PhD Student hos SLU i Lomma

Description of the doctoral project:

• Governance and organisational alignment related to the operation and maintenance (O&M) of urban drainage infrastructures

Stormwater transports a wide range of pollutants from urban environments to receiving waters, posing major challenges for the protection of surface waters and coastal ecosystems. Urban drainage infrastructures, such as gully pots and stormwater ponds, play a critical role by retaining sediments and associated contaminants. However, their performance depends on effective operation and maintenance (O&M), which in practice is often reactive or based on fixed schedules, despite large spatial and temporal variability in sediment accumulation and vegetation development. This PhD project is part of a larger interdisciplinary research initiative aiming to enable a transition towards more data-driven and environmentally responsible maintenance of urban drainage infrastructures. The overall goal is to reduce pollutant loads to coastal and marine environments while supporting sustainable urban water management.

The PhD research will focus on identifying strategies for coherent long-term organisational set-ups and assess how stakeholder discourses, rules and resources shape the feasibility of different O&M schemes defined within the overall project. This includes assessment of governance feasibility of the various O&M schemes, and identification of alignment strategies, drawing on legal and policy frameworks and economic frameworks identified by partners in the overall project. The programmatic alignment theory, long-term strategic management, and elements of Nature-based Thinking (the organisational, ecological and social interdependencies) will be applied as basis for the analysis. Based on this, organisational and governance aspects of long-term urban drainage infrastructure maintenance will be described, as well as governance challenges and barriers for achieving healthy coastal environments will be identified.

Within this project, the PhD student will be involved in collaboration with stakeholders in both the water and wastewater industry and the green sector. The PhD student will communicate results both with the industry and international researchers.

About the position:

As a PhD student, you will perform both empirical and theoretical work. You will learn how to collect and analyse data within your research area as well as communicate your results at national and international conferences and in scientific journals. Most of your working time will be devoted to your own research studies, including both research and coursework. In addition, you will also carry out departmental duties, such as teaching and/or assisting in other research projects. You will have two or three supervisors who support you in your work.

Your profile:

• Required qualifications:

A Master's degree (or equivalent) in natural resources engineering, civil engineering, landscape architecture/management, organisational/governance theory or a related field

Excellent communication skills in English, both written and spoken

Ability to work independently and take initiative

Ability to engage with new research areas

Desirable qualifications:

• Good communication skills in Swedish or another Scandinavian language, both written and spoken
• A valid car driver's licence recognized in Sweden

Academic union representatives:

• https://internt.slu.se/en/my-employment/employee-associations/kontaktpersoner-vid-rekrytering/

Note: This is a shortened version of the advertisement adapted to the Swedish Public Employment Service's (Platsbanken) system. Please see the full advertisement on SLU's website: https://www.slu.se/en/about-slu/work-at-slu/jobs-and-vacancies/