SNF Junior or Senior Researcher in Social Science

Introduction

The University of Lausanne (UNIL) is a higher teaching and research institution composed of seven faculties where nearly 17'000 students and 5'000 collaborators, professors, and researchers work and study between the Dorigny campus and the CHUV, Epalinges and Sion sites. As an employer, it encourages excellence, recognition of individuals and responsibility.

Presentation

The Institute of Geography and Sustainability (IGD) seeks to fill a position of SNF Junior (without Doctoral Thesis) or Senior (with Doctoral Thesis) Researcher in Social Science. This position is linked to the research group of Prof. Emmanuel Reynard and the collective “Margins, Environment, Landscapes”, and will be part of the SNF project QUALISCAPE – Assessing tipping points in Baukultur qualities,   https://data.snf.ch/grants/grant/226182 , within the National Research Program NRP81 Baukultur,  https://www.nfp81.ch/en .

The IGD is an interdisciplinary community of about 130 academics that work in the fields of Geography and Sustainability. With 27 professors and lecturers, and more than 60 PhD students and Post-docs, the department offers a vibrant, stimulating environment for cutting-edge research. It hosts regular lecture series and distinguished guest researchers from around the world.

Job information

Starting date:01.08.2025

Contract length: 12 to 18 months

Activity rate: 60-100%

Workplace: University of Lausanne, IGD, Sion UNIL Campus, Bramois, Switzerland

The position is organisationally positioned at the Sion Campus of University of Lausanne at the Institute of Geography and Sustainability (IGD), supervised by Prof. Emmanuel Reynard. A work place will be at the Sion campus of University of Lausanne and a close professional and scientific exchange will take place with Dr Roger Keller from the Department of Geography at University of Zurich. As member of the inter- and transdisciplinary research team QUALISCAPES, regular meetings will take place both online and physically (mostly in Bern).

Your responsibilities

Within the project QUALISCAPES, the successful candidate will undertake a research on the links between Baukultur and Sense of Place and Landscape Services. The main tasks will be: a) Reviewing ‘sense of place’ literature and the elements of the eight Baukultur quality criteria ( https://www.bak.admin.ch/bak/en/home/baukultur/qualitaet/davos-qualitaetssystem-baukultur.html ) that describe ‘sense of place’; b) Literature review of scientific and grey literature (including project reports on real-cases in Switzerland) on Baukultur/landscape qualities and ‘sense of place’, and identify and systematize links between Baukultur qualities in cultural landscapes and sense of place in a broad diversity of landscapes; c) Comparing sense of place Baukultur qualities with descriptions of landscape services ( https://landscapeservices.ch ) in the Swiss context for identifying similarities and differences; d) Plan and conduct focus group discussions with relevant stakeholders for each of the three demonstrators selected in the QUALISCAPES project; e) Develop landscape narratives to understand people’s different views, values and assumptions about changes (including future changes) in landscapes; these narratives will be used to understand people’s perceptions of changes and their relationship to sense of place in the three demonstrators.

Your qualifications

The successful candidate is expected to have earned a Master degree or a PhD degree in Social Science (geography, sociology, anthropology, (urban) planning, environmental sciences or similar).

Other expected skill are: a) Research experience and/or interest in concepts of ‘sense of place’ and/or landscape services; b) Methodological experiences in applying systematic literature reviews and (qualitative) content analysis of scientific and grey literature in English, and German, French or Italian; c) Knowledge or interest in applying the concept of “landscape narratives” to identify main perceptions of stakeholders regarding landscape qualities and its evolution through time; d) Fluent in English (oral and written), (at least) basic understanding of or openness towards French, German and Italian to interact with stakeholders in the study areas; e) Organizational skills to plan and (co-)lead focus group discussions in three study areas with 10-15 participants; f) Interest and willingness to work in an inter- and transdisciplinary team and to be part of a bigger National Research Programme community. 

What the position offers you

We offer a stimulating work environment and atmosphere, with dedicated support for developing an academic career. Members of our research groups become part of international networks and benefit from opportunities to attend conferences and workshops around the world. Salary is based on the salary scale for post-doctoral researchers of the Swiss National Science Foundation ( www.snf.ch ) and additional funds for fieldwork and conferences are available. Different formation opportunities are possible at UNIL or in Swiss institutions that promote post-doctoral research.

Your application

Application deadline: 05.05.2025 (recruitment interviews will take place on May 19th, 2025)

Please submit the following documents in PDF format only via the career website of the University of Lausanne:

- Letter of motivation;

- Full CV;

- Scans of university degrees and course transcripts/marks;

- The Master or PhD Thesis (and research papers, if available).

Only applications submitted through the following website will be considered.

Contact for further information

Prof. Emmanuel Reynard (E-Mail schreiben) 

Dr Roger Keller (E-Mail schreiben)

Additional information

UNIL is committed to:

- Equality, diversity and inclusion within its community;
- Ensuring an open and respectful environment that is conducive to personal development;
- Offering working conditions that facilitate work-life balance;
- Supporting early career researchers.

unil.ch/egalite
unil.ch/familles
unil.ch/graduatecampus