Two doctoral positions in Religious Studies

Department for Molecular Sciences Subject area: Biology Description of the PhD projects We are seeking two PhD students in the field of biogas production, with a focus on the digestion process. The biogas process is currently an important tool for achieving multiple societal benefits and environmental goals. Through anaerobic digestion, a wide range of organic waste streams and residues can be treated while simultaneously closing nutrient cycles and producing renewable energy and nutrient-rich biofertilizers. Biogas production also contributes to increased preparedness and self-sufficiency. The biogas process is driven by complex microbial communities that must remain balanced to ensure efficient and stable biogas production. At the Department of Molecular Sciences, research is conducted both on process operation and optimization and on process microbiology, often in close integration. The PhD projects will focus on the following areas, with some opportunity for the successful candidates to influence the detailed project design. Biogas production from agricultural feedstocks – Process optimisation. Biogas production in the agricultural sector is currently expanding rapidly, creating a strong need for new knowledge and technological development. As a PhD student in this project, you will operate and evaluate different laboratory-scale biogas processes with the aim of optimising both biogas production and biofertiliser quality. The processes will be studied using chemical and microbiological analyses, and there will also be opportunities to work with process modelling. Process microbiology. This project focuses on the microbiology of different types of biogas processes and on how microbial activity is affected by different operational conditions, as well as how these changes relate to process function and stability. The work will involve molecular biological methods and bioinformatics to analyse microbial communities in both laboratory-scale and full-scale biogas processes. The aim is to identify microorganisms and microbial markers associated with specific operating conditions and to be used to predict process disturbances. Qualifications: A Master's degree in biology, microbiology, biotechnology, molecular biotechnology, bioinformatics, or a related field. Excellent knowledge of English, both written and spoken (equivalent to a passing grade in Swedish upper secondary school English B/English 6). Your profile: We are seeking highly motivated candidates with a strong commitment to advancing renewable energy systems and a keen interest in biotechnology and industrial microbiology. Applicants should be able to read and critically evaluate scientific literature in English and communicate effectively in both written and spoken English. Excellent communication and teamwork skills are essential. Meritorious qualifications: Knowledge and experience in one or more of the following areas are considered an advantage: Biogas processes, Modelling and/or programming, statistics, Swedish language skills About us: The positions are based at the Department of Molecular Sciences at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Uppsala, Sweden. For more information about the department, please visit our website: https://www.slu.se/en/departments/molecular-sciences/ The positions are connected to the national transdisciplinary centre of excellence, the Biogas Solutions Research Center (BSRC), as well as the Interreg project BEAR for the PhD project 1, carried out in collaboration with Luleå University of Technology and the University of Oulu. BSRC brings together researchers from Linköping University and SLU, together with approximately 50 private and public organizations representing the entire biogas value chain. The PhD positions within BSRC are intended to promote co-production of knowledge between academia, industry, and the public sector, thereby ensuring long-term competence development in both research and industry. Both projects will be carried out within the Microbial Biotechnology research group, and the principal supervisor for both projects will be Professor Anna Schnürer. The PhD students will also be supervised by additional researchers within the research group, ensuring access to the expertise required for the successful completion of the projects. Since the projects are conducted in close collaboration with industry and other societal stakeholders, the supervisory teams may also include external supervisors from industry. Read more about our benefits and what it is like to work at SLU: https://www.slu.se/en/about-slu/work-at-slu/ Read more about doctoral studies at SLU: https://www.slu.se/en/education/programmes-courses/doctoral-studies/ Employment and salary: The position is a full-time doctoral studentship comprising four years of postgraduate education. Salary is determined according to the local collective agreement for doctoral students, with fixed salary progression levels. Scope: 100 % av heltid Location: Uppsala Start date: Upon agreement but not later than December 2026 Application and selection: Please submit your application using the link below not later than 2026-08-31. Applicants are welcome to apply for one or both PhD positions. The application must clearly state which project(s) are being applied for, indicate which project is the applicant's first priority, and explain the reasons for this choice. Read more about the attachments that your application should include at https://www.slu.se/en/study/programmes-courses/doctoral-education/how-can-i-become-a-doctoral-student/application/ Selection among eligible applicants is based on the documents attached to the application, and is carried out with regard to the applicant's ability to complete the programme within the allotted time. Academic union representatives: https://internt.slu.se/min-anstallning/facket/kontaktpersoner/

