Call for doctoral studentships in Environmental Science, specialising in sustainability challenges and pathways at Södertörn University, Sweden

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Closing Date: 11 February 2026

Call for doctoral studentships in Environmental Science, specialising in sustainability challenges and pathways at Södertörn University, Sweden

Two doctoral studentships in Environmental Science, specialising in sustainability challenges and pathways are available at Södertörn University in Sweden, apply now!

Overview

Södertörn University is a higher education institution in Stockholm that conducts education, research, and collaboration for sustainable societal development. Södertörn University has around 14 000 students, 80 programmes and 300 courses, and conduct education and research in the humanities, social sciences, technology and natural sciences. The university also offers police education and teacher education with an intercultural profile. A great deal of its research relates to the Baltic Sea region and Eastern Europe. Södertörn University combine subjects, perspectives, people and experiences, and are worldminded, curious and questioning, searching for surprising syntheses, challenges and development.

Environmental Science at Södertörn University is a multidisciplinary field that integrates social and natural sciences for the study of environmental and sustainability topics, using varied perspectives. Research seeks to enhance the understanding of complex interactions between societies and environments within and across the global North and South (with a specific focus on the Baltic Sea Region and Eastern Europe), as well as to advance knowledge about sustainable practices and the mitigation of environmental problems. Research in Environmental Science at Södertörn University focuses on two integrated themes: (1) Sustainability Challenges and Pathways and(2) Environment.

Description

These doctoral studentships are within the Sustainability Challenges and Pathways research theme, which studies how sustainability is described, understood and practiced in and across different contexts, and how it is and can be promoted and implemented at various levels from the local to the global. In this call, Södertörn University is particularly interested in research that builds on its ongoing work, such as: climate and environmental justice; environmental and climate policies and politics in and across local, national and regional levels; sustainability transitions and transformations; management and governance of natural resources; marine, urban and rural governance; planning and environmental history.

The doctoral studentships in Environmental Science are affiliated with the Baltic and Eastern European Graduate School (BEEGS), which is financed by the Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies, and is part of the Centre for Baltic and East European Studies (CBEES) at Södertörn University. The planned research must make a concrete contribution to knowledge about the Baltic Sea region or Eastern Europe (as specified here), as well as for the Sustainability Challenges and Pathways research theme. It is important to note that research exclusively focusing on Swedish issues and cases will not meet BEEGS’ relevance criteria.

These doctoral positions include admission to third-cycle education, i.e. research level, and employment on a doctoral studentship at the School of Natural Sciences, Technology and Environmental Studies. The intended outcome for admitted students is a PhD. The programme covers 240 credits, which is the equivalent of four years of full-time study. A doctoral student’s working hours should primarily be dedicated to third-cycle studies, but may include education, research and/or administration up to 20% of full-time. The work environment at Södertörn University is bilingual, with both Swedish and English as working languages.

The general entry requirements are:

a second-cycle/Master’s level qualification,
fulfilment of the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits are awarded at second-cycle/Master’s level, or
the acquisition of substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

The Faculty Board may permit an exemption from the general entry requirements for an individual applicant, if there are special grounds (Ordinance 2010:1064).

The specific entry requirements are:

A qualified applicant has the equivalent of 90 credits, including a degree project worth at least 15 credits at second-cycle level, in Environmental Science, or a related subject with an environmental social science specialisation (e.g. Sociology, Political Science, Human Geography) that is of central importance to the Sustainability Challenges and Pathways research theme. The suggested topic for the doctoral thesis, as described in the research plan, must be clearly relevant to the study of the Baltic Sea region or Eastern Europe, as well as to the Sustainability challenges and pathways research theme. Furthermore, good skills in the English language are required.

Applications should be written in English and must include:

An application letter.
Curriculum Vitae.
Degree certificates and proof that the entry requirements are fulfilled (if not written in English or Swedish/Norwegian/Danish, you must enclose translated versions in English).
Bachelor’s essay and Master’s dissertation in the field in accordance with the entry requirements (if not written in Swedish, Norwegian, Danish or English, you must enclose a summary of 5-6 pages, approx. 14,000 characters, of the essay in English).
A research plan of between 1000 and 1500 words. The plan should: identify and justify the relevance of a research problem to be addressed; clearly state the research aims and question(s); outline the proposed theoretical-analytical and methodological approaches of the study. The project’s relevance to the Sustainability Challenges and Pathways research theme and studies of the Baltic Sea region or Eastern Europe must be clearly stated.
Two references, with contact details.
A maximum of three publications may be appended.

Incomplete applications will not be accepted.

The following criteria are considered during selection:

autonomy and originality in the formulation of research questions, analysis and presentation of previous work.
theoretical and methodological stringency with clear connection to research questions in the research plan.
research experience or relevant professional activity in Environmental Science or an equivalent subject as described in the specific entry requirements.
relevance of the research plan to the study of the Baltic Sea region or Eastern Europe.
relevance of the research plan to ongoing research within the Sustainability Challenges and Pathways research theme.
good skills in any languages that are of importance to work on the thesis.
a multi-, inter- or transdisciplinary background relevant to Environmental Science or an equivalent subject as described in the specific entry requirements.