PhD position at the Department of Geography

UiB - Knowledge that shapes society UiB shall be among Europe's leading universities, internationally recognized for high quality in research and education. As a societal institution, we shall contribute to sustainable and democratic development and be an attractive and inclusive place to study and work. Video: https://youtu.be/i4SDcLir6Oc PhD position There is a vacancy for a PhD position in System Dynamics at the Department of Geography. The position is within the project INTEGRATOR and for a fixed-term period of 3 years. Starting date is latest 1 April 2027. System Dynamics Group at the Department of Geography The System Dynamics group carries out research in several areas. The most important areas are: sustainability transitions, natural resources management, water-energy-food-ecosystems (WEFE) nexus, and model-based learning and communication. The group makes use of a variety of tools and techniques: stakeholder mapping, governance analysis, participatory modeling, non-linear feedback modeling, computer simulation, non-linear model analysis, interactive learning environments and decision-laboratory experiments. About the project/work tasks: Description of the INTEGRATOR project The position is within the EU Horizon Europe project ‘Integrated Innovation Ecosystems for Transformative Nexus Governance towards Enhanced Water Resilience (INTEGRATOR)’. The overarching project objective is to strengthen Europe’s climate-resilient and fair water management by enabling anticipatory, evidence-based decision making at river basin scale under changing climatic and socio-economic conditions, directly supporting the implementation of the EU water strategy. Specific objectives of INTEGRATOR pertaining to this call include: (1) promoting system-wide transformation in water governance and management to strengthen resilience, preparedness, and fair allocation; (2) establishing site-specific, stakeholder-led strategies; (3) creating seasonal and long-term foresight by developing and coupling a suite of models, including data-driven, process-based, and system-dynamics approaches; (4) delivering a digital water intelligence system orchestrated by a prompt compiler translating human language into executable simulations. INTEGRATOR is built on six case studies in Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Spain and Türkiye with various socio-economic, sectoral development, land use, water quality and water quantity challenges. Among these case studies, two of them are particularly relevant to this call: (1) Ergene River Basin (Türkiye), a 17K km2 watershed and a major industrial and agricultural hub with 2M inhabitants, facing severe pressure on groundwater resources, water quality and allocation. (2) Jucar River Basin – Albufera system in Spain, a highly interconnected river-water-coastal continuum centered on the 210 km2 Albufera Natural Park with high ecological value, facing pressures from intensive irrigated agriculture, and urban and industrial development. Responsibilities following the position: The research fellow will use participatory system dynamics modelling and computer simulations to support INTEGRATOR in all work packages (abbreviated as WP), with a concentrated focus on two WPs: WP3 (Participatory Co-Design for Resilient and Equitable Water Solutions using a Decision Theatre Approach) is going to strengthen inclusive and transformational governance through structured participatory process in the INTEGRATOR’s Decision Theatres (DTs). More specifically, WP3 will deal with stakeholder mapping, problem co-definition, participatory scenario analysis and policy exploration embedded in INTEGRATOR’s Decision Theatres Approach (DTA). WP6 (Digital Water Intelligence System and the HydroFellow) is going to provide a Digital Water Intelligence System (DWIS) and a prompt compiler, integrating multisource information, including models and model generated data. More specifically, WP6 will work on integrated hydrological and system dynamics modeling, site-specific digital twin development and integration, and the prompt compiler HydroFellow development through interaction with the DTs. The research fellow will be working on the Ergene and Albufera case studies to fundamentally support the activities under WP3 and WP6 through systems thinking, dynamic systems modeling and computer simulations. Qualifications and personal qualities: - The applicant must hold a master’s degree in System Dynamics or another discipline with a strong system, modeling and simulation focus. The master’s degree must have been completed by the application deadline. - The requirements are generally a grade B or better on the Master thesis and for the master’s degree in total. - Applicants must demonstrate a strong interest in socio-economic-hydrological scenario building; experience in participatory model-building is desirable. - Applicants must have strong quantitative and computational foundations. - Teaching assistance experience in the field of System Dynamics will be considered an advantage. - The applicant must be proficient in both written and oral English. Proficiency in Spanish and/or Turkish languages will be considered an advantage. - Applicants must be able to work independently and in a structured manner. - Applicants should have experience of working as a member of a multidisciplinary and multicultural research team and demonstrate good collaborative skills. - Experience in interdisciplinary working, linking social/economic and environmental sciences, is desirable. - Personal and relational qualities will be emphasized. Ambitions and potential will also count when evaluating the candidates. - The place of work for this position is Bergen, and the work requires that you are physically present at the Department of Geography on a daily basis. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview. About the PhD position: The duration of the PhD position is 3 years. About the PhD training: As a PhD research fello