SENIOR URBAN RESEARCHER

The Nordic Africa Institute invites applications for a position as
SENIOR URBAN RESEARCHER

The institute's research has been organized around 6 distinct research clusters in order to deepen intellectual interaction and collaboration between researchers.
The urban dynamics cluster focuses on the state of African urban centers on processes of social, political and economic changes unfolding therein and on their impacts on population dynamics in urban spaces without discounting their strong connections with rural spaces.

The Senior Urban Researcher will conduct his/hers own research and should have experience in two of the following thematic sub-fields of the Urban cluster:
* Poverty, inequality and social conflicts
* Informalizing urban economies
* Urban planning, service provision and environment
* Urban governance and politics

The senior urban researcher's tasks:
* Initiate and coordinate cluster activities, including promoting intellectual exchange within the cluster and organizing seminars and conferences.
* Facilitate and support high quality and innovative research within the cluster.
* Translate research into policy through well organized policy dialogue, seminars and research forums.
* Mobilize additional external resources and responsibility for the cluster budget.
* Follow up and guidance of individual researcher's projects within the cluster.

Essential qualifications:
* A PhD degree in urban economics, urban planning and development management, service provision in cities, urban economic development and poverty eradication, urban governance and urban environmental management or other similar thematic orientation.
* A good record of international publications
* Research experience in one or more of the thematic sub-fields of the Urban Cluster.

Additional qualifications:
* Experience of research coordination and networking skills
* Strong inter-personal communication skills and ability to work in a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary team
* Good mentoring and managerial skills
* Familiarity with the development goals and strategies of key international organizations and donor institutions as they related to urban development in Africa.
* Knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research methods
* Proven interest in transferring knowledge
* Excellent knowledge of spoken and written English.

The application should contain:
A. A programme proposal preferably not exceeding a maximum of 5 pages. It should include the applicant's
1. Research questions, problems, methodology and theory;
2. Network strategies (with particular reference towards Africa and the Nordic countries); and
3. Strategy for dissemination of research results in the given context (including a statement of intent how to contribute to policy advice).
B. A complete CV with a list of publications.
C. Three of the applicant's own publications (in three copies each) relating to the research programme in question.
D. A completed application form and names and addresses (phone, fax, e-mail) of at least two referees.

As part of the interview, shortlisted candidates will be required to make a presentation to staff before the actual interview.

Contract period will be three years with the possibility of a two years extension on the basis of an interim assessment.
For more information about the Institute's ongoing research activities, grants, library services and publications is available on the Institute's website http://www.nai.uu.se.
The Institute is committed to an Equal Opportunities Policy in employment