Phd Position in Spatial Planning for Inclusive Agricultural Land Use

**Introduction**:
UNIL is a leading international teaching and research institution, with over 5,000 employees and 17,000 students split between its Dorigny campus, CHUV and Epalinges. As an employer, UNIL encourages excellence, individual recognition and responsibility.

**Presentation**:
The Institute of Geography and Sustainability (IGD) seeks to fill a **PhD position in Spatial Planning for Inclusive Agricultural Land Use (80%)**. This position will be supervised by Assistant Professor Gabriela Debrunner at the IGD.
The IGD is an interdisciplinary community of about 130 academics that work in the fields of Ge-ography and Sustainability. With 24 professors and lecturers, and more than 60 PhD students and Post-docs, the department offers a vibrant, stimulating environment for cutting-edge research. It hosts regular lecture series and distinguished guest researchers from around the world.

**Job information**:
Starting date: January 1st, 2026 (or to be agreed)
Contract length: 1 year, renewable 2 x 2 years, maximum 5 years
Activity rate: 80%
Workplace: University of Lausanne, Institute of Geography and Sustainability, Géopolis, Lausanne, Switzerland

**Your responsibilities**:

- In light of rapidly expanding urban settlements and growing food demand, Switzerland has experienced increasing pressures on its agricultural production sector. These pressures have been further intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic and by lifestyle trends that emphasize domestic food self-sufficiency. In addition, energy-related crises and disruptions in global shipping and trade have further heightened the importance of strengthening domestic food production.
At the same time, the forthcoming **second revision of the Swiss Federal Spatial Planning Act (FSPA)**—which concerns settlement development outside designated building zones—has brought renewed attention to **agricultural land-use conflicts**. Tensions increasingly arise between agricultural and protected landscapes on the one hand, and residential demands on the other. A central issue concerns the extent to which agricultural land may be used for housing, for example, in the form of accommodations for seasonal agricultural workers, traditional Rustico houses, second homes, or short-term rentals such as AirBnB.
Although the **first revision of the FSPA** explicitly sought to protect agricultural land and to promote compact and densified settlement structures, **there are signs of a gradual erosion of these policy goals**. This trend is particularly visible in smaller Swiss municipalities (both urban and rural), where agricultural lobbying groups and landowners hold strong legal and political influence.
More specifically, ongoing tensions in Swiss agricultural spatial development and planning can be observed in several areas:

- **Housing vs. agricultural land use**: From a spatial planning perspective, to what extent is housing be allowed in agricultural zones? What forms of housing are politically-accepted, and with which quality standards?
- **(Temporary) housing for seasonal agricultural workers**: Who resides in agricultural zones, and how is this use (still) connected to agricultural land use and production? How are seasonal workers in Switzerland accommodated, and what forms of local and community-based support mechanisms exist?
- **Swiss agricultural labour migration**: What are the lived experiences of seasonal agricultural workers, both in Switzerland and in their countries of origin? How do their every-day lives in Switzerland function, evolve, and unfold?
- **Urban agricultural commons and organic labels**: What local initiatives exist that chal-lenge exclusionary or unsustainable practices—both in agricultural production and along the value chain? How do certification schemes such as Bio Suisse or Max Havelaar compare with other modes of Swiss agricultural production?

This PhD project explores highly political and spatially relevant land-use questions, **focusing primarily on Switzerland** while also **tracing migration trajectories of seasonal agricultural workers across Eastern Europe**. It employs a range of qualitative methods, including expert and exploratory interviews, focus groups, and historical document analysis, as well as innovative approaches like body mapping, GIS-based qualitative surveys, audio diaries, housing biographies, and ethnographic portraits to capture complex socio-spatial dynamics.

**Your interests and qualifications**:
You are interested in exploring the challenges and complexities of spatial planning, housing and territorial development. Driven by curiosity and an open mindset, you seek to understand the socio-political dynamics influencing land-use development for inclusive housing in the agricultural sector.
You have a background in urban and planning studies, human geography (or equivalent), and an interest in comparative approaches. Mixed-methodological skills including both, quantitative and qualitative social science methods