The Wyss Academy for Nature at the University of Bern brings together scientists, business leaders, policymakers, and communities to co-design innovative solutions to pressing, interconnected problems such as climate change, biodiversity loss, land use change, and rising inequality. Our vision is to achieve a just and sustainable world in which nature conservation and human well-being reinforce each other. Our Research and Innovation group Environmental Governance and Global Development under the lead of Professor Quynh Nguyen is now welcoming applications for a
PhD Student in Environmental Governance and Global Development
Start Date: 1 July 2025 or by agreement
Contract:4 Years (PhD)
Location: Wyss Academy for Nature (Kochergasse 4, Bern) in Switzerland
Apply by: 4 May 2025
Your Mission
The aim of the Research and Innovation Team on Environmental Governance and Global Development
is to identify and analyze levers and innovative governance arrangements for sustainable solutions to
global environmental and social problems. The team’s work is centered around the three focus areas
Solutions for natural resource governance, Climate change adaptation and Political dynamics in
sustainability transitions.
With their work and research, the successful candidate will contribute to advancing the understanding
of today’s most pressing environmental challenges and evaluate the viability and effectiveness of
possible solutions to these problems using state-of-the-art quantitative and qualitative social science
research methods.
We invite applications for a PhD position exploring the effectiveness of community-based conservation
(CBC) approaches, preferably with a focus on forest conservation. However, we are also open to other
types of CBCs. The research will examine the inclusiveness of CBC initiatives, as well as the conditions
under which they can generate a positive impact on socio-economic and nature-based outcomes. A key
focus will be assessing whether these approaches deliver ecological and socio-economic co-benefits and
identifying factors that influence their success across different regional or global contexts. The candidate
will contribute to a growing body of work on conservation governance and sustainability transitions.
While employed by the University of Bern, the successful candidate will be part of the Wyss Academy
for Nature which focuses on translating science into actionable insights and implementing them in our
Regional Stewardship Hub regions (Europe, South America, East Africa, and Southeast Asia). Thus, this
position offers a unique blend of traditional research methodologies and hands-on implementation. As
part of the role, you’ll delve into theoretical frameworks and conduct research to expand our
understanding of the subject matter. It’s an exciting opportunity that bridges the gap between theory
and practice, ultimately making meaningful contributions to the field.
Main Tasks:
- Active contribution to the implementation of ongoing research projects of the research team.
- Conduct research relevant to the dissertation
- Dissemination of ongoing work at conferences and workshops
- Publication of work in leading academic journals
- Potential support for the professorship, e.g., administrative support, teaching (but no formal teaching
requirement)
