PhD Position Architecture and the Built Environment

The Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment at TU Delft is seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate to contribute to the RURALITIC project, a Horizon Europe-funded initiative. This project aims to redefine rural territories in Europe, addressing resilience, inclusivity, and sustainability in the context of socio-economic transitions post-COVID.

Job description

RURALITIC aims to develop new conceptual frameworks and practical tools for understanding and transforming rural areas across Europe. The project responds to challenges such as post-COVID dynamics, energy transitions, and digitalisation, and aims to construct a more nuanced typology of rural territories, enabling the development of tailored public policies and initiatives.

As part of Work Package 3 (New Typology of Rural Territories), the PhD candidate will contribute to creating a new typology of European rural areas by constructing a coherent matrix of relevant indicators. This matrix will differentiate rural areas from a relational and social perspective, allowing for a novel classification of territories. The PhD candidate will also engage in the detailed qualitative and quantitative characterisation of these rural types, contributing to an innovative atlas that reveals the main features of each type.

In Work Package 8 (Future Perceptions and Sustainable Prospects), the PhD candidate will assist in analysing historical trends and current representations of rural life. This will involve synthesising findings from previous work packages to explore and visualise possible future scenarios for the diverse rural areas. The research will integrate weak signal analysis and foresight techniques to guide the development of sustainable, resilient, and adaptable rural territories.

This project not only addresses the post-COVID challenges that have altered rural dynamics but also provides an opportunity to engage with pressing issues such as energy transitions and the role of digital technologies in reshaping rural livelihoods. The outcomes of this research will inform the creation of public policies, enhance rural governance, and empower communities to better navigate socio-economic and environmental transitions.

As a PhD candidate, you will be based in the Section of Spatial Planning and Strategy (SPS) within the Urbanism Department at the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, TU Delft. The SPS section is internationally recognised for its interdisciplinary approach, combining spatial planning, design, and social sciences to tackle complex challenges in urban and rural environments. You will work closely with Dr. Rodrigo Viseu Cardoso, whose research focuses on urban-regional development, governance, and spatial inequality, and Dr. Caroline Newton, an expert in planning and design for spatial justice, urban theory, and critical urbanism. Both supervisors bring extensive experience in applying innovative research to real-world contexts, ensuring your work is well-supported and impactful.

Key Responsibilities

As a PhD candidate, you will:

• Develop a new typology of rural territories that captures the socio-economic, environmental, and digital transitions in rural areas.
• Contribute to future scenario analysis to forecast diverse, sustainable futures for rural territories.
• Collaborate with international academic partners and stakeholders to analyse rural transitions in Europe and contribute to policy recommendations.
• Present findings in academic journals and conferences, and engage with community partners and policymakers.
• Statistical data processing methods, mapping and visual methods will be prominently used.

Requirements

To be considered for the position, you must have:

• A Master’s degree in Urbanism, Spatial Planning, Urban/Rural Development, Geography, or a related discipline.
• A solid foundation in both quantitative and qualitative research methods informed by social/spatial sciences.
• Good understanding of, and strong interest in, rural development challenges and policies in Europe.
• Familiarity with spatial typologies, statistical clustering methods, spatial analysis, and/or scenario development techniques is an advantage.
• Excellent communication and academic writing skills in English.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in an interdisciplinary team.
• A proactive, curiosity-driven, results-oriented mindset with strong organisational and creative problem-solving skills.

Additionally, it would be beneficial to have:

• Experience in conducting research and contributing to academic publications.

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis.

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

Faculty Architecture & the Built Environment

The Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment has a leading role in education and research worldwide. The driving force behind the faculty’s success is its robust research profile combined with the energy and creativity of its student body and academic community. It is buzzing with energy from early in the morning until late at night, with four thousand people studying, working, designing, conducting research and acquiring and disseminating knowledge. Our faculty has a strong focus on 'design-oriented research’, which has given it a top position in world rankings.

Staff and students are working to improve the built environment with the help of a broad set of disciplines, including architectural design, urban planning, building technology, social sciences, process management, and geo-information science. The faculty works closely with other faculties, universities, private parties, and the public sector, and has an extensive network in the Netherlands as well as internationally.

Conditions of employment

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2872 per month in the first year to € 3670 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.