Are you interested in doing a PhD project in the field of sustainability transitions and water/territorial governance? Do you want to better understand the actions of public, private, academic and social actors through research projects and innovative experiments? Are you interested in studying how multi-stakeholder engagement spaces work academically and understand how to achieve academic impact? At the Research Institute of Water and Environmental Engineering (IIAMA) at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), we are looking for an outstanding student to apply for forthcoming grants and scholarships.
Why should I apply?
Firstly, this PhD project investigates sustainability transition scenarios and (sub)system narratives, and how (sub)system actors construct their points of view and interact with each other under a place-based approach. Secondly, the PhD project investigates how discursive and reflexive spaces (e.g. platforms, labs) can foster dialogues between these actors on how to govern sustainability transitions and why these spaces have (or have not) transformative power. Thirdly, the PhD student will be involved in the case studies and experiments within several international research projects analysing transition governance spaces and multi-stakeholder engagement processes, bringing businesses, governments, and societal and environmental organisations into a dialogue about sustainable transformation.
This PhD position will be based at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) in Valencia (Spain). The PhD project fosters international research stays.
Qualifications
For this PhD project, we are looking for an enthusiastic graduate in (social)innovation sciences, sustainability studies, science and technology studies, governance studies, geography, sociology, and any other relevant discipline interesting in territorial development. Necessarily you have relevant graduate marks and preferably you have a working level of writing&speaking English&Spanish (B2-C1).
You have skills in qualitative research, participatory methods, and qualitative data analyses (e. g. NVIVO). You can write and speak clearly for a professional/scientific and a wider audience. Furthermore, experience in workshop facilitation and organising societal dialogues is an advantage. Good social and communication skills are desirable. A passion for sustainability, creativity, design thinking and system thinking would be valuable.
Additional information
For more information about this position, please contact:
Dr Sergio Segura-Calero, PhD in Human Geography & Spatial planning. Postdoctoral Researcher at the Research Institute of Water and Environmental Engineering (Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain) serseca@upvnet.upv.es
Apply
Everyone deserves to feel at home at our university. We welcome you all with a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives. To apply, please send your curriculum vitae, including a letter of motivation in Spanish or English.
Interviews are planned to take place in July 2022.