Arbetsbeskrivning

Department of Urban and Rural Development The Department of Urban and Rural Development conducts undergraduate and postgraduate education, research and collaboration. About 175 people are employed in five divisions. The department is the largest at SLU within social sciences, humanities and design. This position will be placed at the Division of Rural Development, which conducts research, teaching and collaboration that focuses on issues of justice, knowledge and power in agriculture and forestry, natural resource management and development in rural areas.  Read more about our benefits and what it is like to work at SLU at https://www.slu.se/en/about-slu/work-at-slu/ Name of research project: Attitudes, needs and preferences in the energy transition of Sweden’s food system  Description: Rural Development  Qualifications: The PhD candidate will conduct research as part of the AgroDrive centre (funded by the research council FORMAS). AgroDrive's objective is to facilitate a transition to fossil-free energy in Sweden's agricultural and food systems, for improved competitiveness, higher resilience, and better climate.   The PhD candidate will work within Work Package (WP) 6, which explores attitudes, needs and preferences for the adoption of different renewable fuels and fossil-free energy solutions in the Swedish food system to understand their socio-economic potentials and how to achieve an equitable and inclusive energy transition. This will be done through living labs and workshops in Västra Götaland and Östergötland, a policy lab, and qualitative research.  Job description   The PhD candidate will theoretically anchor the PhD project in the field of rural development with a focus on energy transitions. They will be involved in empirical work linked to WP6 tasks, and develop mixed-methods grounded in qualitative research and comparative analysis, considering equality and inclusion aspects. The candidate will be affiliated with AgroDrive Academy, which links three PhD projects and serves as meeting place and support network for the three candidates. It will arrange regular activities such as bi-weekly online meetings, seminars and writing retreats. Two experienced researchers from Lund University and the Division of Rural Development will lead the Academy to support the candidates in their PhD studies. Required qualifications ·       A Master’s degree in a relevant subject leading to documented acquired competence in qualitative social science methods and social theory (suitable subjects include but are not limited to human geography, anthropology, sociology, rural development, sustainability studies), completed latest by the 31st of August, 2025. ·       Excellent skills in written and spoken Swedish as well as English.   Additional desirable qualifications  ·        Practical and theoretical knowledge of agriculture, food systems, and policy analysis.   ·        Experience in theoretically grounded, qualitative empirical research, including participatory methods.   ·       Experience of gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) in research or program/project planning and monitoring. ·        Working inside or outside academia with living labs or other stakeholder platforms, co-development of participatory workshops, or leading and moderating workshops and group discussions. ·        Experience in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary work.  ·        Personal suitability will be taken into account. Place of work:       Uppsala Forms for funding or employment: Employment (4 years)  Starting date: According to agreement. Preferably 1 September 2025.  Application: Click the “Apply” button to submit your application. The deadline is 2025-05-27. Applicants will be evaluated for suitability based on the above listed qualifications.  The application must include:  • A cover letter in English of max. 2 500 words. This should contain a brief presentation of yourself, your motivation and qualifications for carrying out PhD education and research. The letter should also contain a statement on why you would like to work on this specific project, how your qualifications make you suitable for the position (with reference to the qualifications listed above), and what individual interests and priorities you would like to pursue within the project’s overall aims if your application were successful. • A CV in English (2 pages max) that demonstrates your qualifications for the third cycle programme in Rural Development (including publications, if relevant) • Copies of degree certificate and transcript of records from previous first and second-cycle studies at a university or higher education institution • A copy of your degree thesis/theses, corresponding to at least 30 credits (30 credits Master’s degree thesis, or 15 credits Master’s degree thesis plus 15 credits Bachelor's degree thesis). • Name and contact information of two professional references (note: letters of reference are not required in the first stage of application). • If you are not a native speaker of Swedish, please provide a language certificate. To qualify for third-cycle (Doctoral) courses and study programmes, you must have a second-cycle (Master’s) qualification. Alternatively, you must have conducted a minimum of four years of full-time study, of which a minimum of one year at second-cycle level. Applicants will be selected based on their written application and CV, degree project, copies of their degree certificate and transcript of records from previous first and second-cycle studies at a university or higher education institution, two personal references, and knowledge of English. More information about the English language requirements can be found here: https://www.slu.se/en/education/programmes-courses/doctoral-studies/application-admission-doctoral-studies/ Please note that applicants invited to interview must submit attested copies of their degree certificate, or equivalent, a transcript of records from previous first and second-cycle studies at a university or higher education institution. Applicants who are not Swedish citizens need to submit an attested copy of their passport’s information page containing their photograph and personal details. Read about the PhD education at SLU at www.slu.se/en/education/programmes-courses/doctoral-studies/ Academic union representatives: https://internt.slu.se/en/my-employment/employee-associations/kontaktpersoner-vid-rekrytering/