PhD student in Sustainability Science

Ref. No. SU FV-4655-23

at Stockholm Resilience Centre . Closing date: 4 February 2024.

The Stockholm Resilience Centre is a joint initiative between Stockholm University and the Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics at The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Founded in 2007, the Centre is part of the Faculty of Science at Stockholm University.

The mission of the Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC) is to advance research for biosphere stewardship and innovation. Research at the SRC applies a social-ecological systems perspective and resilience thinking to generate knowledge and understanding to enable social-ecological transformations towards sustainable futures. Research is advanced through transdisciplinary collaboration with international leading researchers, research environments worldwide, and environmental actors.

The SRC aims to foster new generations of researchers and academic leaders through our Resilience Research School. The school equips students with a theoretical and practical foundation in Sustainability Science with a focus on resilience in social-ecological systems. Students are encouraged to develop new approaches that integrate methods and concepts from the social, natural and applied sciences. Emphasis is placed on developing student ability to define a problem, develop research methods, and communicate research findings within international scientific and science-policy discussions.

Project description
We seek an enthusiastic and committed PhD candidate to join an interdisciplinary team of researchers at the SRC working on social-ecological resilience within the framework of the project “Living with Xylella: Securing viable rural futures amid a plant disease epidemic in Europe’s Mediterranean food basket.” Funded by FORMAS, the Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development, the project focuses on the social-ecological dimensions of plant health. It frames plant health as an integral component of sustainable rural development and takes a participatory approach to understanding the governance processes and social-ecological outcomes of plant disease. The empirical focus is Xylella fastidiosa, a plant pathogen that has devastated olive and almond farming systems in Mediterranean Europe over the past decade.

This interdisciplinary project seeks applicants for one PhD position. The project is highly collaborative and involves substantial fieldwork with rural communities in Spain. The PhD candidate will be supervised by a team of researchers at the SRC with expertise in political ecology, social-ecological resilience, critical development studies, environmental stewardship, rural livelihoods, and science and technology studies. We seek an interdisciplinary-minded candidate to join our team, ideally with broad training across the social sciences, natural sciences, and the humanities.

Knowledge about the social dimensions of plant health remains limited. Research has focused overwhelmingly on disease ecology epidemiology, and economic impacts. This overlooks questions such as what makes farmers vulnerable to plant disease and what enables them to adapt farming systems. The overall objective of the Living with Xylella project is to generate empirical and place-based understanding about the social processes surrounding a plant disease epidemic. By foregrounding place-based knowledge and the differential perspectives of diverse actors, the project will help inform more equitable plant disease policies and management strategies. We will build this understanding through (i) mapping the perspectives of diverse stakeholders involved in the governance of and/or affected by Xylella; (ii) in-depth qualitative interviews with farmers in Spain to understand vulnerability and adaptation to Xylella, and (iii) participatory workshops that encourage marginalized rural voices to share their experiences with plant disease and hopes for the region’s future. Empirical research will be complemented by literature reviews to build novel conceptual approaches that can reflexively engage with processes of environmental governance beyond plant disease.

This PhD position will carry out research on the social-ecological dimensions of Xylella, adopting a political ecology approach that grounds the analysis of vulnerability and adaptation in peoples’ lived realities. Social-environmental crises such as Xylella have been hypothesized as opportunities for transformative change. The work of this PhD will conceptualize and investigate the unfolding Xylella epidemic. It will involve theoretical/conceptual work as well as empirical research/engagement in transdisciplinary processes surrounding plant disease governance. An example of theoretical work is exploring the ontologies and epistemologies embedded in various framings of plant health. Empirical work includes developing and applying a social-ecological approach to analyze how actors collaboratively make sense of a complex problem situation.

The PhD candidate will be an active participant of the Living with Xylella project team and collaborate with project members including Simon West, Jamila Haider, and Peter Søgaard Jørgensen. The candidate will also be part of one or several of SRC’s research themes, such as: Anthropocene Dynamics; Food Systems; or Resilience and Development. As part of the interdisciplinary environment of the SRC, the candidate will have opportunities to collaborate with and benefit from other students and researchers with diverse research interests and perspectives.

