Postdoc in Urban Morphology, Environmental Exposure and Health

Chalmers University of Technology; Göteborgs kommun; On-site; SEK 420,000 - 540,000; Full time

Job summary

Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg invites applications for a two-year postdoctoral position examining how urban form and everyday mobility shape environmental exposure and health. You will develop mobility-based exposure measures, combine GPS trajectories with environmental and health data, and publish results to inform urban planning and design.

The project collaborates across the Spatial Morphology Group, uses GIS and advanced analytics, and seeks to advance knowledge on urban

Qualifications

• PhD in Urban Planning, Urban Design, Urban Studies, Geography, Environmental Health or closely related field.
• Strong experience in GIS and spatial analysis.
• Experience analyzing mobility, exposure, environmental or other spatially/time-referenced data.
• Strong quantitative and statistical analytical skills.
• Excellent written and spoken English communication.
• Ability to conduct research independently and collaboratively in an interdisciplinary environment.

Responsibilities

• Develop and compare residential, mobility-based and trajectory-based measures of environmental exposure.
• Analyse GPS-based mobility trajectories and combine with detailed environmental data on urban nature, heat, pollution and noise.
• Integrate mobility and environmental exposure data with health data from wearables and surveys.
• Use GIS and geospatial methods to study how urban form and mobility shape exposure.
• Investigate exposure variation across activities, mobility patterns and populations.
• Collaborate with researchers at Chalmers and external partners.
• Publish in peer-reviewed journals and present at conferences.

Skills

GIS & spatial analysis

Mobility data analysis

Quantitative analysis

R/Python programming

English proficiency

Education

PhD in Urban Planning/Urban Design/Geography/Environmental Health

Tools

GIS software

Space Syntax

GPS trajectories

Wearables data analysis

Job description

How does the urban environment people actually encounter in everyday life differ from the environment around their homes, and does this change our understanding of environmental exposure and health?

We invite applications for a postdoctoral position investigating how urban form and everyday mobility jointly shape people's exposure to beneficial and adverse environmental conditions, including urban nature, heat, air pollution and noise. You will develop and compare residential, mobility-based and trajectory-based measures of environmental exposure, combining spatial analysis with GPS trajectories, environmental data and health-related data. The research will contribute to new knowledge about how urban planning and design can support healthier cities.

About The Division And Department

The Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering tackles contemporary and emerging challenges for the built and natural environment, ranging from resource utilisation, pollution and climate change to digitalisation and inequality. We combine expertise in architecture, civil engineering and related disciplines to build a better world.

The Urban Design and Planning division researches and educates in urban design and planning in all scales, from single urban spaces to larger urban landscapes and entire regions, focusing on how the urban design and planning can support sustainable development. Within the division, three research areas are distinguished focusing on spatial morphology, local and regional transformation, and critical spatial studies.

You will join the Spatial Morphology Group (SMoG) at the The Urban Design and Planning division. SMoG is an internationally oriented research group investigating how urban form influences urban life through rigorous spatial analysis and empirically validated models. Its long-standing research focuses on how urban form—particularly spatial configuration and density—structures pedestrian movement, co-presence and urban activity. The group is now extending this evidence-based approach to understand how urban form simultaneously shapes ecological conditions and people’s exposure to beneficial and adverse environmental conditions, and how this exposure affects health and wellbeing.

The group brings together expertise in urban morphology, Space Syntax, GIS, urban analytics, pedestrian modelling and Social-Ecological Urbanism. You will work in an interdisciplinary research environment connecting urban planning and design with environmental and health research. We value collaboration, intellectual openness and an inclusive research environment in which different disciplinary and personal perspectives contribute to the development of new knowledge.

About The Research Project

Most research on environmental exposure and health still estimates exposure based on people's residential location. However, people move through many different environments during their everyday lives. The environmental conditions they actually encounter may therefore differ substantially from those estimated from their home environment.

The postdoctoral project will investigate this difference by moving from residential to mobility-based and trajectory-based environmental exposure. Environmental exposure will be understood broadly and include beneficial exposure to urban nature as well as adverse exposure to heat, air pollution and noise. The project will investigate where people move, which environmental conditions they encounter, how long they are exposed to them, and how accumulated exposure relates to health and wellbeing.

