PhD in Development And Planning

Join a vibrant research environment and investigate opportunities and challenges of marine biodiversity conservation and management! The position is placed at AAU’s Faculty of IT and Design in the Department of Sustainability and Planning (PLAN) within the Development and Planning PhD program. The stipend is open for appointment from 1 February 2026 or soon hereafter. The duration of the position is three years. The position is based in Aalborg, Denmark. The position will support research in two ongoing Horizon Europe projects, OBAMA-NEXT and Marine SABRES. The work of the PhD will support the governance and social science work packages in both projects. Specifically, the tasks involve assessing the effectiveness of new generation tools in the designation and management of Marine Protected Areas and Blue Carbon (OBAMA-NEXT) and restoring marine biodiversity and support a sustainable blue economy by increasing the uptake of ecosystem-based management in Europe with focus on Arctic Pelagic fisheries (MarineSABRES). The PhD student is expected to develop and write project reports (i.e., deliverables), disseminate results through journal articles and other peer-reviewed outputs, and synthesize central findings as part of a submitted PhD thesis. The PhD student will participate in teaching at Bachelor’s and Master’s levels in educations associated with PLAN, including group project supervision and classroom lecturing in programs such as Cities, Energy and Environment; Cities and Sustainability; and Environmental Management and Sustainability Science.