain a letter (two pages max) that briefly describes your motives for applying for the PhD position, how you intend to contribute to the project, as well as relevant skills, qualifications and research interests. The application must also contain a CV, copies of relevant grades, degree project and contact information for two reference persons.

Rules governing PhD students are set out in the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5, §§ 1-7 and in Uppsala University's rules and guidelines.

About the employment
The employment is a temporary position according to the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 § 7. Scope of employment 100 %. Starting date as agreed. Placement: Uppsala

For further information about the position, please contact: Madeleine Granvik, phone number: +46 70 425 00 53, email: madeleine.granvik@balticuniv.uu.se.

Please submit your application by 24 February 2023 UFV-PA 2023/339.

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