PhD Fellowships in Land Use & Climate Solutions

The European Geosciences Union is offering PhD Fellowships in Land Use & Climate Solutions through an International Research Training Group (C4 LaNd) involving Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, University of Hohenheim, and University of Melbourne. The program addresses land use challenges and includes coordinated research across various disciplines. Doctoral students will engage in international research stays and receive dual degrees, with positions starting in late 2026.
Location: Germany 24 Doctoral Positions in the International Research Training Group C4 La Nd Employer: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, University of Hohenheim, University of MelbourneC4 LaNd is an International Research Training Group that addresses a classical “wicked problem”: how to meet the ever‑increasing and often conflicting demands on land for food, renewable energy, and materials without compromising biodiversity conservation and climate action. The joint research program offers doctoral positions at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hohenheim University (UHO) and the University of Melbourne (UoM) and covers natural sciences, social sciences, and economics to deliver high‑quality, coordinated research towards land use becoming part of the solution to the climate and biodiversity crises, rather than a major cause.The qualification program includes training courses in key academic skills, career development, and workshops that foster nexus thinking and peer‑to‑peer learning. Doctoral students will also complete a one‑year research stay abroad in Australia or Germany, enabling them to benefit from the expertise within C4 LaNd and will receive a doctoral degree from both institutions. The first cohort of 12 doctoral students in Germany and 12 in Melbourne will begin in late 2026.Doctoral PositionsPhD 1.1: Understanding, mapping and reducing the impact of food production supply chains in Australia and Germany (UoM, Australia)PhD 1.2: Feasibility of Scaling Up Novel Land‑Use Systems (UHO, Germany)PhD 2.1: Ethics of care and just mobility transitions (KIT, Germany)PhD 2.3: Urban retrofitting – how to tackle surface conflicts between different uses (KIT, Germany)PhD 2.4: Redistributing mobility space in suburbia (UoM, Australia)PhD 2.5: Optimizing Blue‑Green Infrastructure for Climate and Biodiversity (KIT, Germany)PhD 3.1: Incentives, values, and coordination in infrastructure and land‑use decisions (UoM, Australia)PhD 3.2: Biodiversity, community, and Indigenous values in renewable energy transitions (KIT, Germany)PhD 3.3: Trade‑offs of Bio‑based Products in Different Land‑use Environments (KIT, Germany)PhD 3.4: Community and Participatory Governance of Nature‑Based Solutions in Multi‑Use Rural Landscapes (UoM, Australia)PhD 3.5: An analysis of expanding road infrastructure on indigenous land rights, food security and forest cover in southern Palawan, the Philippines (UoM, Australia)PhD 3.6: Ecosystem and biodiversity impacts of novel land‑use futures (KIT, Germany)PhD 3.7: Robust optimisation of water supply portfolios maximising water security, land‑use and envirnmental benefit under hydroclimatic extremes (UoM, Australia)PhD 3.8: Strategic Land Buyback for Urban Flood Risk Reduction (UoM, Australia)PhD 4.1: Forest Vulnerability to Hotter Droughts (KIT, Germany)PhD 4.2: Spatial optimisation of restoration actions for ecosystem services (UoM, Australia)PhD 4.3: The role of animals for forest ecosystem carbon and nutrient cycling (KIT, Germany)PhD 4.4: Mapping land use competition in a renewable energy transition that is good for nature and people (UoM, Australia)PhD 4.5: Advancing deep learning for probabilistic predictions of wildfire risks (KIT, Germany)PhD 4.6: Modelling sustainable European forests in a future climate (KIT, Germany)PhD 4.7: Drought adaptation of forest systems across climate gradients (UoM, Australia)PhD 4.8: Cross‑sensor transfer learning for long‑term forest biomass and structure estimation using established and next‑generation SAR missions (KIT, Germany)PhD 4.9: Transfer learning across forest types for biomass and structure estimation using next‑generation SAR missions (UoM, Australia)RequirementsAbove‑average master’s degree or equivalent (either already completed, or completed by the time candidates are selected) related to the position of interest in Economics, Social Sciences or Natural SciencesProfound knowledge of research methods relevant to the position of interestDelight in engaging within a multi‑disciplinary international teamFluency in EnglishWillingness to undertake a one‑year research placement in Australia (UoM) or in Germany (KIT or UHO) and to comply with formalities of a dual degree at both locationsFinal date to receive applicationsMay 17th 2026How to ApplyMore information, a list of the positions available and how to apply can be found th. For questions on the research projects, please contact the contact person stated in the project descriptions on https://C4 LaNd.earth or contact Dr. Thomas Schmitt (Thomas.schmitt).#J-18808-Ljbffr