Call for Applications: 10 PhD positions in the new DFG Research Training Group „Urban Future – managing transformations for a better health in blue cities“ (RTG 3204/1)
The Research Training Group „Urban Future – managing transformations for a better health in blue cities“ examines how urban spaces along rivers and coastlines can be designed and managed to promote public health, ecological sustainability, and social justice. At its core is the concept of the „Blue City“: urban environments where water is not merely a resource or hazard, but an integral component of urban planning, infrastructure, and societal identity. The RTG bridges natural, health and economics & social sciences to decode the complex interactions between urban transformations, water-related challenges, and public health outcomes.
The RTG is structured around four overarching Research Themes (RTs):
A) Urban Health Resilience,
B) Urban Disease Ecology,
C) Governance and Institutional Change, and
D) Adaptive Urban Ecosystems
The RTG is operated by the University of Bonn and the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences in cooperation with German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) and various partner universities in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The heart of the RTG is the structured, interdisciplinary training program that places strong emphasis on developing systems thinking, transdisciplinary research, and the development of meta-competencies required for the interdisciplinary research of complex urban systems. Four research clusters (Urban Health Resilience, Urban Disease Ecology, Governance and Institutional Change, Adaptive Urban Ecosystems) form the conceptual foundation, operationally linked through four interdisciplinary research tracks.
The Research Training Group will start on 1 April 2027. Successful applicants will be offered a 4-year doctoral support contract with remuneration dependent on TV-L pay grade 13 (65%) according to the German public salary scale; employment will be either at the University of Bonn or the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences. Degrees will be obtained from the medical, mathematical-natural science, philosophical or agricultural, nutritional and engineering sciences faculties or the Promotionskolleg NRW, respectively, depending on disciplinary background and research focus. All doctoral researchers will complete the structured doctoral program, which strongly emphasizes systems thinking and transdisciplinary approaches to build meta-competencies for urban health research. Next to overarching interdisciplinary courses, specific disciplinary courses and soft-skills training make up the foundation of the program.
Further information: https://www.ukbonn.de/ihph/bereiche/urban-future/
Apply here: https://masterapplication.uni-bonn.de/movein/hosted/online/move/movein/portal/zefb_portal.php