Postdoctoral position

Department or Urban and Rural Development
At the Department of Urban and Rural Development there are five divisions: Agrarian History, Environmental Communication, Environmental Integration, Landscape Architecture and Rural Development. The department is the largest within SLU for social sciences, humanities and design research. Questions about sustainable use and management of natural resources and landscapes are central to research and education at the department. The SLU Swedish Biodiversity Centre, the SLU Swedish Center for Nature Interpretation and Sida’s Helpdesk for Environment and Climate Change are also part of the department.

Duties:

We are looking for a person to join the gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) team of the EU Horizon 2020-project SteamBioAfrica (Innovative Large-Scale Production of Affordable Clean Burning Solid Biofuel and Water in Southern Africa: transforming bush encroachment from a problem into a secure and sustainable energy source). You will work in a larger research group at SLU and collaborate with research groups at other European and African institutions as well as with companies engaged in the biomass and bioenergy sector. More specifically you will be part of a team responsible for integrating GESI in the project, based at the Division of Rural Development. In SteamBioAfrica we will convert invasive bush into clean burning biofuel, water and chemicals through superheated steam processing. This way SteamBioAfrica will enable the production and marketing of clean, secure, and affordable energy as well as create jobs related to this new biofuel value chain in Namibia, Botswana and South Africa. It addresses multiple challenges facing Southern Africa such as climate change impacts, resource inefficiency, unsustainably produced fuel, smoke- and air pollutant induced disease, unemployment and poverty. You will be responsible for the implementation of gender transformative approaches (GTA) in the targeted communities, such as community conversations and gender awareness sessions, to make sure that the biofuel is socially sustainable and does not cause undue harm or create inequitable social relations. You will also collect and analyse data on the GESI impact of the new biofuel and its associated value chain, as well as write scientific articles, reports and policy briefs.

Qualifications:

For a PostDoc in Rural Development a doctoral degree in a social science discipline, such as rural studies, social and economic geography, gender studies and sociology, is required.

You must have good writing and communication skills in English.

Preferably you should have published scientific papers.

Preferably you should also have experience of integrating gender in projects, for example having worked as a gender focal point or GESI officer.

It is also an advantage if you can collaborate in transdisciplinary projects as well as work independently.

Additional knowledge and experience that is advantageous for the position include: gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) in program/project planning and monitoring, gender transformative approaches (GTA), participatory methods, qualitative interview techniques, gender sensitive value chain analysis, social dimensions of sustainability, training management and experience in capacity building relating to gender/ GESI, and/or fieldwork in sub-Saharan Africa.

As postdoctoral appointments are career-developing positions for junior researchers, we are primarily looking for candidates with a doctoral degree that is three years old at most (excluding justifiable time deduction such as parental leave).

Place of work:

Uppsala

Form of employment:

Fixed term employment of 24 months.

Extent:

100%

Starting date:

According to agreement.

Application:

We welcome your application no later than August 22nd, 2021, use the button below.

Academic union representatives:

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

 



The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) develops the understanding and sustainable use and management of biological natural resources. The university ranks well internationally within its subject areas. SLU is a research-intensive university that also offers unique degree programmes in for example rural development and natural resource management, environmental economics, animal science and landscape architecture.

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 in Alnarp, Umeå and Uppsala.

www.slu.se

SLU is an equal opportunity employer.