PhD in land use modeling

The Chair for Planning of Landscape and Urban Systems (PLUS) at the Institute for Spatial and Landscape Planning, ETH Zurich, is a young, dynamic and interdisciplinary research team addressing problems of sustainable spatial and landscape development. Starting in September 2026 or by mutual agreement, we are looking for a PhD in land use modeling.

Project background

The 4-year PhD position is funded by the NCCR CLIM+ program (NCCR CLIM+ -- Climate Extremes and Society), financed by the Swiss National Science Foundation. NCCR CLIM+ supports Switzerland in the transformation towards a climate-resilient society. Together with stakeholders, the interdisciplinary NCCR CLIM+ research community tackles unexplored solution spaces to the climate crisis and develops a blueprint for actionable climate research worldwide. The project will be carried out in a collaborative environment between WSL, Agroscope, and ETH Zürich, providing extensive technical know-how and interdisciplinary expertise in hydrology, forestry and agriculture.

Job description

• The PhD candidate will further develop and apply a land use model, evoland-plus (pattern-based land use change model coupled with WASIM and FORCLIM), to forecast future changes in biodiversity and ecosystem services under various socio-economic and climate scenarios.
• The candidate will use both statistical and process-based approaches to better represent hydrology, forest dynamics and agricultural production and their effects on land use and ecosystem services. In particular, the candidate should be interested in applying the model to contribute to robust storylines of self-consistent plausible futures encompassing the physical and social dimensions of extreme climate outcomes.

The results will be transformed into policy guidance reports and other documentation.

Profile

• We are seeking a highly motivated candidate with a MSc degree in Land System Science, Environmental Sciences, Geography, Agricultural Science or related discipline, who has a deep understanding of social-ecological systems, experience in programming and has very good GIS skills.
• Ideal candidates have experience with ecosystem services modeling, forest dynamic modeling, hydrological modeling or species distribution modeling, and interest in working on the interfaces between these topics.
• Furthermore, the applicant should have a good command of English (both written and spoken) and should be willing to communicate with and work in a large interdisciplinary project. German or French is an advantage as a second language.

The full-time position is funded for four years. Salary and social benefits are provided according to ETH Zurich rules.

We offer

• A stimulating, interdisciplinary research environment in a dynamic and international team.
• Close collaboration with leading experts in social-ecological systems, computational text analysis, and well-being research.
• 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. 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 with the following documents:

• Curriculum vitae
• A complete academic transcript including undergraduate and graduate courses
• Copies of diploma/certificates
• Contact information of 2-3 potential referees
• A short description of your motivation and your research interests

Please note that we exclusively accept applications submitted through our online application portal. Applications via email or postal services will not be considered. Applications are due by June 30th, 2026. Interviews are planned online on the 10th of July, and at ETH Zürich in the week of the 13th of July.

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

Apply online now