Södertörn University welcomes doctoral proposals in History, to be conducted within the research project: “Money(-)making empire. Monetary policies and practices in the Swedish Baltic Empire, ca. 1600–1800”. Visit the project website for more information https://moneymakingempire.se/.     The project “Money(-)making Empire” examines monetary evolution in the Baltic Sea region within the broader context of early modern Northern Europe, using the Swedish Empire as a case study. Conceptualising the empire as a polycentric polity, the project challenges nation-state–centred historiography and instead analyses money as a transregional lens through which flows of power, conflict, and integration can be traced across imperial spaces. Monetary policy was central to both warfare and empire-building and its effects extended far beyond Sweden proper, influencing peasants, soldiers, merchants, urban authorities, and foreign rulers across the Baltic Sea Region. For more information, please https://ostersjostiftelsen.se/project/money-making-empire-monetary-policies-and-practices-in-the-swedish-baltic-empire-ca-1600-1800/.     History at Södertörn University is a dynamic environment for historical research and education, with researchers who specialise in a variety of time periods and societal or cultural processes. Sweden, the Nordics, and the Baltic Sea region and Eastern Europe are the main geographical areas of expertise. For more information, please https://www.sh.se/english/sodertorn-university/research/subjects/history. For a Swedish version https://www.sh.se/institutioner--amnen/institutionen-for-historia-och-samtidsstudier/historia     The Department of History is part of the Historical Studies research area at Södertörn University, an area of the humanities in which aspects of society, culture and heritage are studied from different perspectives. For more information, please https://www.sh.se/english/sodertorn-university/research/doctoral-level-education/historical-studies. For a Swedish version https://www.sh.se/forskning/forskarutbildning/forskarutbildningsomraden/historiska-studier.     Description of the doctoral position   The successful applicants will complete their doctoral theses as part of the project and within its thematic and theoretical framework. These doctoral projects may adopt a range of perspectives, such as analyses of monetary practices and discourses among and/or between different social groups (such as the nobility, merchants, peasants, and burghers), as well as political and administrative discourses, policies, and practices at the imperial, national, and/or local levels. We therefore welcome applications that encompass the full spectrum of approaches, from macro- to micro-level studies of social and cultural relations and practices, provided that they align with the project’s aims.     The project advances three interrelated analytical perspectives. First, it emphasises the polycentric nature of the Swedish Empire, integrating its Baltic and German provinces into a single framework and showing how power was negotiated through multiple institutional and social centres. Second, it treats money not merely as an economic instrument but as a practical and socially embedded problem, foregrounding everyday monetary practices, coin shortages, and alternative means of exchange among ordinary people. Third, it focuses on circulation, examining how money, knowledge, and practices moved across regions and how popular reactions – petitions, protests and riots – both responded to and constrained state policy. Methodologically, the project combines quantitative analysis with qualitative readings. Beyond its historical contribution, the project offers comparative insights into early modern composite states and provides a historically grounded perspective on contemporary monetary integration and tension in the Baltic Sea region and Europe more broadly.     The work environment at Södertörn University, as well as within the research project, is bilingual, with both Swedish and English as working languages.     Entry requirements   The general entry requirements are:   1. a second-cycle qualification, or   2. fulfilled requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second-cycle, or   3. substantially equivalent knowledge acquired in some other way in Sweden or abroad.   The Faculty Board may permit an exemption from the general entry requirements for an individual applicant, if there are special grounds. (Ordinance 2010:1064)     Specific entry requirements   The specific entry requirements are met by someone who has at least 90 credits in History, Economic History, the History of Ideas or the equivalent and who has authored an independent dissertation in History worth at least 15 credits at Master’s level. Prerequisites for undertaking the degree programme are the ability to assimilate scientific work in English and command of the language necessary for work on the thesis.   Eligible applicants will first be ranked according to their ability to assimilate education at research level, then other qualifications will be reviewed on the basis of this ranking.     The applicant’s communication and cooperation skills may also be assessed using references and interviews     Admission and employment    This position includes admission to third-cycle education, i.e. research level, and employment on a doctoral studentship at the School of Historical and Contemporary Studies at Södertörn University. The intended outcome for admitted students is a PhD. The programme covers 240 credits, which is the equivalent of four years of full-time study. The position may be extended by a maximum of one year due to the inclusion of departmental duties, i.e. education, research and/or administration (equivalent to no more than 20% of full-time). Other grounds for extension could be leave of absence because of illness or for service in the defence forces, an elected position in a trade union/student organisation, or parental leave. Provisions relating to employment on a doctoral studentship are in the Higher Education Ordinance, Chapter 5, Sections 1-7.     Date of employment: 1 January 2027   Please visit our website for more information about the application procedure Vacant positions | Södertörn University   Application deadline: 9 August 2026 at 23:59