PhD: Urban Provisioning, Behavior & Well-Being Systems

EPFL; Vaud; On-site; CHF 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

PhD position up to 4 years

Interdisciplinary research environment

Close collaboration with Freiburg

Structured doctoral training throughEP

Job summary

EPFL's HERUS laboratory invites applications for a PhD position focused on connecting urban provisioning systems with resource flows, citizen behaviour and well-being. You will build high-resolution synthetic populations for city case studies and explore how interventions affect socio-metabolic profiles.

You will design and conduct surveys, experiments, interviews, and workshops to understand preferences and support co-design of urban interventions, while collaborating with the University of

Qualifications

• MSc in a related interdisciplinary field.
• Strong interest in linking social and behavioural perspectives with biophysical and material dimensions of urban systems.
• Interest in socio-technical transitions and urban systems.
• Experience or interest in quantitative or mixed-methods research, such as survey design, statistical analysis, or choice modelling, and spatial data analysis.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, communication and teamwork, and the ability to work independently.
• Fluent English; knowledge of French and/or German is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop an interdisciplinary framework connecting urban provisioning systems, resource flows, citizens’ behaviour, perceptions, and well-being.
• Conduct a systematic review of urban interventions and demand-side options across key services (housing, mobility, public amenities).
• Develop and spatially enrich high-resolution synthetic household populations for case-study cities by integrating micro-census, survey, and socio-metabolic data.
• Design and conduct empirical research including surveys, discrete choice experiments, interviews, and stakeholder workshops.
• Analyse how behavioural changes translate into changes in resource demand and urban socio-metabolic profiles.
• Collaborate closely with the HERUS team and project partners under co-supervision of Prof. Claudia R. Binder and Dr. Maria Anna Hecher.
• Publish findings in international journals and present at conferences.
• Contribute to teaching and student supervision at EPFL (20%).

Skills

Analytical skills

Communication

Teamwork

Independent work

Interdisciplinary research

Quantitative methods

Spatial analysis

English proficiency

Education

MSc in Social Sciences / Environmental Sciences / Urban Planning

Tools

Survey design

Statistical analysis

Choice modelling

Spatial data analysis

Micro-data modelling

Job description

EPFL's HERUS laboratory invites applications for a PhD position focused on connecting urban provisioning systems with resource flows, citizen behaviour and well-being. You will build high-resolution synthetic populations for city case studies and explore how interventions affect socio-metabolic profiles.

You will design and conduct surveys, experiments, interviews, and workshops to understand preferences and support co-design of urban interventions, while collaborating with the University of