The loss of urban ecosystems or green spaces can imply significant costs to human wellbeing, in particular for poor and marginalized groups in rapidly transforming tropical cities.
This project will analyse urban green spaces as social-ecological systems and aims to identify and enhance understanding of leverage points to improve governance of ecosystem services in the urban context. Focus will be on informal and bottom-up forms of governance and the role of local users of ecosystem services. What are emergent and existing structures, locally and cross-scale, that mediates ecosystem degradation caused by urbanization processes, and how are they interacting with the formal policy making process?
Qualitative and quantitative methods from the social sciences, e.g. social network analysis will be combined with spatial analyses of ecosystem services using e.g. GIS. In particular, the project will investigate social practices and norms associated with green spaces, including religious practices such as sacred ecosystems, the role of social networks for mobilizing actors, as well as rural-urban linkages.
The core case study will be Bangalore, India, with potential for cross case comparisons in the later stages of the project. The projects will be carried out in close collaboration with research partners in India.
The student will be supervised by Dr. Maria Tengö and Prof. Thomas Elmqvist, Dept. of Systems Ecology and Stockholm Resilience Centre, Sweden.
To fulfill requirements of course work and credits in the PhD-program, the student will need to spend at least six months/year in Stockholm the first two years and part of the year during the following period.
Applications will be assessed based on the following criteria:
- theoretical knowledge of relevant to the research project
- practical experience and knowledge of relevance for the project
- knowledge of scientific theory and method
- analytical ability as demonstrated by a scientific report, paper or degree project thesis
- the applicants personal references
- gender equality aspects
Knowledge/experience of transdisciplinary studies and experience of field work in developing countries is strongly meriting. Knowledge of GIS is meriting.
Nature of positions
A PhD position lasts four years and is a full time position. After acceptance of the PhD project plan prepared by the student, the student will be awarded a taxable study grant of currently 15 500 SEK / month (utbildningsbidrag). After two years, the student is expected to pass the licentiate examination. Once the requirements for the licentiate degree are fulfilled, the student will be on a doctoral studentship (doktorandanställning) of currently 21 600 SEK/month. Up to 20% teaching or other work may be included in the position, which will then be extended accordingly, at most five years. Salaries follow the relevant salary scale.
More details about the project can be requested from Dr. Maria Tengö,mtengo@ecology.su.se
General information about the PhD training program may be requested from the Head of Department, Professor Nils Kautsky nils@ecology.su.se
Union representatives are Bo Ekengren (SACO), Lisbeth Häggberg (Fackförbundet ST), tfn 08-16 2000 (switch board), och Gunnar Stenberg (SEKO), tfn 070-316 43 41.
Application
The application should contain a letter of intent (one to two pages that explain why you are interested in working on this project, why you are interested in studying for a PhD, what you hope to accomplish during your PhD studies, and what skills you can bring to this project), curriculum vitae, copies of degree certificates and transcripts of academic records (all attested), a list of two persons who may act as referees (with phone numbers and email addresses), and one copy of your undergraduate thesis and articles, if any.
The full application should be labelled “PhD-studentship Dnr 13/2011" and sent as one pdf file to dnr13-2011@ecology.su.se no later than May 2, 2011.
