PhD Student in Environmental Governance and Global Development

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