Doctoral student in Urban Morphology and Walking for Healthy Urban Planning and Design

How can urban morphology help us understand pedestrians’ environmental exposure, identify where urban interventions can have the greatest impact, and determine who would benefit most?

We invite applications for a PhD position investigating how the built environment shapes pedestrian movement and exposure to beneficial and adverse environmental conditions, including urban nature, heat, air pollution and noise. Combining urban morphology with empirical studies of pedestrian activity, you will develop new methods to identify where, how many and which pedestrians are exposed to different environmental conditions. A central aim is to translate this knowledge into actionable evidence for urban planning and design, identifying where interventions can contribute most effectively to healthier cities.

About the division and department

The Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering tackles contemporary and emerging challenges for the built and natural environment, ranging from resource utilisation, pollution and climate change to digitalisation and inequality. We combine expertise in architecture, civil engineering and related disciplines to build a better world.

The Urban Design and Planning division researches and educates in urban design and planning in all scales, from single urban spaces to larger urban landscapes and entire regions, focusing on how the urban design and planning can support sustainable development. Within the division, three research areas are distinguished focusing on spatial morphology, local and regional transformation, and critical spatial studies.

You will join the Spatial Morphology Group (SMoG) at the The Urban Design and Planning division. SMoG is an internationally oriented research group investigating how urban form influences urban life through rigorous spatial analysis and empirically validated models. Its long-standing research focuses on how urban form—particularly spatial configuration and density—structures pedestrian movement, co-presence and urban activity. The group is now extending this evidence-based approach to understand how urban form simultaneously shapes ecological conditions and people’s exposure to beneficial and adverse environmental conditions, and how this exposure affects health and wellbeing.

The group brings together expertise in urban morphology, Space Syntax, GIS, urban analytics, pedestrian modelling and Social-Ecological Urbanism. You will work in an interdisciplinary research environment connecting urban planning and design with environmental and health research. We value collaboration, intellectual openness and an inclusive research environment in which different disciplinary and personal perspectives contribute to the development of new knowledge.

About the research project

Cities face a fundamental planning challenge: urban environments that support walking, accessibility and efficient use of resources do not necessarily provide the best environmental conditions for human health and biodiversity. At the same time, environmental conditions are unevenly distributed within cities, and people's actual exposure depends not only on where they live but also on where they move.

The PhD project investigates this challenge from the perspective of pedestrians and mobility-based environmental exposure. Environmental exposure is understood broadly, including adverse conditions such as air pollution, noise and heat, as well as beneficial exposure to urban nature.

A central premise is that walking is not a single activity. Transport walking, leisure walking and sojourning involve different behaviours, routes and environmental exposures. These patterns may also differ between population groups according to their capabilities and characteristics. Despite this, research on walking and environmental exposure rarely distinguishes systematically between different types of pedestrian activity or population groups.

Therefore, the project will combine empirical data on pedestrian behaviour with high-resolution spatial measures of urban form and environmental conditions. A central methodological objective is to further develop Pedestrian-Weighted Exposure (PWE): an approach that moves beyond mapping where environmental conditions occur to identify where, how many and which pedestrians are exposed to them. This will provide a basis for identifying and prioritising urban interventions. For example, where greening, shading, noise mitigation or other measures could generate the greatest benefits.

The project thereby contributes to a larger five-year research program investigating how urban form can support accessibility, human health and biodiversity together and how these insights can inform urban planning and design.

Main responsibilities

As PhD candidate, you will:

• Develop spatial indicators for measuring Pedestrian-Weighted Exposure and using these indicators for intervention prioritisation.
• Collect, document and analyse empirical data on pedestrian activity, distinguishing between transport walking, leisure walking and sojourning, using observational and mobility-based methods such as GPS tracking and PPGIS.
• Use GIS and urban morphological methods, including Space Syntax, to characterise urban form and model pedestrian movement.
• Integrate pedestrian data with high-resolution spatial data on environmental conditions, including urban nature, heat, air pollution and noise.
• Apply statistical and geospatial methods to investigate how urban form, environmental conditions and pedestrian activity interact across different urban contexts and population groups.
• Develop approaches for identifying where planning and design interventions could improve environmental exposure for large numbers of pedestrians and/or particular population groups.
• Publish research in peer-reviewed scientific journals and communicate findings at international conferences and to planning and design practitioners.

The position may include teaching corresponding to up to 20% of full-time employment, in accordance with Chalmers' regulations.

Qualifications

To qualify for the PhD position, you must hold a Master’s degree in Architecture, Urban Design, Urban Planning, or a closely related field.

You must also have:

• Strong knowledge of theories and methods in urban morphology, with particular emphasis on Space Syntax.
• Demonstrated experience using GIS for mapping and spatial analysis of urban environments.
• Experience in spatial data processing, analysis and visualisation.
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English.
• The ability to work both independently and collaboratively in an interdisciplinary research environment.

The following qualifications are particularly meritorious:

• Knowledge of theories and methods addressing interactions between people and their physical surroundings, for example in urban health, human ecology or environmental psychology.
• Experience with empirical data collection related to human behaviour or mobility, including observational mapping, GPS tracking or PPGIS.
• Programming experience in Python, R, SQL, JavaScript or similar.
• Experience with statistical analysis and/or spatial modelling.

The position requires sound written and spoken communication skills in English. You should also have the ability to work independently and collaboratively within an interdisciplinary research environment.

Contract terms

• The Doctoral student positions are fully funded from start.
• The position is a fixed-term appointment of four years, with the possibility to teach up to 20%, which extends the position up to five years.
• A starting salary of 35,725 SEK per month (valid from May 1, 2026).
• Doctoral studies require physical presence throughout the entire study period. A valid residence permit must be presented by the study start date; otherwise the admission may be withdrawn.

What we offer

• As a Doctoral student at Chalmers, you are an employee and enjoy all employee benefits. Read more about working at Chalmers and our benefits for employees.
• A dynamic and inspiring working environment in the coastal city of Gothenburg.
• Read more about Sweden’s generous parental leave, subsidized day care, free schools, healthcare etc at Move To Gothenburg.

Chalmers is dedicated to improving gender balance and actively works with equality projects, such as the GENIE Initiative for gender equality and excellence.

If Swedish is not your native language, Chalmers offers Swedish courses to help you settle in.

Find more general information about doctoral studies at Chalmers here.

Application procedure

The application should be written in English and attached as PDF-files, as below. Maximum size for each file is 40 MB. Please note that the system does not support Zip files.

CV

Personal letter

• A brief introduction about yourself.
• A brief motivation as to why you are interested in this position.

Bachelor’s and, if available, master’s thesis together with the transcripts.

Use the button at the foot of the page to reach the application form.

A background check may be conducted as part of the application process.

Please note: The applicant is responsible for ensuring that the application is complete. Incomplete applications and applications sent by email will not be considered. Contact details to references will be requested after the interview.

We welcome your application no later than October 9, 2026.

For questions, please contact:

Meta Berghauser Pont

Professor

Meta.berghauserpont@chalmers.se

*** Chalmers declines to consider all offers of further announcement publishing or other types of support for the recruiting process in connection with this position. ***

Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg conducts research and education in technology and natural sciences at a high international level. The university has 3100 employees and 10,000 students, and offers education in engineering, science, shipping and architecture. With scientific excellence as a basis, Chalmers promotes knowledge and technical solutions for a sustainable world. Through global commitment and entrepreneurship, we foster an innovative spirit, in close collaboration with wider society.

Chalmers was founded in 1829 and has the same motto today as it did then: Avancez – forward.