项目介绍

2026年4月21日

About the project
OFFGRID investigates how small-scale, off-grid energy system shape emerging energy futures in the global South. Adopting a multi-sited research design across urban and rural contexts in Indonesia and Vietnam, the project takes a comparative approach to understanding energy transitions beyond purely technical dimensions. It examines how decentralised solar infrastructures reconfigure everyday practices, labour arrangements, and power relations among state actors, private sector stakeholders, civil society organisations, and local communities across diverse socio-spatial settings.

Subprojects
While the Principal Investigator will lead research on urban Vietnam and the Postdoctoral Researcher will focus on rural Indonesia, the two doctoral researchers will each develop and carry out one of the subprojects outlined below.

Rural Vietnam: This subproject explores the proliferation of household-scale solar systems and agricultural solar applications in rural Vietnam. A diverse set of initiatives has already emerged, including solar distribution programmes for off-grid communities, solar lighting schemes in remote ethnic minority areas and gender-focused initiatives supporting women’s engagement in solar farming. More recently, Vietnam has launched dedicated research programmes on agrivoltaics, combining solar energy production with agricultural livelihoods. This PhD project investigates how rural households or farming communities adopt, adapt, and sustain solar technologies, and how these processes reshape livelihoods, gender relations, and rural energy futures.

Urban Indonesia: This subproject examines the rapid uptake of rooftop solar in Indonesian cities, where households and commercial actors increasingly invest in small-scale photovoltaic systems. Key developments include state-led programmes such as PLTS Atap (rooftop solar panel), installations across commercial infrastructures, and emerging collective ownership models within residential neighbourhoods. Notably, households represent a significant share of adopters in major urban centres. The PhD project explores how urban solar transitions intersect with policy frameworks, affordability constraints, and urban inequality, and how these dynamics shape access to and control over energy.

The positions are full-time (100%) for a duration of four years. Your salary is commensurate with the rates set by SNSF.

The project is part of the Chair of Social Transformation Processes at ISEK and led by Prof. Dr. Annuska Derks (Principal Investigator) and Dr. Annisa Sabrina Hartoto (Postdoctoral Researcher). At ISEK, you will be embedded in a vibrant, international academic community that values exchange and innovation, with outstanding opportunities for academic growth-including the option to join the Swiss Graduate Program in Anthropology.

Your responsibilities

You will contribute to an interdisciplinary research project examining the social life of small-scale solar infrastructures across rural and urban Southeast Asia. You will develop and carry out one of the subprojects outlined above, conduct original fieldwork, and complete a doctoral dissertation. You will also participate actively in project activities, including workshops, seminars, and international conferences, and contribute to academic publications emerging from the project.

Your profile

You hold a Master’s degree in Social Anthropology, Development Studies, Human Geography, or a closely related field. You have demonstrated substantial experience in qualitative research and a strong interest in ethnographic methods. Experience in mixed-method approaches, including participatory mapping and survey-based research, is desirable.

You are motivated to conduct extended fieldwork in Southeast Asia and to engage critically with questions of energy, development, and social change. You value collaborative research environments and bring strong communication and teamwork skills.

Excellent written and spoken English is required. Knowledge of Vietnamese or Bahasa Indonesia is an asset, or a commitment to acquire the relevant language for fieldwork.

Information on your application

Applicants are asked to submit the following documents in a single PDF file:

• A cover letter (maximum 2 pages) clearly indicating which subproject you are applying for (Rural Vietnam or Urban Indonesia). The letter should outline your research interests, motivation, and include a short research proposal describing where and how you would conduct the research within the scope of the selected subproject, including existing connections and networks that you have locally. Please do not use AI to write your proposal.
• A curriculum vitae, including relevant research experience and publications (if applicable)
• Diploma or degree certificates
• Contact details (name, position, and e-mail address) for two referees
• One or two writing samples (e.g. thesis chapter, journal article, publication, or equivalent)