PhD Research Position in applying Decision Analysis in Environmental Engineering

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November 12, 2009

PhD Research Position in applying Decision Analysis in Environmental Engineering

Description : Eawag is the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, a Swiss-based and internationally active research institute within the ETH Domain, committed to an ecological, economical, and socially responsible management of water.

The Department of ‘System Analysis, Integrated Assessment and Modelling’ has a vacancy for a

PhD Research Position in applying Decision Analysis
in Environmental Engineering

The doctoral thesis is part of the transdisciplinary project “Sustainable Water Infrastructure Planning” of the National Research Program “Sustainable Water Management” (NRP 61). The successful candidate will be part of a team of 3 PhD students that will develop a novel integrated, participatory planning procedure for municipal water infrastructures. The project focuses on dealing with limited data, the uncertainty of future developments, and ensuring high acceptance of the decision-making process by stakeholders.

The project combines engineering with decision sciences. The focus of this specific doctoral thesis is on stakeholder participation and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) to support wastewater infrastructure planning under uncertain future scenarios. MCDA is a well-structured process combining cost-benefit calculations with subjective stakeholder preferences. Special attention is given to understanding stakeholder values, and integrating diverging interests of different stakeholders. The approach will be applied to running real world planning processes in Switzerland.

The candidate for this position is expected to hold either a MS degree in Environmental Engineering, Environmental Sciences, or similar with a strong interest in the science-society interface, or a MS in economy or psychology with an interest to apply his or her knowledge to support wastewater infrastructure decisions. He or she should have the capability and interest to closely collaborate with stakeholders from Swiss municipalities and water utilities. For the interviews and workshops, fluency in German is required. Additionally, we require the skills and willingness to work in an interdisciplinary team.

The position starts as soon as possible for a project duration of three years. PhD enrolment will be at ETH Zürich. For further information, please consult www.eawag.ch, www.nfp61.ch, or contact Dr. Judit Lienert, Phone: +41 44 823 5574, Email judit.lienert@eawag.ch.

Please submit your application including application letter describing your personal motivation, CV, copies of your academic qualifications, and names and contact information of three references in electronic form to Jadranka Vögelin, Human Resources Department: recruiting@eawag.ch, indicating reference number 094602.

Deadline for application is 5th December 2009.
Homepage : Eawag: Das Wasserforschungsinstitut des ETH-Bereichs
Category : Environmental Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Decision Analysis, Psychology, Economics, or similar
Contact address : information: judit.lienert@eawag.ch

application: recruiting@eawag.ch
Keywords : sustainability, water infrastructure planning, stakeholder participation, Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA), elicitation, real-world case studies

Scholarship