PhD Opportunities in Sociology in Switzerland

PhD position in Sociology at the University of Zurich in Switzerland, starting in February 2027. The project investigates how digital and physical social spaces shape youth socialization and social inequalities. The doctoral researcher will study these processes using a combination of longitudinal, diary, geospatial, and experimental data. This interdisciplinary empirical design offers an opportunity to examine how young people’s social environments influence development, interaction, and unequa...

The University of St.Gallen’s Chair of Legal History, Sociology of Law, and Criminal Law, led by Prof. Dr. Lukas Gschwend , is seeking a research assistant / PhD student to contribute to its research and teaching activities. The role combines academic research with teaching support. The successful candidate will help prepare and deliver lectures, organize seminars and scientific events, and support the design, administration and supervision of examinations and other teaching formats. The positio...

ETH Wohnforum – ETH CASE at the Department of Architecture, ETH Zurich, invites applications for two doctoral researcher positions in the SNSF-funded project “From Homes to Habitats – Swiss Housing Cooperatives as Agents of Socio-Ecological Transition.” The project investigates how housing cooperatives in Switzerland can support more sustainable ways of living. It moves beyond their established role in providing affordable housing to examine innovative social, spatial, and ecological practices a...

The University of Zurich’s Implementation Science in Health Care Research Group, based at the Medical Faculty, is offering a PhD position in the UMZH-funded Learn4Sepsis project. The group is led by Prof. Lauren Clack and focuses on optimizing the integration of evidence-based practices and research findings into routine health-care delivery. The doctoral researcher will contribute to the LEARN AND IMPLEMENT work package, which combines implementation science, human-centered design, and organiza...

Two PhD positions are open at the University of Zurich in the Institute of Asian and Oriental Studies (IAOS), Chair of Modern Chinese Studies, for the SNSF-funded project “Governing the Party: How the Chinese Communist Party Holds Itself Together” . The project examines the Chinese Communist Party as an organisation, focusing on how it governs itself through institutions, routines, ideology, supervision, recruitment, training, evaluation, promotion, and organisational expansion. The team welcome...

A PhD opening is available in Urban Provisioning Systems, Sufficiency Behaviour, and Well-Being at EPFL , in collaboration with the University of Freiburg im Breisgau . The project examines how urban planning interventions and changes in provisioning systems influence citizens’ perceptions, behavioral choices, and subjective well-being, and how these changes affect resource demand and urban socio-metabolic profiles. The research is interdisciplinary and combines spatial/quantitative analysis wit...

Two PhD positions are available with Jean Christopher Mittelstaedt at the University of Zurich for a new project titled “Governing the Party: How the Chinese Communist Party Holds Itself Together” . The positions are based in the Institute of Asian and Oriental Studies (IAOS) and are part of an SNSF-funded research project. The project focuses on Chinese politics , party governance , and the internal organization of the Chinese Communist Party , making it especially relevant for applicants inter...

Two PhD openings are available in health disparities among migration-related populations in Switzerland , jointly linked to the Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute (EBPI), University of Zürich and the Swiss Forum for Migration and Population Studies (SFM), University of Neuchâtel . The positions are supervised by Prof. Oliver Hämmig (Zürich) and Prof. Didier Ruedin (Neuchâtel). The research themes are: Position 1 in Neuchâtel, focusing on access barriers, language hurdles, and d...

Two PhD positions are available for a project on health disparities among migration-related populations in Switzerland . The project is based at the University of Neuchâtel and the University of Zürich , and is funded by the SNSF . The positions are 80% appointments for 4 years, with a start date in February 2027 or by agreement. One doctoral researcher will be mainly based in Neuchâtel and supervised by Didier Ruedin , focusing on access barriers and discrimination . The other will be based in ...