The Chair in Human Geography at the Department of Geography offers a PhD student position to support the research activities in the context of the European Research Council (ERC) project STORIES (ID: 101040939), led by Dr. Liang Emlyn Yang. This is a 5-year research project that will investigate the dynamic interactions of floods impacts and social resilience in the Mekong River basin. Based on the project, a small team will be established to do pioneering and impactful science on climate resilience.

Your tasks and responsibilities:

• The PhD student will carry out case studies at the upstream of Mekong River (Lancang River), particularly in Yunnan and Sichuan of China.
• The PhD student will take an essential role in the implementation of field investigation, expert interviews, household surveys, local workshops, and data collections from various sources.
• The PhD study shall explore flood resilience based on the case studies, by applying Agent-Based Model and/or Social Network Analysis under supervision.
• Scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals are expected from the results and findings of the case studies.

Your qualifications:

• Master’s degree is required to start the PhD study, with an education background in geography or a related discipline such as spatial planning, environmental studies, hydrology, geo-informatics sciences, sociology or development studies.
• Willingness to travel for work (field investigations, project meetings, workshops etc.) in China, Vietnam, and other Mekong basin areas is necessary.
• Proven skills in qualitative as well as quantitative social science research methods are required.
• Strong skills in project management, workshop moderation and organization are required.
• Excellent English language skill (written and oral) is prerequisite.

Contact:

Applications shall be compiled into one PDF document that includes a motivation letter, detailed CV, list of publications, a brief research proposal (2-3 pages), supporting documents and certificates, and contact details of at least two potential references. Interested applicants are invited to submit their applications by email to [email protected].
The interviews with short-listed candidates are scheduled for the end of January 2023. For further information or to discuss the positions please contact Dr. Liang Emlyn Yang by email [email protected].