PhD Fellowship in Infrastructures of Care for the Green Transition

The final research direction will be developed with the supervisory team, but the project is expected to address questions related to:

• Infrastructures of care, including social, cultural, ecological, institutional and digital infrastructures.
• Everyday care practices within one or more of the INFRA-CARE living-lab neighbourhoods.
• The relationship between care, environmental justice and green transitions.
• The role of care in urban planning and governance.
• Feminist approaches to mobility and environmental change.
• More-than-human relationships and their relevance to planning.
• How care can be measured, operationalised and incorporated into planning practice and policy.
• The relationship between care, infrastructure, community participation and ecological resilience.

The PhD is expected to remain feasible within a three-year research period. Rather than attempting to study all five INFRA-CARE locations, the research may focus on one well-defined empirical case or a small comparative set of cases. The resulting work is expected to contribute to a paper-based PhD dissertation.

Potential Research Sites and Activities

Depending on the candidate's research design, the PhD may engage with one or more of the INFRA-CARE living labs in Copenhagen, Athens, Vienna, Łódź and Berlin.

Possible research activities include:

• Investigating everyday practices of care within neighbourhoods.
• Conducting comparative or case-study research.
• Collecting and analysing qualitative data.
• Working with geo-coded or spatial data.
• Participating in digital photovoice activities with community members.
• Supporting stakeholder and socio-spatial mapping.
• Contributing to the Caring Neighbourhood Index.
• Engaging with the Digital Neighbourhood Atlas.
• Exploring arts- and culture-based civic engagement through Listening Labs.
• Examining multispecies approaches to care and planning.
• Investigating mobility and care through CARE+ school-run living labs and citizen-sensing activities.

The successful candidate will also contribute to defined tasks and deliverables within the wider research projects, including research meetings, technical reports, policy briefs and dissemination activities.

Research Approach

The fellowship is particularly suited to applicants interested in interdisciplinary research. The official vacancy identifies theoretical connections with areas including care ethics, feminist mobilities, environmental justice, care infrastructures and more-than-human relations in planning and urban governance.

Applicants may approach the topic from a more empirical perspective, such as fieldwork in one of the living labs, or from a stronger theoretical perspective, provided that the research remains connected to empirical material generated through INFRA-CARE and/or CARE+.

Who Can Apply?

The University of Copenhagen is looking for candidates with academic backgrounds in areas such as:

• Human geography
• Anthropology
• Urban planning
• Landscape architecture
• Sociology
• Environmental humanities
• Urban sustainability
• Related social sciences or humanities disciplines

Applicants should have a strong academic background and demonstrate clear motivation for doctoral research concerning care, ethics, planning and the green transition.

Experience with qualitative and/or participatory research methods is relevant. Familiarity with mixed methods, citizen science, GIS or quantitative social science is considered an advantage but is not required.

Applicants should also demonstrate:

• Ability to conduct independent research.
• Ability to contribute constructively to a larger research consortium.
• Strong written and spoken English.
• Interest in policy-relevant and practice-engaged research.
• Good analytical and research skills.
• Relevant professional qualifications, publications or work experience where applicable.
• A strong interest in care, ethics, planning and the green transition.

Knowledge of Danish or another Scandinavian language is preferable but is not stated as an absolute requirement.

Academic Eligibility

For admission to the regular PhD programme, applicants must have completed a degree equivalent to a Danish Master's degree, normally corresponding to a five-year university education consisting of a 180 ECTS Bachelor's degree and a 120 ECTS Master's degree, in a subject relevant to the project.

International qualifications are assessed according to the University's requirements for the relevant country and programme. Applicants should therefore verify that their academic qualifications satisfy the University of Copenhagen's doctoral admission requirements before applying.

PhD Fellowship Benefits

The position is a full-time PhD fellowship with employment for a maximum of three years. Appointment and salary conditions follow the applicable agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Confederation of Professional Associations on academics employed by the Danish state.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to:

• Undertake an independent doctoral research project under supervision.
• Complete approximately 30 ECTS of PhD courses.
• Participate in an active international research environment.
• Work with researchers and partners across a multi-country European research consortium.
• Participate in living-lab fieldwork and project activities.
• Undertake a research stay at another research institution, preferably abroad.
• Participate in teaching and knowledge-dissemination activities.
• Develop and publish scientific papers.
• Write and defend a PhD thesis.
• Develop advanced research, analytical and academic communication skills.
• Contribute to policy-relevant research on care, sustainability and green transitions.

The candidate will join the Section of Landscape Architecture, Planning, & Society at IGN, an interdisciplinary research environment with links to municipal partners, NGOs and European research networks.

Research Environment

The successful candidate will work in Copenhagen within the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management at the University of Copenhagen.

The PhD is embedded in an international research environment involving European partners and multiple research and practice-based organisations. The INFRA-CARE project includes activities across five European cities, providing opportunities for comparative research, fieldwork, networking and engagement with researchers and community stakeholders.

The position's principal supervisor is Associate Professor Natalie Marie Gulsrud of the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management.

Application Documents

Applicants must submit the application electronically in English through the University's recruitment system.

The official vacancy requests:

1. Motivated letter of application, maximum one page.
2. Explanation of the applicant's motivation for applying specifically to the PhD project.
3. Curriculum vitae, including education, experience, language skills and other relevant skills.
4. Original Bachelor's and Master's diplomas and transcripts in the original language, with an authorised English translation where required.
5. Publication list, if available.
6. Reference letters, if available.

Applicants whose degree is not yet completed may submit a certified or signed recent transcript or a written statement from their institution or supervisor, as permitted by the vacancy requirements.

What Applicants Should Emphasize

Because the position is a specific research project rather than a general PhD admission call, applicants should clearly explain their connection to the research theme.

A strong application should demonstrate:

• Relevant academic preparation.
• A clear interest in care, sustainability and the green transition.
• Understanding of the proposed research area.
• Relevant research or methodological experience.
• Capacity for independent doctoral research.
• Interest in interdisciplinary and collaborative research.
• Motivation for working with the INFRA-CARE and/or CARE+ research environment.

Applicants should also ensure that their proposed research interests can realistically be developed into a focused PhD project within the three-year period.

Selection and Assessment

After the application deadline, shortlisted applicants will be selected for academic assessment by an unbiased expert assessor.

The assessor evaluates applicants according to their qualifications and experience in relation to the research area, techniques, skills and other requirements of the position.

Applicants who undergo assessment will have an opportunity to comment on the assessment as part of the University's recruitment procedure.

Interviews with selected candidates are expected to take place during weeks 46–48 of 2026.

Important Information

The PhD fellowship is tied to a specific research project and applicants should read the complete vacancy carefully before applying.

The position is not a general scholarship for any sustainability-related PhD topic. Applicants should demonstrate a clear connection between their academic background and the specific research area of care, ethics, planning, infrastructure and the green transition.

The PhD position is also subject to successful enrolment in the relevant PhD programme at the University of Copenhagen.

The University of Copenhagen welcomes applicants regardless of personal background and encourages applications from a diverse range of candidates.

Application Deadline: 1 October 2026 at 23:59 GMT+2

Expected Start Date: 1 February 2027, or as soon as possible thereafter.