A central contribution will be to compare different ways of measuring exposure and test whether increasing spatial and temporal precision changes observed relationships between environmental conditions and health. The project thereby connects exposure and health research with urban morphology: urban form influences both the spatial distribution of environmental conditions and where people move through the city.

The research forms part of a larger five-year research program investigating how urban form can support accessibility, human health and biodiversity together and how these insights can inform urban planning and design. It will work closely with the PhD project on Pedestrian-Weighted Exposure, which translates knowledge about environmental conditions and mobility into priorities for urban planning and design.

Main Responsibilities

• Develop and compare residential, mobility-based and trajectory-based measures of environmental exposure.
• Analyse GPS-based mobility trajectories and combine them with spatially and temporally detailed environmental data on urban nature, heat, air pollution and noise.
• Integrate mobility and environmental exposure data with health and wellbeing data from wearables, surveys and other relevant sources.
• Use GIS, statistical and geospatial methods to investigate how urban form and everyday mobility jointly structure accumulated environmental exposure.
• Investigate how exposure varies between activities, mobility patterns, urban contexts and population groups.
• Contribute to the methodological integration of urban morphology, mobility research, exposure science and environmental health.
• Collaborate closely with researchers at Chalmers and external partners in environmental health and mobility research.
• Publish research in high-quality peer-reviewed journals and communicate findings at international conferences and to relevant practitioners.

Qualifications

To qualify for the position, you must hold a PhD in Urban Planning, Urban Design, Urban Studies, Geography, Environmental Health, Environmental Psychology, Human Ecology, or another closely related field.

You Must Also Have

• Demonstrated experience in quantitative research on the relationships between people and their built and/or natural environments.
• Strong experience in GIS and spatial analysis.
• Demonstrated experience in analysing mobility, exposure, environmental or other spatially and temporally referenced data.
• Strong quantitative and statistical analytical skills.
• A strong publication record relative to career stage.
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct research independently and collaborate effectively in an interdisciplinary research environment.

Particularly meritorious are experience with GPS or other mobility data, PPGIS, wearable data, environmental exposure modelling, longitudinal or repeated-measures data, and programming in R, Python or similar.

It is highly meritorious if the doctoral degree has been obtained within the last three years prior to the application deadline.

Contract terms

The position is a temporary full-time employment for two years with the possibility of a one-year extension.

The position requires physical presence throughout the entire employment. A valid residence permit must be presented by the start date, otherwise the offer may be withdrawn.

What We Offer

• As a postdoc at Chalmers, you are an employee and enjoy all employee benefits. Read more about working at Chalmers and ourbenefits for employees.
• A dynamic and inspiring working environment in the coastal city of Gothenburg.
• Read more about Sweden’s generous parental leave, subsidized day care, free schools, healthcare etc at Move To Gothenburg.

Chalmers is dedicated to improving gender balance and actively works with equality projects, such as the GENIE Initiative for gender equality and excellence.

If Swedish is not your native language, Chalmers offers Swedish courses to help you settle in.

CV

• A comprehensive CV, including a complete list of publications.
• Details of previous teaching and pedagogical experience.

Personal letter

• A brief introduction about yourself.
• A summary of your previous research fields and key research outcomes.
• An outline of your future goals and research focus.

A background check may be conducted as part of the application process.

Please note: The applicant is responsible for ensuring that the application is complete. Incomplete applications and applications sent by email will not be considered. Contact details to references will be requested after the interview.

We welcome your application no later than 16 October 2026.

For Questions, Please Contact

Meta Berghauser Pont

Professor in Urban Morphology and Urban Design

[e-mail]

Chalmers declines to consider all offers of further announcement publishing or other types of support for the recruiting process in connection with this position.***

Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg conducts research and education in technology and natural sciences at a high international level. The university has 3100 employees and 10,000 students, and offers education in engineering, science, shipping and architecture. With scientific excellence as a basis, Chalmers promotes knowledge and technical solutions for a sustainable world. Through global commitment and entrepreneurship, we foster an innovative spirit, in close collaboration with wider society.

Chalmers was founded in 1829 and has the same motto today as it did then: Avancez - forward.