PhD: Urban provisioning systems, sufficiency behaviour, and well-being

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

Mission

Connecting urban systems, human behaviour, and well-being: How can cities reduce resource use and carbon emissions while maintaining or improving human well-being? How do changes in urban provisioning systems influence citizens’ perceptions, behaviours, and everyday choices? And how do these individual changes translate into changes in resource demand and material and energy flows across urban systems?

The Laboratory for Human-Environment Relations in Urban Systems (HERUS) at the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), EPFL, investigates how urban systems transform towards sustainability. A key challenge is understanding how changes in urban infrastructure and provisioning systems can be aligned with low-carbon futures, social acceptance, and human well-being.

Within a planned interdisciplinary research project in collaboration with the University of Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, we investigate how transformations of urban provisioning systems can contribute to low-carbon futures and improved human well-being at the city scale.

The PhD project will examine how urban planning interventions and changes in provisioning systems influence citizens’ perceptions, behavioural choices, and subjective well-being. A central aim is to connect these social and behavioural dimensions with socio-metabolic research, investigating how individual behaviours translate into changes in resource demand and material and energy flows across urban systems.

The successful candidate will work in close collaboration with our partners at the University of Freiburg, as well as with the HERUS research team.

Main duties and 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, including housing, mobility, and public amenities.


• Develop and spatially enrich high-resolution synthetic household populations for selected 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, to investigate citizens’ preferences and perceptions and support the co-design of urban interventions.


• Analyse how behavioural changes translate into changes in resource demand and urban socio-metabolic profiles.


• Conduct research in close collaboration with the HERUS team and project partners under the co-supervision of Prof. Claudia R. Binder and Dr. Maria Anna Hecher.


• Publish research findings in international peer-reviewed journals and present them at scientific conferences.


• Contribute to teaching and student supervision at EPFL (20%).

Profile

• An excellent MSc degree in Social Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Environmental Systems Sciences, Sustainability Science, Geography, Urban Planning, or a closely related interdisciplinary field.


• A strong interest in connecting social and behavioural perspectives with biophysical and material dimensions of urban systems.


• An interest in socio-technical transitions, human-environment interactions, sustainability science, and/or urban systems.


• Experience or strong interest in quantitative or mixed-methods research, such as survey design, statistical analysis, or choice modelling, as well as spatial data analysis and micro-data modelling.


• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, strong communication and teamwork abilities, and the capacity to work independently.


• A high level of motivation for problem-driven interdisciplinary research.


• Excellent written and spoken English. Knowledge of French and/or German is a strong asset, particularly for empirical fieldwork.

We offer

• A PhD position for up to four years within an interdisciplinary and international research environment at EPFL.


• The opportunity to work at the intersection of urban sustainability, human behaviour, socio-metabolic research, and spatial analysis.


• Close collaboration with researchers at HERUS and the University of Freiburg.


• The opportunity to develop an independent research profile while contributing to a broader interdisciplinary research project.


• Structured doctoral training through EPFL doctoral programs and close research mentorship.

Informations

The selection process involves multiple stages, and short-listed candidates will be requested to apply to a specific EPFL Doctoral Program to qualify for a PhD at EPFL, i.e. EDCE.
Please check this page for additional information on admission.

Application deadline: 12.11.2026

Contract Start Date: 01.02.2026

Activity Rate: 100%

Contract Type: CDD

Duration: 4 years

Reference: 2504

Contact: [e-mail]

For inquiries regarding the position and project scope, please contact Prof. Claudia R. Binder ([e-mail]) or Dr. Maria Anna Hecher ([e-mail]).
For more information on past and ongoing research at HERUS, please visit: http://herus.epfl.ch/