PhD in Urban Social Resilience within Sustainability and Planning Aalborg University in Denmark

Aalborg University is advertising a PhD position in Urban Social Resilience within Sustainability and Planning at the Department of Sustainability and Planning, linked to the Planning for Urban Sustainability (PLUS) research group and broader interdisciplinary work with CREATE and related research environments.

The project focuses on urban resilience from a systemic and planning-oriented perspective, with attention to the dynamic relationships between people, places, and material environments. The research agenda connects sustainability and planning, urban planning, urban design, design thinking, circularity, and social innovation, and encourages socio-material, participatory, and co-design/co-production approaches.

Possible research directions include mapping actor landscapes, studying how social actors and communities contribute to resilience-building, developing methods and tools for transformation processes, examining climate- and nature-based interventions as catalysts for resilience, and analysing public spaces and neighbourhoods as arenas for urban social resilience. The empirical context is open, and applicants are invited to propose the city or urban setting they want to study.

Eligibility: applicants must hold a Master’s degree in sustainability and planning, urban studies, sustainability and design, geography, or a related field. Experience with qualitative, participatory, and design-oriented methods is an advantage. The call also expects a preliminary 1–3 page research proposal and a clear fit with interdisciplinary research on urban social resilience.

Funding and terms: the position is a 3-year PhD stipend at Aalborg University, with standard Danish employment conditions. The post includes PhD coursework (30 ECTS), teaching or dissemination experience, and an external research stay outside Aalborg University, preferably 3–6 months abroad.

Deadline: 5 May 2026. Applications must be submitted through Aalborg University’s recruitment system on the job advertisement page.