Qualification requirements
In order to meet the general entry requirements, the applicant must have completed a second-cycle degree, completed courses equivalent to at least 240 higher education credits, of which 60 credits must be in the second cycle, or have otherwise acquired equivalent knowledge in Sweden or elsewhere.

Specific entry requirements for admission to postgraduate studies in Sustainability Science are that the applicant has a total of at least 30 credits, or equivalent, at advanced level in Natural Science, as well as a thesis of at least 30 credits at advanced level in a relevant subject, or equivalent knowledge.

The qualification requirements must be met by the deadline for applications.

Selection
The selection among the eligible candidates will be based on:

• Experience in researching the human dimensions of plant diseases and interdisciplinary interests relevant to the project and associated research tasks, including, but not limited to, a combination of anthropology, biology/ecology, environmental humanities, sustainability science, and/or environmental studies.
• Fieldwork experience related to the advertised position. Competitive candidates will have substantial experience conducting fieldwork (ideally individually designed and led) employing qualitative and participatory methods.
• Analytical and writing capacity, as demonstrated by scientific reports, research articles, and/or a research-based thesis.
• Demonstrated ability to work in teams and in an inter- or transdisciplinary setting.
• Fluent in English, with skills in written and interpersonal communication
• High proficiency in Spanish, ideally with significant research and/or other work in a Spanish-speaking country.
• The applicant’s personal references.

In addition, any of the following would be desirable:

• Familiarity with Xylellafastidiosa, as evidenced through previous research or work experience.
• Research experience in Mediterranean Europe, particularly working with small-scale agricultural systems.
• Familiarity with interdisciplinary human-environment approaches such as social-ecological transformations, political ecology, and resilience.
• Experience facilitating workshops and/or other public engagement activities.
• Experience working with community agri-food initiatives and/or social movements.
• Success with competitive research grants, awards, and/or fellowships.
• Familiarity with Spanish rural contexts and issues.

Admission Regulations for Doctoral Studies at Stockholm University are available at: www.su.se/rules and regulations .

Terms of employment
Only a person who will be or has already been admitted to a third-cycle programme may be appointed to a doctoral studentship.

The term of the initial contract may not exceed one year. The employment may be extended for a maximum of two years at a time. However, the total period of employment may not exceed the equivalent of four years of full-time study.

Doctoral students should primarily devote themselves to their own education, but may engage in teaching, research, and administration corresponding to a maximum of 20 % of a full-time position.

Please note that admission decisions cannot be appealed.

Stockholm University strives to be a workplace free from discrimination and with equal opportunities for all.

Contact
For more information and questions regarding the project, please contact the main supervisor Dr. Simon West, [email protected] .

For more information about the Resilience Research School or Sustainability Science at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, please contact the Director of PhD programme Victor Galaz, [email protected] , telephone: +46 8 674 70 83 or Head of Subject, Prof Örjan Bodin, [email protected] , telephone: +46 8 674 76 71.

Union representatives
Ingrid Lander (Saco-S), telephone: +46 708 16 26 64, [email protected] , Alejandra Pizarro Carrasco (Fackförbundet ST/Lärarförbundet), telephone: +46 8 16 34 89, [email protected] , [email protected]  (SEKO), and PhD student representative, [email protected] .

Application
Apply for the PhD student position through Stockholm University's recruitment system. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the advertisement, and that it is submitted before the deadline.

Please include the following information with your application

• Your contact details and personal data
• Your highest degree
• Your language skills

and, in addition, please include the following documents

• Cover letter (1 page maximum).
• CV – degrees and other completed courses, work experience and a list of degree projects/theses (2 pages max.).
• Sketch of a research idea/research proposal describing (2 pages max.):
  • what you would be interested to investigate within the framework of the project
  • how you plan to bring in your own background
  • how you envision to carry out the project (approach, methods, case studies, etc.)
• Degree certificates and grades confirming that you meet the general and specific entry requirements (please combine into 1 file)
• Most relevant degree projects/theses and publications (max. 3, please combine into one file).

The instructions for applicants are available at: How to apply for a position .

You are welcome to apply!

Stockholm University contributes to the development of sustainable democratic society through knowledge, enlightenment and the pursuit of truth.

URL to this page
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