PhD position – Pastoralist Futures: Land Transformation in East Africa's Drylands

The Political Geography Group at the Department of Geography, the University of Zurich, invites expressions of interest for the following PhD position.

The PhD position is part of a Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)-funded project, “Pastoralist Futures: Land Transformation in East Africa's Drylands”, which runs for four years. The position includes an SNSF-standard salary and entitlements to research funds for fieldwork in East Africa. The PhD position requires the candidate to write their dissertation on this theme, with a specific fieldwork focus on pastoralist territories in Southern Ethiopia and Northern Kenya. The project aims to understand the longue durée of pastoralist land transformation at the intersection of climate change, state intervention, and capitalist practices. It interrogates land-use and land-cover change across time and space, changes in property regimes, pastoralist populations' agency in navigating internally and externally driven changes, and practices of future-making.

Your responsibilities

The PhD candidate will develop a dissertation research project aligned with the project theme above and will be supervised by Dr. Asebe Regassa Debelo.

You will join the Political Geography Group, which brings together researchers from Asia, Africa, and Europe to study the entanglements of development, humanitarianism, war, displacement, extraction, frontier and border violence, and environmental change.

Alongside your PhD research, the position includes teaching responsibilities as required by the Graduate School in Geography and Earth System Sciences.

Your profile

You have or are close to completing a Master's degree in human geography, anthropology, development studies, area studies, or another related discipline

In addition, research experience in East African pastoralist territories and language skills (Swahili and/or Afaan Oromo) will be an asset.

Information on your application

If you are interested in and excited to contribute to this research project, please submit your documents, including:

• a letter of motivation
• curriculum vitae
• an outline of your research idea (5-7 Pages)
• a writing sample, e.g. a chapter from your Master's thesis, a seminar essay or an article
• a letter of recommendation

The submission deadline is 30 September 2026.

We will inform shortlisted candidates of the interview date in October 2026.

The expected start date of the PhD is January 2027.

Wir bieten

• Work-Life Balance: Flexible working models (such as part-time positions, mobile working, job-sharing), Childcare at the kihz foundation of UZH and ETH
• Learning and Development: Wide range of continuing education courses of UZH and the Canton of Zurich, Language Center run jointly with ETH Zurich
• Food: Food and drinks at reduced prices in the UZH cafeterias, Lunch-Check-card with UZH contribution
• Healthcare: Special conditions on the Academic Sports Association ASVZ, Free seasonal flu vaccinations, Rest and relaxation at the quiet room in the university tower
• Discounts: Private traffic: Carsharing, rent a vehicle, parking space, Digitalization: Hardware, software, mobile phone subscriptions
• Conditions of Employment: Policies of the UZH, Most UZH staff are employed according to public law
• International Services: Support for people from outside Switzerland
• Campuses: Campuses Zurich City, Zurich Irchel, Oerlikon and Schlieren, Sites Zurich West, Old Botanical Garden, Botanical Garden and Lengg