About the position
Description of the workplace The position is based at the Department of Human Geography (KEG) and affiliated with CIRCLE, Centre for Innovation Research (www.circle.lu.se). You will work in the research project DECENT (Socio-technical modularity and the decentralization of infrastructure), funded by the European Research Council through an ERC Starting Grant and running 2026–2031. DECENT asks why and how societal infrastructures – energy, water and sanitation, mobility, food provision – are becoming more decentralized, despite strong path dependencies favouring large-scale centralized systems. The project combines transition studies, modularity theory and economic geography and compares case studies in European and Indian cities. You will be part of a project team consisting of the principal investigator, two PhD students and yourself, with your workplace at Geocentrum I in Lund alongside the department's roughly 60 staff. At KEG and CIRCLE you join an international and interdisciplinary research environment in economic geography, innovation studies and sustainability transitions, with an open and supportive working culture in which junior and senior researchers collaborate closely. What we offer Lund University is a public authority, which means you receive particular benefits, generous annual leave and an advantageous occupational pension. We have a flexitime agreement that supports a good balance between work and leisure. You will have good conditions for research in a well-funded international project, with funding for fieldwork and conferences, and room to develop your own research profile. Read more about being an employee at Lund University: https://www.lu.se/en/about-university/work-us Work duties and areas of responsibility As a researcher in DECENT you work closely with the principal investigator and take independent responsibility for the research in one or more of the project's case studies. Your main duties are to: contribute to the project's theory development on decentralization and modularity in socio-technical systems, especially in the project's initial phase plan and carry out empirical work – document studies, interviews and fieldwork – in one or more infrastructure sectors (e.g. energy, water and sanitation, mobility or food) in European and Indian cities analyse the material using qualitative process methods (path tracing) and semi-quantitative network methods (socio-technical configuration analysis, STCA), and contribute to the project's methods development compare cases across sectors and across high- and middle-income contexts and contribute to the project's synthesis and theory building publish in international peer-reviewed journals, independently and together with the project team, and present at international conferences contribute to guiding the project's PhD students and to seminars, workshops and dialogue with practitioners and policy makers in the case-study contexts Travel and fieldwork, primarily in Europe and India, are part of the position. Qualifications Requirements for the position are: You hold a PhD in economic geography, human geography, innovation studies, transition studies or another social science discipline relevant to the position, such as economics. You have documented research experience in sustainability transitions, innovation or infrastructure (e.g. energy, water, mobility or food), demonstrated through publications in international peer-reviewed journals. You have experience of qualitative research involving your own data collection, for example interview-based case studies. You have excellent oral and written proficiency in English. Swedish is not a requirement. You have a strong ability to plan and drive research tasks independently, and good collaborative skills. Additional merits for the position are: You have experience of research on, and fieldwork in, middle-income countries, in particular India or other parts of South Asia. You have a good command of socio-technical transition theories, institutional theory and/or economic-geographical perspectives on transitions and agency. You have experience of research on firms, entrepreneurship or innovation ecosystems in infrastructure sectors. You have experience of research on justice and distributional aspects of infrastructure and energy transitions. You have experience of interdisciplinary collaboration and of engagement with policy actors and practitioners. You have experience of guiding early-career researchers or of applying for and leading externally funded projects. You have language skills relevant to fieldwork in the project's case-study contexts. In the selection, greatest weight is given to scientific proficiency demonstrated through publications and completed research, and to how well your research profile matches and complements the project's research questions. Other information The position is starting 1 January 2027 or by agreement. Interviews will be held in Lund shortly after the application deadline. For questions about the position, contact Johan Miörner (johan.miorner@keg.lu.se). How to apply Applications are submitted through the university's recruitment system. The application must be written in English and include: a letter (max 1 page) describing your research profile, how it relates to DECENT and how you would like to contribute to the project CV with a list of publications
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