Doctoral student in in Risk and Environmental Studies - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Description

The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences invites applications for a doctoral studentship in Risk and Environmental Studies.

The doctoral studentship is offered within the interdisciplinary subject Risk and Environmental Studies at Karlstad University, as well as being tied to the university’s Centre for Societal Risk Research, (CSR). CSR is a research centre at Karlstad University that creates and disseminates knowledge about societal risks and the role of society in relations to these risks (https://www.kau.se/en/csr). Risk and Environmental Studies is an interdisciplinary subject that developed from primarily environmental sciences, public health science and risk management. The doctoral programme in Risk and Environmental Studies at Karlstad University specialises in social strategies for the prevention of personal injuries, in climate adaptation and risk reduction in relation to disasters, as well as society’s transition to sustainable development.

Education in Risk and Environmental Studies is primarily offered within the Bachelor’s programme in Environment and Safety, and the Master’s programme in Risk Management in Society (120 credits). The subject currently has eleven active doctoral students and a total of 30 staff members. For more information on research and the doctoral programme in Risk and Environmental Studies at Karlstad University, click here. The admitted doctoral candidate will closely collaborate (and be co-supervised) with the Geomatics Unit from the Department of Life and Environmental Sciences. Geomatics encompasses disciplines and technologies for gathering, storing, analyzing, and visualizing geographical data, including cartography, geodesy, remote sensing, and GIS.

Rapid urbanization in the Majority World (MW) is leading to the proliferation of deprived urban areas (DUAs). By 2030, the number of people living in DUAs will reach 2 billion. These communities are at a higher risk of exposure to infectious diseases, environmentally related health issues, and to the effects of climate change when compared to the planned, more affluent neighbourhoods of a city. Unfortunately, monitoring data for DUAs in many MW countries are incomplete or inconsistent, while there exists a clear knowledge gap with respect to their characteristics and risk variations.

Duties

The student will be expected to bridge this abovementioned information gaps using geospatial information (including earth observation data and publicly available datasets), machine/deep learning approaches and citizen science. The doctoral candidate will have the opportunity to work with diverse cities in South America, South East Asia and Africa. The outcome of the doctoral thesis should be tied around:

1. i) improving our knowledge of the physical, demographic, and socio-economic characteristics of DUAs in the MW
2. ii) quantifying the differences between DUAs and non-DUAs concerning relevant natural hazards such as flooding, drought, and heatwaves in order to contribute to a more sustainable future in accordance with SDGs for the most vulnerable urban citizens.

As a doctoral student, you will primarily dedicate time to your own studies. The doctoral programme, comprising 240 credits for a Degree of Doctor is an opportunity to study while being paid a salary in combination with work and provides a stepping stone for a career in academia. You are expected to work independently and be prepared to contribute to the activities and development of the subject and the department. Teaching and administrative duties are also be included will not constitute more than 20% of full-time. Work as a doctoral student allows for great freedom and flexibility in terms of how you structure your day. It takes commitment, discipline and a structured approach in order to progress with the thesis. Experienced supervisors guide and support you along the way. To contribute to a positive work environment and further the department’s activities, we expect you to be a present and active part of the day-to-day operations and workplace community.

Entry requirements

To be eligible for doctoral studies, the applicant must meet the general and specific entry requirements (Higher Education Ordinance, Chap. 7, Sect. 35).

To meet the general entry requirements, the applicant must have been awarded a second-cycle qualification, satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second-cycle or acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad (Higher Education Ordinance, Chap. 7, Sect. 39).

To meet the specific entry requirements for third-cycle studies in Risk and Environmental Studies, the applicant should hold a Degree of Master or Swedish ‘magisterexamen’ (60 credits), or equivalent qualifications, in a subject of relevance to Risk and Environmental Studies, Geography, Geoinformatics, or Spatial Planning.

Admission and assessment criteria

To be eligible for doctoral studies, the applicant must be considered to have the ability required to benefit from the programme (Higher Education Ordinance, Chap. 7, Sect. 35). Admission is based on individual assessment.

Most weight in the assessment will be given to the applicant’s expertise and experience from previous studies and the quality of any independent projects completed.

It is of great weight that the applicant is well-organised and flexible, with excellent communication skills in both written and spoken English.

Experience and knowledge of (spatial) data analysis with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) or programming/scripting with (e.g., Python, R or equivalent) and affinity with machine learning will be given weight, as well as knowledge about demographics and socio-economic conditions in the Global South. Experience with handling earth observation data is also of weight.

Previous experience with societal risk and exposure to environmental/natural hazards is meritable, as well as Swedish language proficiency. As a doctoral student, you are expected to take initiative and be able to work independently, and also to collaborate in our research centre and contribute to your working group.

Terms

Upon admission to doctoral studies, the person will be offered the appointment of doctoral student (Higher Education Ordinance, Chap. 5, Sect. 3). The position comprises four years of full-time studies, or five years at a study rate of 80% with 20% teaching or other departmental duties split among Risk-and Environmental studies and Geomatics. Start date by agreement.

The salary for the doctoral studentship corresponds to the standard level of salary for doctoral students and progresses in accordance with a local collective agreement.

Application

Submit the application via the University’s web-based recruitment tool, Varbi.

Applicants are responsible for submitting a complete application in accordance with the advertisement, for providing translations of any documents written in a language other than Swedish, Norwegian, Danish or English, and for ensuring that the documentation allows for objective and qualitative assessments. A complete application should be submitted by the application deadline. An incomplete application may jeopardise a fair assessment of qualifications.

The application should include:

• a cover letter where the applicant details the reasons behind their interest in the position and how their background and experience relate to it (maximum 2 pages)
• list of qualifications (CV)
• copies of Diplomas
• transcripts of the courses included in their education
• copy of the Master’s thesis or equivalent
• names and contact details for up two references, such as a teacher or supervisor
• a brief research plan (1,000-1,500 words) - this should show how the applicant plans to approach the above-described project based on theoretical and methodological orientations, if any. The research plan is not binding. The applicant who is admitted will complete his or her research plan in consultation with their supervisors.
  
  

Attach all the documents and publications you wish to be considered to the electronic application (do not just provide links). Name each uploaded document to clearly indicate its content.

Documents that cannot be submitted electronically should be sent to the following address:

Karlstads universitet
Hanna Ljungdahl
651 88 KARLSTAD

Application deadline: January 20, 2024

State the ref.no: REK 2023/251

Applicants with qualifications from abroad

If you have qualifications from a university outside Sweden or if they have not been recognised by a Swedish authority before, it is important that you attach degree certificates and official transcripts to facilitate the recognition of foreign qualifications.
Provide a contact for the degree-awarding institution (phone number or email) who can verify your qualifications.