Ecological challenges (such as drought or increasing paving) are experienced differently by different actors, electrical and organizations, which can lead to social polarization. This slows down planned actions around these challenges. As Participatory Design (PD) researchers, we experience a need to develop design approaches that can bring diverse actors together to address these ecological challenges in a participatory way, with particular attention to those actors who are typically left voiceless, both human and non- human actors (e.g. plants, rivers and insects). Our research group is interested in a caring and situated PD approach that can better understand and bring together the different worlds in which people live and work and the more-than-human worlds with which they are enhanced. 

What is the focus of this specific PhD project? 

This project focuses on places where the need for a more fundamental, systemic transition is clear (floods, drought, socio-economic vulnerability, energy transition, ...). The researcher works in a participatory manner with one or more such contexts to investigate the methods for a structural and step-by-step transformation of these places in an inclusive and sustainable way. New divisions of roles between different social actors and new participatory approaches and/or design-driven processes will be developed and tested during this PhD, contributing to the toolbox we need to successfully realize place-based system change and transition. More specifically, we look at the role of Living Labs in these transitions as open innovation environments where new groups, problems and creative ones arise, resulting from bottom-up, long-term collaborations between diverse actors (Björgvinsson et al., 2012, p. 41).

Objectives

(1) Conduct Participatory Action Research (PAR) within a pilot of transdisciplinary transformation of built environments for socio-ecological sustainability. (2) Identify, structure and fundamental tools, institutions and methods that connect the aspirations of local powerful with the government's transition ambitions, to devise diverse models of co-ownership and cooperation. (3) Formulating the structural criteria and components of social-ecological infrastructure and working methods, in this case structured via Living Labs, to activate integrated local action and transformation.

Expected results

(1) Participatory Design Report on Structural Criteria and Components in Living Lab-based System Change; (2) Collection and description of design practices and strategies for connecting actors in community-driven and transdisciplinary spatial transformation; (3) Addressing Living Lab co-design in place-based systems change.

ArcK is the research group of the Faculty of Architecture and Arts that focuses on research in architecture and interior architecture. We conduct fundamental and applied research on the built environment. In a multidisciplinary team we work on important societal challenges, such as a purposeful and adaptive reuse of our heritage, the inclusion of diverse groups in spatial transformation processes, critical reflection on and contribution to the environmental impact of our built environment, inclusive design, design for wellbeing and experience,...These challenges are covered in 5 research domains:  ‘spatial capacity building’, ‘sustainability’,  ‘designing for more’, ‘Trace: heritage & adaptive reuse’ and ‘FRAME’.

More information:

www.uhasselt.be/arck

• You hold a Master of (interior) Architecture or Design (or equivalent)
• Your academic results are excellent.
• You are interested in interdisciplinary research and have strong analytical skills.
• You can work independently and as part of a team.
• You have strong communication skills and are fluent in English (speaking and writing).
• You agree to do the foreseen secondment(s).
• You can demonstrate the necessary (participatory) design skills, clearly stated in your CV and/or portfolio uploaded with the application.
• You can demonstrate your affinity with the research topic through a brief motivation (max 1000 words) uploaded with the application.
• You can be of any nationality, but have to comply with the MSCA eligibility criteria.
• You are willing to take on teaching assignments to a limited extent.

You will be appointed and paid as PhD student.
PhD fellowship for 2 x 2 years with mid-term evaluation. Start PhD fellowship 16.11.2024

The selection procedure consists of a preselection based on application file and an interview.
The interviews will take place in the week of 23.09.24

Apply now
Apply up to 15.09.2024