Doctoral Researchers in the research training group "Urban future-making" (12 positions), § 28 subsection 3 HmbHG

11. September 2024

The research training group "Urban future-making: Professional agency across time and scale" is looking for 12 doctoral researchers (§ 28 subsection 3 HmbHG). They are full-time positions suitable for part-time, the salary level is EGR.13 TV-L. Start date is 01.04.2025 and the working hours are fixed until 31.03.2028 (This is a fixed-term contract in accordance with Section 2 of the academic fixed-term labor contract act [Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz, WissZeitVG]).

The research training group (RTG) “Urban future-making: Professional agency across time and scale” is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and jointly organized by the HafenCity Universität Hamburg (HCU) in cooperation with the Technische Universität Hamburg (TUHH) and the Universität Hamburg. The RTG investigates the scope of agency that built environment professionals have in the face of urgent challenges. The project joins scholars and doctoral researchers from the social sciences and from academic disciplines related to the built environment.

In the face of urban growth, climate change and increasing resource scarcity, urban areas have become crucial sites where aspired pathways towards desirable futures are imagined, forecasted, and negotiated. Through the lens of “urban future-making”, the research training group investigates the practices of built environment professionals in administration, planning and civil society responding to the expected threats and risks to urban societies. The central question is how responsible professional action can be possible under present conditions of intensified uncertainty and multiple crises. The research training group investigates strategies and interventions related to the urban built environment in fields of action where claims for transformative changes are currently most articulated, for example mobility systems, energy provision and material use.

The team of scholars has backgrounds in sociology, political science, geography, urban studies as well as architecture, urban and transport planning and civil engineering. The interdisciplinary program of the training group is organised into three tracks. Each track mobilises specific conceptual lenses and methodological approaches to investigate the agency of built environment professionals. Track 1 “Framings” examines the narratives of urgency around emerging problems in contemporary cities. Track 2 “Strategies” investigates how professionals act in the face of heightened uncertainty to engender transformative change. Track 3 “Interventions” examines the methodologies which allow professionals to take decisions and navigate evident urgencies in reflexive and responsible ways. Detailed information on the scientific programme and the team of supervisors is found on the following website:

https://urban-future-making.hcu-hamburg.de/

Your responsibilities

• completion of a doctoral thesis in your respective discipline within three years and in correspondence to one or more of the above research areas
• contributions to academic research especially through conference participations and presentations
• active participation in the joint activities of the training group and assumption of duties within the self-administration and self-organization of the training group

Your profile

Requirements

• an above-average master’s degree or equivalent in one of the involved disciplines
• the activities of the training group are conducted mostly in English, a very good command of English is required
• demonstrated interest in interdisciplinary exchange and willingness to collaborate with others, combined with high-level communication skills

Depending on your discipline, the following skills and qualifications are desirable:

• experience in the fields of interdisciplinary urban and spatial research
• professional experience related to the built environment
• experience in empirical social science research

The complete job posting can be found here [at the job opportunities at University of Hamburg] up until the application deadline on 22.10.2024.