A postdoc position in Human Geography, investigating how discourses around land rent emerge and are mobilized to shape (un)sustainable urban futures
Start Date
01.07.2026
or by arrangement
or by arrangement
Employment Relationship
90%, fixed-term 48 months
Institution / Workplace
Institute of Geography
Bern
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About us and your job
The Institute of Geography of the University of Bern commits itself to a geography embracing social and physical sciences to contribute knowledge for societal transformation. It understands that interdisciplinarity is required to analyze human-environment interactions and to address current challenges toward a sustainable world.As a successful candidate, you will be part of the international research project “Follow the money! REconstructing Belief systems behind Urban Intensification and Land-rent Distribution (REBUILD)”, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. Focusing on case studies in Switzerland and in the Netherlands, the project aims to better understand urban densification as a contested process of land-rent creation and redistribution, exposing tensions between actors, values, discourses, and representations. We hypothesize that entrenched discourses around land rent reproduce growth-oriented logics in densification projects, systematically obstructing the achievement of densification's proclaimed sustainability goals.
Specifically, as a postdoc researcher, you will focuses on discourses around land rent in urban development and investigate how these discourses shape policy beliefs, project-level negotiations, institutional arrangements, and ultimately the implementation of densification objectives. By revealing how discourses around land rent influence densification projects, this research project identifies leverage points for steering densification towards more sustainable trajectories and enriches the postgrowth debate in spatial planning. You will be affiliated with the research group of Prof. Jean-David Gerber and work closely together with Dr. Josje Bouwmeester at Utrecht University, 3 PhD students and partners at the other universities involved in REBUILD.
Under the guidance of the senior project members of the project, who are based at the University of Bern, Utrecht University, the University of Lausanne, and the Technical University of Delft, as well as in different professional organizations, you will conduct your main research in Switzerland and the Netherlands.
Tasks
- Analyze the emergence, perpetuation and mobilization of discourses around land-rent creation and redistribution in two social fields playing a key role in urban development: the property-industry field and the political administrative field.
- In addition, examine how these discourses impact densification practices, how actors legitimate their positions through discourses, how institutional arrangements resolve – or not – the tensions between land-rent creation (economic viability), land-rent redistribution (social equity), and alignment with planetary boundaries (ecological limits). Building on the analysis of the links between discourses, institutions (rules of the game) and land rents, you will develop an original reflection on postgrowth in planning.
- Contribute to advice of PhD researchers
- Lead the transdisciplinary platform of the REBUILD project
- Contribute to the synthesis of the REBUILD project connecting the work of the 3 PhD students in the 2 national settings
- You will be in charge of the operational management of the project (together with the senior researchers), develop an interdisciplinary understanding of the scientific issues at stake, establish a trustful research environment, and a common understanding of the issues at stake.
- Publish your findings in scientific and non-scientific publications
Requirements
- An excellent PhD degree in human geography or related social sciences disciplines (e.g. heterodox economics, political ecology, political science). Candidates from other backgrounds are also welcome to apply if they can convincingly demonstrate relevant expertise;
- Proven research experience with (1) discourse analysis, (2) (new) institutionalist approaches and/or public policy analysis, and (3) demonstrated interest in urban development issues and (strong) sustainability/postgrowth;
- Strong qualitative and quantitative research skills;
- Excellent command of English and at least one language of the project: German, French or Dutch;
- Practical or research experiences in the Netherlands or Switzerland and/or city development are a plus;
- Team orientation, working in a precise, engaged and self-organized manner, skills and commitment to work in an interdisciplinary field.
Your Benefits
- International reputation
- Strong research infrastructure and international network
- Collaborative environment and ambitious team
- Individual career support
Working at the University of Bern
The University of Bern not only offers exciting tasks but also an environment that actively promotes development, diversity, and equal opportunities. Discover what makes us stand out as an employer and how you can grow with us.
Application and Contact
The application must include
Please send both documents to: jobs.giub@unibe.ch
Application deadline: For full consideration, please submit your materials by May 15, 2026. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis after that deadline until the position is filled.
- one single PDF file with Letter of motivation, CV including a copy of university transcripts, and contact details of two references (no reference letters needed at this stage)
- as well as a PDF of your PhD thesis in a separate document
Please send both documents to: jobs.giub@unibe.ch
Application deadline: For full consideration, please submit your materials by May 15, 2026. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis after that deadline until the position is filled.