PhD researcher position Urban trends

Ambitious scholar in spatial data analysis? Explore how cities evolve through a joint PhD at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre.

PhD researcher position: Urban trends

Your function

This PhD project is a part of the Collaborative Doctoral Partnership programme (CDP), an initiative by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) to train a new generation of doctoral graduates on the science-policy interface. For this joint project with the JRC of the European Commission we are looking for a PhD candidate to analyze urban trends. Using detailed spatial data, you will analyze changes in the physical manifestation of cities. So, how does the urban area develop because of current and ongoing demographic, economic and social transitions? How do these forces steer the amount and location of urban change? How do they influence each other and how do they interact with governments that try to steer urban development?

You will study these recent urban development trends at three scale levels: global, continental and national. In doing so we hope to be able to study the more generic drivers that govern urban development processes at large, while also being able to address the importance of local conditions and institutional settings that steer development on the ground. Using a variety of case studies also allows studying diverging trends, e.g. paying attention to both population growth and decline. The analysis will build upon recent detailed spatially explicit data developed by the JRC and others, applying state-of-the art quantitative (e.g., econometric) techniques.

Specific research topics include:

• What is driving urban density trends around the world? Decreasing densities are responsible for a large share of urban land conversions. The increasing land take per person may even result in urban expansion in regions where population is declining. You will study the drivers of urban density on a global scale. A global assessment of the factors that steer efficient land use can build upon JRC’s GHSL data and support global assessments of urban growth as simulated by JRC’s CRISP model.
• How does the demographic transition in Europe affect urban development? The impacts of the ongoing demographic transition in Europe are uncertain as this process has started relatively recently. Literature suggests urban decline is not the mirror image of growth because of the durability of housing. It is thus interesting to analyse how population decline in Europe is developing and how this affects urban development patterns. Does it lead to building vacancies and a loss in urban area, or to a shift in housing needs? By studying this in regions that already experience population decline, you may be able to help prepare the regions where this decline is imminent.
• How can governments speed up urban development? Many European regions face housing shortages, but do not seem to be able to increase the speed of housing development. Even when building permits are granted, development seems slow. These so-called stalled sites have received attention in academic literature, but their relevance has also been criticized by practitioners. By comparing the issuance of building permits and actual building activity from cadastral sources we want to better understand the factors that inhibit faster housing development. This research builds upon data collected for the Dutch Ministry of Housing and Spatial Planning (VRO) and will be carried out in cooperation with another Dutch research institute.

Research will be carried out at the Department of Spatial Economics at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. The second and third year, you will be based at the JRC office in Ispra, Italy. The first and fourth year, you will work in Amsterdam at VU’s Spatial Information Laboratory (SPINlab), the university’s centre for research and education in Geo-Information Science.

Your tasks

• conducting research (0.9 fte) and supporting teaching in spatial data analysis (0.1 fte);
• initiate and perform research in cooperation with your supervisors at VU and JRC;
• write high quality research papers;
• present research-in-progress at e.g. workshops/conferences;
• contribute to spatial analysis and GIS-related courses of the department;
• follow a 30EC training programme to prepare for your research work.

Your profile

• the candidate holds a master degree in Urban economics or Urban Geography with proven quantitative research skills;
• proven experience with quantitative spatial analysis tools such as QGIS and extensive coding experience in preferably R or Python;
• strong quantitative methodological skills in handling detailed spatial data, including various econometric techniques and machine learning approaches;
• a thorough understanding of empirical, explanatory research;
• a strong interest in supporting spatial planning practice;
• ability to establish own role within the project objectives as independent and creative scholar;
• demonstrable flexibility to work in a dynamic, international context;
• proficiency in written and spoken English with strong academic writing skills;
• ability to read and communicate in Dutch is desired;
• candidates should, prior to the start of the employment contract with the JRC have the nationality of a Member State of the EU or a country associated to the EU Research Framework Programme in force or being resident in an EU Member State since at least five years.

What do we offer?

A challenging position in a socially engaged organization. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable. So in return for your efforts, we offer you:

• a salary of minimum € 3.059,00 (PhD) and maximum € 3.881,00 (PhD) gross per month, on a full-time basis. This is based on UFO profile PhD candidate. The exact salary depends on your education and experience.
• The initial employment contract will affect a period of 1 year. After a satisfactory evaluation of the initial appointment, the candidate will be employed by the JRC for a maximum of two years. Upon successful completion of this period, the candidate returns as VU employee to finalise the PhD dissertation. Each new contract is conditional on the availability of resources.

• A full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata.
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• contribution to commuting expenses
• a wide range of sports facilities which staff may use at a modest charge
• optional model for designing a personalized benefits package

During their stay at the JRC, the PhD candidate will be employed by the JRC as a Grantholder Category 20 pursuant to the Grantholder Rules of 30.10.2012 or any future rules that will replace the GH Rules. The national law of the JRC site where the Grantholder will be based shall apply to their contract of employment with the JRC. The PhD candidate will spend up to 24 months at the JRC.

While employed at the JRC, the salary and benefits are those of a JRC Grantholder Category 20, following the Grantholder rules. The annual gross salary will be around 45.000 euro and is subject to national income tax.

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