"PhD position on social activity spaces (urban geography & geo data science)"

You will work within the Division of Geography and Tourism in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the KU Leuven with Prof. Ate Poorthuis as your supervisor. Research within the Division of Geography and Tourism spans both physical and human geography and focuses on the interactions between humans and the environment, and the way in which these interactions shape space. You will follow the doctoral program of the Arenberg Doctoral School. In addition to your research, you will assist in teaching the department’s courses (max. 10% of your time).

Unit website

Project

The selected candidate will be part of the SUNSET Doctoral Network built around a community of leading scholars and 10 doctoral candidates (DCs) delivering insights into how universities and their host cities can collaborate and interact to achieve the digitalization and sustainability goals set out by current European and global policy agendas. The network is purposefully international, intersectoral, and interdisciplinary. It consists of 6 academic and 16 non-academic partners in 5 European countries (Belgium – The Netherlands – Finland – Norway – Estonia). SUNSET emphasizes cooperative research and includes international mobility and intersectoral secondments to maximize the career potential of all DCs.

*Responsibilities*

This specific PhD project will focus on how (people in) cities and universities interact in public spaces, and how these spaces support both the social bridging between these communities, and can be leveraged in the transition to more sustainable mobility. The objectives are (1) mapping how, when and where people travel for social reasons and what the social meaning of specific places within the city and on campus is; (2) empower students as a participatory research population to analyze the social activity spaces of the university community; (3) build a university-city partnership through a similar participatory mapping of activity spaces of a residential community within the city itself; (4) identify where and why specific spaces form a social bridging role for the university-city communities.

A successful project will result in an improved understanding of the specific role of social spaces within our larger travel behavior through a systematic mapping of social spaces within the city-university community and an analysis of how the built environment, infrastructure and institutions can support these spaces.

*Planned secondments*

• University of Tartu, Estonia (3 months during Fall 2026: visiting fellowship at the Mobility Lab, Department of Geography with Prof. Dr. Age Poom, who also serves as the co-supervisor of the PhD
• Leuven MindGate (3 months during Fall 2025), where you will contribute to the development of an ‘innovation business card’ for the Leuven region: an infographic, charter signed by different sectors, mapping of urban innovation ecosystem and visualized on website, including potentially contributing to the automatization of data sources to develop these tools.

Profile

• Candidates should hold a Master’s degree in geography, urban studies, planning or a related social science field, preferably acquired recently, or possess corresponding qualifications that could provide a basis for successfully completing a doctorate
• You have obtained at least a distinction (equivalent of ‘cum laude’ in the Belgian system) during your studies or have distinguished yourself with high-quality scientific publications or design-oriented achievements
• If you finish your master’s degree in the spring of 2024, you are also welcome to apply
• You have a keen interest in urban studies, human mobility and digital and green transitions.
• The ideal candidate has a strong foundation in quantitative (spatial) methodology, is comfortable with using R for conducting analysis and applying these methodologies to research questions around urban issues. They should also be able to communicate complex issues effectively in both written and oral form.
• Interest in (interactive) data visualization, software development, and reproducible, open, scientific workflows are an added value, as well as an excitement for methodological innovation and interdisciplinary approaches.
• You are ambitious, well organized, a team player, and have excellent communication skills
• You are proficient in English, both written and verbal
• You did not reside or carry out your main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Belgium for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the recruitment date. Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays, and time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status are not taken into account
• Candidates cannot hold a doctoral degree
• You have the ability to work independently and have a critical mindset
• You are a pro-active and motivated person, eager to participate in network-wide training events, international mobility, and public dissemination activities.

Offer

We offer a funded fulltime PhD-scholarship for one year that, in case of positive evaluations, will be extended up to at least the guaranteed PhD funding for 36 months (i.e., funding from the European Commission), with a possibility of extending the duration of funding into a fourth and final year. Additional benefits, such as health insurance, are included. The EU Researcher Allowances will be used to cover both the employee’s as the employer’s mandatory charges.

More information on scholarship and benefits for KU Leuven PhD students can be found under the rubric ‘doctoral scholarship holder’ at https://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jobsite/en/phd/phd-information .

MSCA Doctoral Network SUNSET

KU Leuven Dept. of Earth and Environmental Sciences

University of Tartu Mobility Lab

Leuven MindGate

Interested

For more information or any questions about the position and potential fit, please contact Prof. Dr. Ate Poorthuis (ate.poorthuis@kuleuven.be) or Dr. Gert-Jan Put (+32 16 37 20 90, gertjan.put@kuleuven.be).

You can apply for this position no later than 15 April 2024 (included) via the KU Leuven online tool. Please submit a cover or motivation letter (max. 2 pages), a CV (max. 2 pages), a writing sample, and the name and contact details of two references.

The selection for this position will happen in two phases. First, a shortlist of candidates will be created based on the supplied documents. Second, a ranking will be made based on online interviews with shortlisted candidates. The interviews will cover the motivation, background knowledge, skills and research vision of the candidates.

KU Leuven seeks to foster an environment where all talents can flourish, regardless of gender, age, cultural background, nationality or impairments. If you have any questions relating to accessibility or support, please contact us at diversiteit.HR@kuleuven.b

KU Leuven strives for an inclusive, respectful and socially safe environment. We embrace diversity among individuals and groups as an asset. Open dialogue and differences in perspective are essential for an ambitious research and educational environment. In our commitment to equal opportunity, we recognize the consequences of historical inequalities. We do not accept any form of discrimination based on, but not limited to, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, ethnic or national background, skin colour, religious and philosophical diversity, neurodivergence, employment disability, health, or socioeconomic status. For questions about accessibility or support offered, we are happy to assist you at this email address.