PhD position on Online Public Participation GIS (PPGIS) as a tool for university-city collaborations

11 Mar 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

Aalto University

Research Field

Geography

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

Finland

Application Deadline

15 Apr 2024 - 23:59 (Europe/Brussels)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

HE / MSCA

Marie Curie Grant Agreement Number

101119845

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

The PhD project will investigate how the online public participation GIS (PPGIS) methodology can be utilized to analyze how citizen use urban space in their habitual behavior and what are the related carbon footprint outcomes. The project will also demonstrate the value of PPGIS within the context of the 15-minute city concept and identify various urban lifestyles and the possible health and wellbeing outcomes.

The expected results include the identification how individuals differ in their ways of using urban space depending on socio-economic background and individual lifestyles as well as the identification of urban structural characteristics that promote the accessibility of resources, especially with active travel modes. The project will also demonstrate how ‘soft’ place-based user knowledge is integrated with other ‘hard’ knowledge layers of the city to support knowledge informed planning.

Planned secondments:

• KU Leuven, Belgium (3 months in Fall 2026): Visiting fellowship at the Public Governance Institute and KU Leuven Urban Studies Institute (LUSI)
• City of Espoo (1.5 months in Winter 2025)
• City of Lahti (1.5 months in Spring 2026)

The selected candidate will be part of the SUNSET Doctoral Network  built around a community of leading scholars and 10 doctoral candidates (DCs) delivering insights into how universities and their host cities can collaborate and interact to achieve the digitalization and sustainability goals set out by current European and global policy agendas. The network is purposefully international, intersectoral, and interdisciplinary. It consists of 6 academic and 16 non-academic partners in 5 European countries (Belgium – The Netherlands – Finland – Norway – Estonia). SUNSET emphasizes cooperative research and includes international mobility and intersectoral secondments to maximize the career potential of all DCs. 

Requirements

Research Field

Geography

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

• A master’s degree in urban planning, geoinformatics, geography, architecture, psychology, computer sciences or in a related area.
• Fluent written and verbal communication skills in English are required, knowledge of Finnish is an advantage.
• The ability to work independently as part of a group in an international environment is essential.
• Appreciated skills include deep knowledge in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and statistical analysis skills.
• Previous knowledge in the 15 min cities -concept is an advantage.
• If you finish your master’s degree in the spring of 2024, you are also welcome to apply
• You have a keen interest in urban studies, the digital and green transitions, and European public policies
• You are ambitious, well organized, a team player, and have excellent communication skills
• You are proficient in English, both written and verbal
• You did not reside or carry out your main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Finland for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the recruitment date. Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays, and time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status are not taken into account
• Candidates must be in the first four years of their research careers and cannot hold a doctoral degree
• You have the ability to work independently and have a critical mindset
• You are a pro-active and motivated person, eager to participate in network-wide training events, international mobility, and public dissemination activities.

Languages

ENGLISH

Level

Excellent

Additional Information
Eligibility criteria

You did not reside or carry out your main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Finland for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the recruitment date. Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays, and time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status are not taken into account. 

Website for additional job details

http://www.sunsetproject.eu

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Aalto University

Country

Finland

Geofield

Where to apply

Website

http://www.sunsetproject.eu

Contact

City

Espoo

Website

https://www.aalto.fi/en

STATUS: EXPIRED