The Chair of Planning of Landscape and Urban Systems (PLUS) at the Institute for Spatial and Landscape Development, ETH Zurich, is seeking a highly motivated doctoral researcher (100%) to join the project “DEPOPLAND: Drivers and trajectories of social-ecological change in depopulating rural landscapes”, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation.

Project background

Rural depopulation is emerging as one of the defining global transformations of the 21st century, with profound consequences for both ecosystems and human well-being. The DEPOPLAND project aims to provide the first systematic, global-scale analysis of ecological and social dynamics in depopulating rural landscapes, identifying trajectories of change and their underlying drivers. To do so, the project pioneers an integrated and data-driven approach to analysing social-ecological systems, combining diverse data sources and advanced computational methods to uncover long-term dynamics of ecosystems and human well-being.

DEPOPLAND is highly interdisciplinary, bringing together expertise from landscape ecology, physical and human geography, land system science, and computational linguistics. The project is carried out in collaboration with partners at ETH Zurich, the University of Zurich, and the Universities of Kassel and Göttingen.

Job description

The doctoral researcher will primarily work on Work Packages 1 and 2, focusing on assessing ecological change in depopulating rural landscapes.

Identifying shrinking and growing rural landscapes globally using large-scale population datasets and spatial analysis
Developing and applying spatial-temporal indicators of landscape heterogeneity and ecological processes
Analysing long-term landscape transformations (composition and configuration) using multi-source geospatial datasets (including satellite remote sensing data)
Working with large geospatial datasets and implementing scalable workflows
Collaborating closely with other project members (including a second doctoral student working on well-being trajectories)
Presenting results at conferences and publishing in peer-reviewed journals

Profile

Required qualifications:

A Master’s degree in ecology, geography, environmental sciences, landscape planning, geomatics, or a related field
Excellent understanding of landscape ecology concepts and metrics
Strong background in spatial analysis and remote sensing
Proven programming skills (e.g. Python or R)
Experience working with large geospatial datasets
Very good command of English (written and spoken) and strong teamwork skills

Additional assets:

Experience with Google Earth Engine or cloud-based geospatial platforms
Familiarity with spatial time-series analysis
Experience with landscape metrics or ecological modelling
Knowledge of reproducible workflows and version control

Workplace

We offer

A stimulating, interdisciplinary research environment in a dynamic and international team
Close collaboration with leading experts in landscape ecology, remote sensing, and social-ecological systems
Excellent working conditions at ETH Zurich, one of the world’s leading universities
Opportunities for academic development, publication, and international networking

We value diversity and sustainability

In line with our values, ETH Zurich encourages an inclusive culture. We promote equality of opportunity, value diversity and nurture a working and learning environment in which the rights and dignity of all our staff and students are respected. Visit our Equal Opportunities and Diversity website to find out how we ensure a fair and open environment that allows everyone to grow and flourish. Sustainability is a core value for us – we are consistently working towards a climate-neutral future.

Curious? So are we.

We look forward to receiving your online application until 28 June 2026 with the following documents:

Cover letter (1 page) briefly describing your motivation, research interests, and how you meet each of the required and additional qualifications
Curriculum vitae
Academic transcripts and certificates
Contact details of two referees
Work examples (e.g. MSc thesis, code repositories, publications; if available)
Testimonials (if available)

Further information about the Institute for Spatial and Landscape Development can be found on our Website. Questions regarding the position should be directed to Dr. Maarten J. van Strien, [email protected] (no applications).

Please note that we exclusively accept applications submitted through our online application portal. Applications via email or postal services will not be considered.

We would like to point out that the pre-selection is carried out by the responsible recruiters and not by artificial intelligence.

The position is for four years, with an intended start date on 1 November 2026.

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