Researcher in economic geography: infrastructure transitions (DECENT)

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world’s top universities. The University has around 46 000 students and 8 500 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition.

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

The Faculty of Social Sciences at Lund University is one of the leading education and research institutions in Sweden and operates both in Lund and Helsingborg.

The Faculty of Social Sciences at Lund University is one of the leading education and research institutions in Sweden and operates both in Lund and Helsingborg.

The Department of Human Geography (Institutionen för kulturgeografi och ekonomisk geografi) at Lund University is a research-intensive academic unit within the Faculty of Social Sciences. It combines long academic traditions with modern and highly internationalised research and education. The department hosts a broad portfolio of education at undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels, including internationally oriented programmes such as the Master’s in Human Geography.

The department comprises a diverse faculty. The exact staffing varies, but the department currently employs 55–60 academic and administrative staff. The department educates roughly 400 full-time students across bachelor’s and master’s programmes, and it employs about 15 doctoral students.

The research environment is strongly oriented towards external funding and has been successful competitively at national and European levels. The department’s research and education activities have received very favourable assessments in internal and external evaluations, positioning it among Lund University’s leading disciplinary domains.

Lund University as a whole performs prominently in global rankings. According to the most recent QS World University Rankings, Lund University is placed #72 globally and achieves strong subject-level positions, including in fields related to human geography and environmental sciences. Lund University also ranks #1 in the world for sustainability in the same ranking, reflecting its strengths in socially and environmentally relevant research and education.

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Anställningsform: tillsvidareanställning | Anställningens omfattning: heltid | Antal lediga befattningar: 1 | Sysselsättningsgrad: 100 | Ort: Lund | Län: Skåne län | Land: Sweden | Referensnummer: PA2026/2730 | Kontakt: Johan Miörner 0462220000, Johan Miörner 0462220000, Elin Johansson 046222000, Elin Johansson 046222000, | Facklig företrädare: SEKO: Seko Civil 046-2229366, SEKO: Seko Civil 046-2229366, OFR/ST:Fackförbundet ST:s kansli 046-2229362, OFR/ST:Fackförbundet ST:s kansli 046-2229362, SACO:Saco-s-rådet vid Lunds universitet 046-2220000, SACO:Saco-s-rådet vid Lunds universitet 046-2220000, | Publicerat: 2026-09-18 | Sista ansökningsdag: 2026-10-02