Project Assistant for a Research Project on Water from a Social Science Perspective (LU4Water)

Lund University

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world’s top universities. The University has around 47 000 students and more than 8 800 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition.

Lund University welcomes applicants with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We regard gender equality and diversity as a strength and an asset.

We are seeking a candidate interested in working part-time during six months as a project assistant within the research project LU4Water at the Division of Human Rights, Lund University.

Description of the workplace

The position is based at the Department of History, Division of Human Rights, and forms part of a larger research project involving twelve researchers across six departments within Lund University (History, Sociology, Law, Division of Water Resources Engineering (TVRL), Economics, and Earth and Environmental Sciences).

The multi-year LU4Water research project is funded as part of Lund University’s excellence initiative Excellence Programme for Sustainable Development – Lunds universitet. We study water governance and water management, primarily in Sweden but also in a European and global context. The project focuses in particular on governance, legislative and policy processes in the water sector, providing insight into Swedish water management and its associated challenges. A specific strand of the project examines rights- and justice-based claims in national water management plans and related processes.

As part of the research project, your closest colleagues will be Johanna Ohlsson | Human Rights Studies and Erik Brattström | Department of Sociology, as well as the project’s other postdoctoral researchers. As a member of the Division of Human Rights, you will also have the opportunity to participate in, among other things, the division’s research seminars

The majority of the work will be carried out at the Department of History in Lund; however, some tasks may also be undertaken in collaboration with other researchers within the project and with partner organisations in Sweden.

We offer

Lund University is a public authority which means that employees get particular benefits, generous annual leave and an advantageous occupational pension scheme. We also have a flexitime agreement that provides good conditions for work/life balance. Read more on the University website about being a Lund University employee: Work for us | Lund University

Duties and responsibilities

The duties associated with this position include:

• systematic collection of information on water governance processes and water management plans;
• building a database based on collected data;
• data collection work at Swedish authorities, regions and municipalities might be needed;
• data curation and preparatory analytical work;
• supporting the project through assistance with basic administrative and communications tasks;
• supporting the research environment and its activities (e.g. booking travel or rooms).

Qualifications

To be eligible for the position, you must:

• hold a degree at least at bachaelor’s level (e.g. first-cycle studies) in a discipline relevant to the theme (e.g. human rights or sustainability studies);
• have strong knowledge of water issues from a social-scientific perspective;
• have an excellent command of English, spoken and written;
• be able to work independently and in a structured manner;
• have strong collaborative skills.

It is an advantage if you:

• have a good command of Swedish, spoken and written;
• have experience working with policy material; have experience working within a research project;
• have experience working with collection, systematising and analysis of research data using software such as NVivo, Excel, or equivalent tools;
• have experience using reference-management software such as Zotero, EndNote, or equivalent tools;
• have an interest in research themes such as human rights and justice in relation to water and sustainability; have experience conducting qualitative interviews;

Further information

The position is a fixed term position for six months at 30 per cent of full time and starting 1 May 2026 or by agreement.

How to apply

Applications are to be submitted via the University’s recruitment system. You apply by submitting your CV and by answering a number of questions in the recruitment system.

About The Joint Faculties of the Humanities and Theology
The Joint Faculties of the Humanities and Theology have eight departments and carries out large and varied work within research and education with the purpose to understand people as cultural and social beings. The faculties have around 700 employees and around 4000 students.

About The Department of History
The Department of History is one of the eight departments within the Joint Faculties of the Humanities and Theology. It is a large department consisting of three divisions: the Division of history, the Division of human rights and the Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies. Around 70 teachers and researchers work at the department. They undertake teaching within the BA programmes in history and human rights, the masters programme in history and the international masters programmes in human rights and Asian studies. The department also has a large post-graduate programme with Ph.D. students in history and human rights, as well as a research school in history.

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