The Department of Environmental Social Sciences (ESS) is looking for a PhD candidate in the Innovation Studies group (Cirus) at Eawag, within the ETH Domain (Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology). Eawag conducts research, education and expert consulting to achieve the dual goals of meeting direct human needs for water and maintaining the function and integrity of aquatic ecosystems.

The student will be supervised by Dr. Christian Binz and formally enrolled at the University of Neuchatel (Switzerland, Prof. Olivier Crevoisier) and Utrecht University (the Netherlands, Prof. Bernhard Truffer), where she/he will be able to profit from a high quality research environment in economic geography and innovation/transition studies. The position is fully funded through a Swiss National Science Foundation’s research grant for four years with a preferred start in September 2018. The thesis will consist of a collection of four peer-reviewed articles.

Requirements: a student interested in conceptual work on innovation, globalization and sustainability transition studies. He or she should be able and willing to conduct in-depth, mixed-methods research in the water and sanitation sector. Candidates should hold a master’s degree in innovation studies, human/economic geography, sociology or related fields in the social sciences. Fluency in English (spoken and written) is required, skills in a second language (either French or German) are an asset. Experience with social network analysis and/or qualitative expert interviews are a strong plus.

The deadline for applications is 10 June 2018. Applications should include a cover letter, CV, a writing sample (e.g., a published article, chapter from MA thesis, seminar paper) and the names and affiliations of three references.

For more information: https://transitionsnest.wordpress.com/2018/05/14/phd-position-on-the-role-of-global-regimes-in-sustainability-transitions/