Researcher in economic geography focusing on infrastructure transition

Requirements Profile

The position is located at the Department of Human Geography and Economic Geography (KEG) and is 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), which is funded by the European Research Council through an ERC Starting Grant and runs from 2026–2031. DECENT investigates why and how critical societal infrastructure – energy, water and sanitation, mobility, food supply – is becoming more decentralized, despite strong path dependencies in favor of large-scale centralized systems. The project combines transition research, modularity theory, and economic geography and compares case studies in European and Indian cities.

You will become part of a project team consisting of the project leader, two doctoral students, and yourself, and your workplace will be at Geocentrum I in Lund together with the department's approximately 60 employees. At KEG and CIRCLE, you will encounter an international and interdisciplinary research environment within economic geography, innovation studies, and sustainability transitions, with an open and supportive work culture where junior and senior researchers collaborate closely.

We offer

Lund University is a government agency, which means you receive special benefits, generous leave, and a favorable occupational pension.

We have flexible working hours agreements that provide good conditions for work-life balance. You will have good opportunities to conduct research in a well-funded international project, with funds for fieldwork and conferences, and the space to develop your own research profile.

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Tasks and responsibilities

As a researcher in DECENT, you will work closely with the project leader and take independent responsibility for the research within one or more of the project's case studies. Your main tasks are to:

contribute to the project's theory development regarding decentralization and modularity in socio-technical systems, especially in the project's initial phase plan and conduct 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 analyze the material using qualitative process methods (path tracing) and semi-quantitative network methods (sociotechnical configuration analysis, STCA), and contribute to the project's methodological development compare cases between sectors and between high- and middle-income contexts and contribute to the project's synthesis and theory building publish in international peer-reviewed journals, both independently and together with the project group, and present at international conferences contribute to the guidance of the project's doctoral students as well as to seminars, workshops, and dialogue with practitioners and decision-makers in the case study contexts

Travel and fieldwork, primarily in Europe and India, are included in the employment.

Qualifications

Requirements for the position are:

You have a PhD in economic geography, human geography, innovation studies, transition research, or another social science subject 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 in qualitative research with your own data collection, such as interview-based case studies. You have very good proficiency in English, both spoken and written. Swedish is not a requirement. You have a good ability to independently plan and drive research tasks, and good collaborative skills.

Meritorious for the position are:

You have experience of research in, and fieldwork in, middle-income countries, especially India or other parts of South Asia. You have good knowledge of socio-technical transition theories, institutional theory, and/or economic-geographical perspectives on transition 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 junior researchers or of applying for and leading externally funded projects. You have language skills relevant to fieldwork in the project's case study contexts.

During selection, the greatest weight will be placed on scientific excellence demonstrated through publications and conducted research, as well as how well your research profile matches and complements the project's research questions.

Other information

The employment starts on January 1, 2027, or as agreed. Interviews will be held in Lund shortly after the application deadline. Contact Johan Miörner (johan.miorner@keg.lu.se) with questions regarding the position.

How to apply

The position is applied for via the university's recruitment system. The application must be written in English and include:

a letter (max 1 page) where you describe your research profile, how it relates to DECENT, and how you would like to contribute to the project CV with a publication list

The university applies individual salary setting. Please state your salary expectations in your application.

The Department of Human Geography and Economic Geography at Lund University is a research-intensive academic unit within the Faculty of Social Sciences. It combines long academic traditions with modern and highly internationalized research and education. The department offers a wide range of education at undergraduate, master's, and doctoral levels, including internationally oriented programs such as the Master's programme in Human Geography.

The department has a diverse staff of approximately 55–60 academic and administrative employees.

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