The PhD position will be focused on the study of material and energy flows linked to the food system of Oslo (Norway), as well as the study of how changes in the food system may affect the environment and the use of resources. The food system is understood as the supply chain starting with food production in one end, through human consumption, to the management of organic waste and wastewater. A central question for the candidate to approach is: What is the estimated effect on resource use and the environment of increasing the urban food production in available urban spaces? The work of the PhD candidate will center around work packages 1 and 3 (click here to go there).
The candidate will work on the food-water-energy nexus of the urban metabolism of Oslo both for the status quo and future scenarios for urban food production. This should also include georeferencing of processes to increase the understanding of the spatial dimensions of the system. The knowledge gained on processes and flows associated with the food system should further be the input to perform life cycle assessments for the different scenarios.
Tasks in the work will involve
- Data collection for energy and material flows linked to the status quo food system. Data may be available only in the national language. This task will also include communication with various actors, public and private, to gain access to data material;
- Construction of scenarios for urban food production;
- Construct material flow models;
- Georeference processes and flows;
- Perform life cycle assessments of food system scenarios
Requirements:
Bachelors in science, masters in urbanism, social science, industrial ecology, or similar; GIS tools such as ArcGIS or QGIS, knowledge of LCA with simapro, openLCA or similar, as well as databases; programming in R and python also useful; previous experience with material flow analysis (MFA); ability to stay for periods of time in Norway; written and oral proficiency in Norwegian and English; a proficient level of Spanish, Catalan or Norwegian is especially helpful but not obligatory.
