PhD Student in Landscape Governance and Management

Department of Landscape Architecture, Planning and Management

Third-cycle subject area:

Landscape architecture

Description of the doctoral project:

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

Are you ready to take the next step in your academic journey? As a doctoral student with us, you will work closely with leading researchers in a strong, international research environment. You will be offered secure employment, high-quality supervision, and room to grow, both as a researcher and as a person.

The Landscape Governance and Management research group at the Department of Landscape Architecture, Planning and Management at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) seeks a driven and committed PhD student with a focus on how governance structures, decision flows, departmental roles and administrative silos affect operation and maintenance performance of urban drainage infrastructures, including multifunctional blue-green infrastructures.

Take the opportunity to join one of the leading urban landscape governance and management research groups in Europe with an international, creative and dynamic environment and close cooperation with the industry and universities worldwide.

Thematically, this doctoral study focuses on stormwater governance and management. 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 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 operation and maintenance schemes defined within the overall project. This includes assessment of governance feasibility of the various operation and maintenance 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 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.

Requirements:

To meet the general entry requirements, you must have:

• been awarded a second cycle (Master’s) qualification;
• satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second-cycle, or
• acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad (Higher Education Ordinance 1993:100, Chapter 7, Section 39).

The special entry requirements for the subject landscape architecture are the
equivalent of at least 90 higher education credits in courses relevant to landscape
architecture. At least 30 credits must be at second-cycle level. For applicants who do not fulfil these criteria, eligibility is verified on a case-by-case basis taking into account the research task.

You must also meet the equivalent English language requirements as those necessary for the Swedish upper-secondary qualification Engelska B/6.

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

About us:

The Landscape Governance and Management research group has a strong position in research and education on urban landscape governance and management, including urban water systems, primarily stormwater. The group consists of about 15 members and the group's overall goal is to contribute to how governance and management can be developed to support the sustainability, use and relevance of outdoor environments, often within applied development and in innovation-driven contexts.

Subject description
In the Landscape Governance and Management group we perceive governance as the collaboration between actors within and outside the public sector which concerns power relations, decision-making and resources (knowledge and economics), discourses and relevant laws and regulations. This often includes engagement of stakeholders to jointly develop landscapes at different scales. Likewise, management is about strategic, inclusive and long-term approaches to the continuous planning, design, construction and management of landscapes. This includes organizational perspectives such as strategic leadership and the development of operational and maintenance methods and approaches.

Read more about staff benefits and life as an SLU employee on https://www.slu.se/en/about-slu/work-at-slu/

Read more about third-cycle courses and study programmes on https://www.slu.se/en/study/programmes-courses/doctoral-education/

Form of employment / Funding:

Employment as a doctoral student (4-year programme). Doctoral student’s salaries are set following the local collective agreement. Salary progression is fixed.

Location:

Alnarp

Scope:

100%

Start date:

1 February 2027 or as soon as possible. 

Application and selection:

Please submit your application using the link below. The deadline is 16 November 2026.

Your application must include the following (in PDF format): Cover letter, CV, copies of your degree certificate(s)

Read carefully here about the attachments that your application must include:
https://www.slu.se/en/study/programmes-courses/doctoral-education/how-can-i-become-a-doctoral-student/application/

Selection among eligible applicants is based on the documents attached to the application, and is carried out with regard to the applicant’s ability to complete the programme within the allotted time.

Academic union representatives:

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

The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) has a key role in the development for sustainable life, based on science and education. Through our focus on the interaction between humans, animals and ecosystems and the responsible use of natural resources, we contribute to sustainable societal development and good living conditions on our planet. Our main campuses are located in Alnarp, Umeå and Uppsala, however, the university also operates at research stations, experimental forests and teaching sites throughout Sweden. SLU has around 4,000 employees, 6,000 students and doctoral students and a turnover of over SEK 4,5 billion. We are investing in attractive environments on all of our campuses. We strive to provide a work environment characterised by inclusivity and gender equality, where different experiences generate conversations between people and pave the way for science, creativity and development. Therefore, we welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives.