A PhD fellowship connected to LANDLABS - Landscape Laboratories: Design strategies for sustainable and beautiful urban landscapes in the Anthropocene

The Anthropocene era demands new approaches to understanding and designing urban landscapes. Aarhus School of Architecture is seeking a highly motivated PhD fellow to join the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions project LANDLABS - Landscape Laboratories: Design strategies for sustainable and beautiful urban landscapes in the Anthropocene.

The PhD fellow will engage in site-based research, designing and testing scenarios for urban landscapes while collaborating with academic and non-academic partners. The goal of the research is to develop innovative design strategies informed by newly developed interdisciplinary theory and contribute to creating new evaluation criteria for sustainability and beauty in Anthropocene landscapes.

The PhD project will focus on the Aarhus Landscape Laboratory, which currently consists of several sites, including Eskelunden in Aarhus, a 30-hectare urban forest developed on a former waste deposit. As a landscape laboratory and pilot site for interdisciplinary research since 2016, Eskelunden has offered a unique opportunity to explore biodiversity and urban nature within the context of the Anthropocene. The PhD fellow will collaborate with Aarhus Municipality’s Department of Water and Nature and other local partners to continue developing the Aarhus Landscape Laboratory as a model site for Anthropocene landscapes, considering its interactions with both human and non-human actors.

The PhD fellow must participate in all joint LANDLABS activities and is expected to produce three papers as part of the research:

• A paper on the relationship between disciplinary theory, landscape architecture, and the Aarhus Landscape Laboratory as a landscape laboratory.
• A second paper on Design Research for an Anthropocene Landscape Laboratory.
• A joint paper critically reflecting on Anthropocene theories of interconnectedness for designing urban landscapes, as well as transferable evaluation criteria and design scenarios for sustainable and beautiful urban landscapes.

About Landlabs

The MSCA Doctoral Network “LANDLABS - Landscape Laboratories: Design strategies for sustainable and beautiful urban landscapes in the Anthropocene” operates across six landscape laboratories throughout Europe, exploring new perspectives on the interconnectedness between humans, animals, plants, water, air, soil, and technologies. Through an innovative site-based, research-through-design approach, LANDLABS offers young researchers the opportunity to contribute to the critical and urgent issue of the green transition of cities in alignment with the European Green Deal and the United Nations Goals of Sustainability.

As a member of LANDLABS, the PhD fellow will receive training in developing new modes of understanding urban landscapes in the Anthropocene and devising new methods to enhance their sustainability and beauty. LANDLABS unites researchers from Leibniz University Hannover, Aarhus School of Architecture, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, University of Ljubljana, University of Porto, TU Wien, and associated partners from municipal planning departments.

The PhD will be one of six PhD fellows affiliated with LANDLABS. All PhD fellows will engage deeply with a specific site significantly impacted by human activities and will function as landscape laboratories for exploring new perspectives on interconnectedness and testing design strategies for sustainable and beautiful urban landscapes in the Anthropocene. The PhD fellows are expected to develop and implement design interventions in these landscape laboratories as part of their research.

The doctoral training in LANDLABS is organised into two main phases. In the first two years, each PhD fellow primarily focuses on their individual landscape laboratory site and related theory. In the third year, the six PhD fellows collaborate in a virtual PhD lab on joint tasks to develop transferable theory, evaluation criteria, and design strategies for sustainable and beautiful urban landscapes in the Anthropocene.

About the position

Enrolment in the PhD School with the aim of acquiring a PhD degree in architecture is a requirement for filling the position. The PhD programme is a three-year scientific course of study comprising teaching and dissemination.

The advertised position is a full-time position (37 hours per week). The workplace is Aarhus School of Architecture, Exners Plads 7, 8000 Aarhus C. The PhD fellow is expected to be actively and regularly present in the PhD school environment.

The responsibilities of a PhD fellow include:

• Planning and carrying out a PhD research project and composing a PhD dissertation
• Authoring and co-authoring scientific articles and other types of academic dissemination related to the PhD research project
• Participating in and completing PhD courses in accordance with the regulations of the PhD programme
• Participating in and co-organising workshops, seminars and conferences
• Carrying out teaching in the school's educational programmes in subjects related to the PhD project and the knowledge areas of the research lab
• Completing a stay at a research institution outside Denmark of no less than two months
• Participating actively in the academic and social life of The PhD School and Aarhus School of Architecture

The position’s starting date is April 1, 2025.

What we offer you

At Aarhus School of Architecture, we offer a creative and innovative research and teaching environment to which PhD fellows also contribute actively.

In 2021, we moved into Denmark's first new built school of architecture in the heart of Aarhus, with greatly expanded workshop facilities and an open structure that appeals to collaboration across the school's many academic environments.

The new building has made the school a more integrated part of the city and the surrounding area; an area that is now an environment that is creative and dedicated to social commitment. An environment in which tomorrow's architecture is created in collaboration with architecture firms and other stakeholders of the building industry, entrepreneurs, the municipality, the citizens of Aarhus, and partners from all over the world. Being a Scandinavian institution, we have a long-standing tradition of cultivating a local approach to architecture. This tradition is also our starting point for a strong international focus.

Employees of Aarhus School of Architecture enjoy opportunities to work with people of different age groups and from many different cultures. We work together across the institution, and we all play an important role. For which reason, our voice is heard regardless of the position we are employed in. We believe that we create the best framework for an attractive and vibrant workplace through mutual recognition and by focusing on cooperation.

Qualifications

The position requires a master's degree in landscape architecture or a related design discipline of 120 ECTS credits. Additionally, experience with projects dealing with landscapes significantly impacted by human activities will be advantageous.

Applicants must demonstrate English language skills at the B2 level (CEFR) or equivalent, as the PhD thesis must be written in English. A working knowledge of the Scandinavian language is also beneficial. The working knowledge of Aarhus School of Architecture, in general, is Danish.

In the assessment, emphasis will be placed on:

• The applicant’s qualifications to develop and implement design interventions in LANDLABS landscape laboratories and complete a PhD education based on design-related work
• The quality of the applicant's writing samples and portfolio and how they document relevant experience that can support a PhD study within LANDLABS

Additionally, other experiences significant to the completion of the doctoral program may be considered.

We will also place importance on motivation and personal suitability for the position. We are seeking a candidate who possesses strong collaboration and communication skills and an interest in working in an international context.

As many individuals as possible should have the opportunity to undertake organised research training. If you already hold a PhD or have equivalent competence, you will not be eligible for this position.

Applicants can be of any nationality and must comply with the following mobility rule: the applicant must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Denmark for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the recruitment date (April 1, 2025). This rule is not debatable.

How you apply

The application must include: 

• A letter of application explaining your motivation for the specific project and the doctoral network (maximum two pages)
• A portfolio documenting design competency (maximum five projects/twelve pages)
• Writing samples from e.g. your master thesis, seminar work or other publications (maximum five pages)
• A CV including information on the applicant’s compliance with the mobility rule (max. two pages)
• Diplomas for master's degree
• Transcripts of grades/academic records for master's degree
• An explanation of the grading system for foreign education (Diploma Supplement if available)
• Documentation of English proficiency

All documentation to be considered must be in English and should be uploaded as PDFs.

Selection process

Aarhus School of Architecture is a varied workplace with room for diversity. We encourage all interested applicants with the relevant qualifications to apply for the position.

Aarhus School of Architecture shortlists applicants for further consideration. Shortlisting means that only those applicants who, based on an overall assessment, best match the qualifications listed above are selected for further academic evaluation. All applicants will be informed whether their application has been shortlisted. The shortlisted applicants will then undergo a thorough assessment to determine whether they are qualified for the position and will be informed about the outcome. After this assessment, the hiring committee selects the candidates to be invited for interviews.

Salaries and terms of employment

Salaries and terms of employment will be in accordance with the rules regarding PhD fellowships stated in the Circular on collective agreements for state-employed academic staff.

Contact

For general information about the project, please contact the Project Coordinator, Professor Martin Prominski (prominski@landlabs.eu). For questions about the position, please contact Associate Professor Stefan Darlan Boris (sdb@aarch.dk).