SNSF PhD Candidate (Dr. sc. ETH Zurich) 100% - In Architecture and Urban Planning

About the job

SNSF PhD Candidate (Dr. sc. ETH Zurich) 100% - In Architecture and Urban Planning

Department:

Architecture, Design and Civil Engineering

Start of work:

1 February 2027 (Limited to 4 years, workplace ZHAW and ETH Zurich)

Tasks

• The project «Espaces Croisés: Building Culture Contact Zones at the Swiss Language Border since 1960» is based at the Urban Landscape Institute of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW (Prof. Dr Maxime Zaugg) and at the Historical Institute of the University of Bern (Prof. Dr Silvia Berger Ziauddin). It includes two doctoral positions and one postdoc position. The project examines how, since the 1960s, an independent planning culture has developed along the Swiss German/French language border («Röstigraben»), which materialises in architecture and urban planning, becomes visible and negotiable in social practices, and today exhibits building cultural characteristics (further information on the project see https://www.zhaw.ch/de/forschung/projekt/80395 ). The doctoral project based at the Urban Landscape Institute of the ZHAW investigates case studies along the «Röstigraben» and asks from a building cultural as well as architectural and urban historical perspective how the linguistic contact zone has shaped the built environment since the 1960s and how social negotiation processes are reflected in architecture and urban planning.
• Development and implementation of an independent dissertation project within the thematic framework of the research project
• Historical, spatial and discursive analysis of architecture, urban planning and building culture processes along the Swiss language border
• Conducting archival and literature research in Switzerland
• Collaboration in the preparation and evaluation of visual, spatial and textual sources
• Participation in workshops, excursions, scientific events and team meetings
• Exchange and collaboration with national and international research partners
• Participation in the activities of the Urban Landscape Institute (IUL) as well as professional exchange within the institute
• The position is 100% funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation for four years. The PhD project is collaboratively supervised by the Urban Landscape Institute (IUL) at the Department of Architecture, Design and Civil Engineering of the ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences (Prof. Dr Maxime Zaugg) and the Chair of History and Theory of Urban Planning at the gta of the Department of Architecture of ETH Zurich (Prof. Dr Tom Avermaete). Upon successful completion of the PhD programme, the doctoral degree Dr. sc. is awarded by ETH Zurich.

Profile

• You hold a master’s degree in architecture, architectural history/theory, art history, urban studies or a related discipline from the humanities and social sciences.
• Good language skills in German, French and English are an advantage; however, knowledge of all three languages is not required.
• You are interested in questions of architectural, urban and building culture history as well as spatial and social transformation processes.
• You have an interest in interdisciplinary collaboration as well as historical and spatial research.
• Initial experience with academic publications is an advantage.
• A residence in Switzerland is required for the duration of the project.

What we stand for

The ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, with over 14,000 students and more than 11,000 continuing education participants as well as around 3,700 employees, is one of the largest multi-disciplinary universities of applied sciences in Switzerland.

The Department of Architecture, Design and Civil Engineering of the ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences is one of the most innovative educational institutions of its kind in Switzerland and combines teaching, research, continuing education and practice. We offer you an exciting and varied activity in a dynamic research environment at the Urban Landscape Institute (IUL), which is dedicated to current questions of city, landscape, building culture, sustainability and spatial transformation. The workplace is the attractive Hall 180 of the Department of Architecture of the ZHAW in Winterthur.


The ZHAW is committed to gender-mixed and diverse teams to promote equality, diversity and innovation.

What we offer

We offer university-appropriate working and employment conditions and actively promote the personnel development of our employees and managers. A detailed description of the benefits can be found on the page Working at ZHAW . Here are the main points:

Contact

Prof. Dr Maxime Zaugg
Professor of Urban Planning

Jocelyn Schaad
Recruiting Manager