PhD student in Natural Resources and Sustainable Development, focus on climate adaptation in Swedish forestry

PhD student in Natural Resources and Sustainable Development, focus on climate adaptation in Swedish forestry

Are you interested in working with the social and policy context of climate adaptation in Sweden, with the support of competent and friendly colleagues in an international environment? Are you looking for an employer that invests in sustainable employeeship and offers safe, favourable working conditions? We welcome you to apply for a PhD position at Uppsala University.

The Department of Earth Sciences at Uppsala University is Sweden´s largest and most versatile department of its kind with approximately 300 employees. Our activities are interdisciplinary and combine natural science and technology with social science. We have research programs in air, water and landscape science; geophysics; natural resources and sustainable development; petrology, mineralogy and tectonics; paleobiology, and wind energy. By investigating the history of Earth, we understand how our planet has developed over time and how sustainable development benefits from this knowledge. For more information: The Department of Earth Sciences.

Uppsala University Conflicting Objectives Research Nexus (UUniCORN) is a novel initiative at Uppsala University which aims to promote transdisciplinary research to address current and future societal challenges. The institute is placed under the Vice-Chancellor and offers a unique environment for innovative and interdisciplinary research.

The “Natural Resources and Sustainable Development Program” at the Department of Earth Sciences aims at providing knowledge on how to protect and utilize natural resources in a sustainable way, in the intersection between natural and social systems, where science and policy interact. The PhD student position is located within the Natural Resources and Sustainable Development Program, in Uppsala in collaboration with UUniCORN. The focus is on climate adaptation in Swedish forests through assisted migration – the human-assisted movement of species into regions of projected climate suitability.

The PhD position is within the Formas funded research project ANAFOR: “Assisting natural adaptation of forests to climate change: overcoming socio-political and ecological obstacles”. The aim of ANAFOR is to reveal where and under what conditions the targeted use of assisted migration of eight southern tree species, and other plants, is best suited to overcoming climate change threats to natural and production forest systems.

Duties
The PhD student will assess existing governance obstacles to the implementation of assisted migration in Sweden and explore existing and potential policy instruments that could help to overcome these obstacles. The work will involve policy analysis to identify obstacles and opportunities, assessment of the willingness of different actors to implement assisted migration, and a Delphi survey of experts regarding assisted migration. The work includes collaboration with other researchers in ANAFOR, and to be an active part of UUniCORN’s activites and networks. The PhD student is also expected to help organize and coordinate activities in which stakeholders take part, such as workshops, as well as to actively contribute to communication and other outreach activities.

Requirements
To meet the entry requirements for doctoral studies, you must

- hold a Master’s (second-cycle) degree in in forestry, environmental sciences or sustainable development, including a political science or similar component, or

- have completed at least 240 credits in higher education, with at least 60 credits at Master’s level including an independent project worth at least 15 credits, or

- have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way.

Having experience in at least one of the following – policy analysis, working in interdisciplinary collaborative projects (e.g., collaboration with natural scientists), facilitating stakeholder involvement processes, or engaging diverse stakeholders – is highly sought after. Good language skills in both Swedish and English are required.

Additional qualifications
Skills or experiences in workshop facilitation, surveys, and interviews and interview methods are advantageous. A good understanding of the Swedish forestry sector is desirable.

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

Application
The application should include a cover letter shortly describing your personal motivation for applying for this position and description of relevant skills/qualifications and research interests, as well as a short outline of planned PhD work (ideas for studies to be included). The application should also include a CV, copies of relevant exams, degrees and grades, master thesis and other relevant documents, and contact details of referees. We would also like to know the earliest possible date for starting.

About the employment
The employment is a temporary position according to the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 § 7. Scope of employment 100 %. Starting date 1 February 2026, or as agreed. Placement: Uppsala

For further information about the position, please contact: Malgorzata Blicharska, +46 76 822 66 16, malgorzata.blicharska@geo.uu.se.

Please submit your application by 7 November 2025, UFV-PA 2025/2919.