PhD Rural Development

Department of Urban and Rural Development
The Department of Urban and Rural Development offers a strong social science research environment in rural development, environmental communication, landscape architecture and agrarian history. Rural Development focuses on the specific conditions of rural areas linked to regional, national and global change - and development processes. Important research areas are development and rural policy, natural resource and land use; social, political and economic relations; sustainability and migration. Read more about the Division here.

This recruitment is for one position as PhD candidate in Rural Development.

Tracing sustainability in iron ore extraction 
Description:
Research in resource governance explores questions of politics, justice and sustainability in relation to the extraction and use of natural resources. A large part of such research attempts to link resource-producing regions, often based in the Global South, with markets that tend to be in wealthier Global North countries. The processing and trade across global markets is often understood as a set of inter-linked networks of exchange mediated by unequal patterns of power. Unpacking how different actors relate to the different stages of resource processing can reveal variegated effects on rural, resource-dependent societies as well as the creation of a range of sustainability outcomes.

The PhD project aims to critically and creatively investigate understandings of sustainability in iron ore mining justified by the climate crisis. The starting point is the iron ore used in fossil-free steel recently used to manufacture a heavy construction machine for an end customer in Sweden. Fossil-free steel is produced without emitting any carbon emissions from mine to end product thus promising major reductions in carbon emissions, but also raising questions on how other aspects of sustainability related to the iron ore extraction will be addressed. The first part of the PhD project explores broader understandings of sustainability beyond low carbon in the iron ore mining of northern Sweden.

To understand sustainability in iron ore extraction beyond the relatively small amounts mined in Sweden, further tracing of iron ore supplies will be carried out by the PhD student. This will determine global resource flows from mines across Global South settings (primarily Brazil, India or South Africa). Using ethnographic methods the project will seek to enquire into how different groups in the identified mining locations across Global South and Global North understand sustainability beyond low carbon emissions. The result is an improved understanding of the present mixing of conventional fossil fuel-dependent iron ore with new, hi-tech fossil-free ore in the automotive sector.

The PhD project will be funded by the Department of Urban and Rural Development, and benefit from a vibrant and collegial research environment.

Qualifications:
We are looking for an enthusiastic, highly motivated and creative candidate with a Master’s degree in a relevant social science subject (e.g. human geography, international or rural development, anthropology, or political science), and experience in theoretically grounded, qualitative empirical research.

Additional qualifications

Excellent English skills, both written and spoken, are essential. Knowledge of Swedish would be an asset as well as language skills in potential iron ore mining locations. Experience with fieldwork, preferably across rural settings in Global North and South contexts, is considered a merit. Fieldwork abroad will be required. Personal suitability is taken into account.

Place of work:     
Uppsala

Forms for funding or employment:
Employment 4 years.

Starting date:
According to agreement.

Application:
Instructions:
Candidate selection: The selection among the eligible applicants is based on: written application including curriculum vitae, master’s thesis; personal references; good knowledge of English; theoretical knowledge of resource governance and methodological experiences (familiarity with qualitative methods), experiences of data collection and analysis, as well as tests and interview.

Click the “Apply” button to submit your application. The deadline is 2022-08-14.

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, master’s thesis, 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.

Please note that applicants invited to interview must submit attested copies of their degree certificate, 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 here about the PhD education at SLU.

Academic union representatives:
https://internt.slu.se/en/my-employment/employee-associations/kontaktpersoner-vid-rekrytering/

The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) is a world-class university with research, education and environmental assessment within the sciences for sustainable life. Its principal sites are in Alnarp, Umeå and Uppsala, but activities are also conducted at research stations, experimental parks and educational establishments throughout Sweden. We bring together people who have different perspectives, but they all have one and the same goal: to create the best conditions for a sustainable, thriving and better world.

SLU has just over 3,000 employees, 5,000 students and a turnover of SEK 3 billion. The university has invested heavily in a modern, attractive environment on its campuses.

www.slu.se