项目介绍

2025年2月2日

The Department of Architecture is part of the Science and Technology Group at KU Leuven and coordinates the research on (interior) architecture, urbanism and spatial planning at the Faculty of Architecture (Brussels and Gent) and the Faculty of Engineering (Leuven). The Department enjoys an international reputation and currently has more than 150 (international) PhD students.

This doctoral scholarship is part of the broader research project “Conceptualizing a post-carceral urbanism from Indigenous territories: contested interactions between communal and carceral city-making in Ecuador”, funded by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO). The project is hosted at the KU Leuven Department of Architecture, UULP Research Section on Urban Design, Urbanism, Landscape & Planning. The current vacancy is embedded in an inter-faculty research consortium based at the KU Leuven Faculty of Architecture (Campus Sint-Lucas Ghent and Campus Sint-Lucas Brussels) and the KU Leuven Faculty of Engineering Science (Campus Leuven) and involving the Max Planck Institute of Social Anthropology in Saale, Germany. The project is co-led by Prof. Viviana d’Auria, Prof. Jeroen Stevens, and Prof. Jeremy Rayner, and connects to ongoing research lines that interrogate the intricate relationships between architecture and urbanism, Indigenous struggles for justice, land disputes and territorial contestation in and beyond Latin-American cities.

Website van de eenheid

Project

The main aim of this research project is to conceptualise a post-carceral urbanism by mapping the contemporary and historic alternatives produced by (urban) Indigenous communities and territories in Ecuador. Indeed, amidst protracted socio-ecological crises and deepening inequalities, urbanism is at a crossroads. On the one hand, discourse and activism increasingly gravitate towards the commons as a viable blueprint to build spatial justice. On the other, the production of urban space increasingly relies on carceral paradigms, crystallizing a worldwide shift from social to punitive urban management.  
Aiming to conceptualize a post-carceral urbanism, this research will critically map communal and carceral practices as historically distinct, yet interrelated projects of city-making. In Ecuador, the clash between these two paradigms is both historic and acute. The country’s Indigenous territories embody long-standing commons-based practices, producing globally acclaimed formulations, such as plurinationality and the rights of nature. Nonetheless, Ecuador has recently doubled down on the global carceral turn, with skyrocketing incarceration rates and burgeoning carceral architectures, disproportionately targeting racialized territories. To address the global concerns that radiate from this local conundrum, this research will unravel the interaction between communal and carceral city-making as an urgent matter of spatial justice. The proposal builds upon solid collaborations with Indigenous comunas in Ecuador to unveil how communal practices constitute a transformative albeit implicit urban project, and thus support a pivotal conceptualization of post-carceral urbanism. 
To do so, two doctoral research tracks will collaborate by embracing parallel perspectives. Complementary to an ethnographic focus engaging with specific comunas in the Quito Metropolitan District (not encompassed in this position), this vacancy seeks a doctoral candidate to employ historical methods that work deductively at the scale of the Andean region and the construction of the Ecuadorian nation-state within it, to critically map Indigenous practices and their interactions with carceral forms in pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial Ecuador. Both doctoral research tracks will mutually inform one another within a broader Participatory Action Research (PAR) framework integrating transdisciplinary knowledge co-production and popularization. Fieldwork, workshops and collaborative initiatives will hence be central to the overall methodological approach.
In line with carrying out the research project in close collaboration with your supervisors, your job will consist of: 

• following the doctoral training program at the Arenberg Doctoral School; 
• making a clearly defined contribution to teaching, including thesis guidance, and course assistance; 
• publishing your research in academic journals and books, presenting at international seminars and conferences, while aiming to disseminate your work also on non-academic platforms; 
• engaging in general services for the Department of Architecture (including for example surveillance of exams, assisting the organization of events, etc.); 
• organizing activities related to your research topic (e.g. international research meetings, conferences, exhibitions). 

Profile

We are looking for an outstanding candidate who is passionate about architecture, urbanism, urban planning, and urban studies, and driven by a commitment to social justice and active engagement through collaborative fieldwork. The candidate: 

• Holds a diploma in the field of architecture, engineering-architecture, urban studies, urban planning, urban governance, social sciences, urban history, political theory, or equivalent; 
• Obtained a Master degree in one of the above or related domains, and at least distinguished from other fellow students with excellent academic results and/or recognition of excellence through awards, publications, or other achievements; 
• Preferably has interdisciplinary experience and sensitivity for topics related to Indigenous struggles, carcerality, and commons; 
• Meets the requirements to begin the doctoral training and engages to complete a PhD within a broader research consortium; 
• Is interested in scientific research and driven to publish and co-publish in relevant international scholarly journals; 
• Is a good communicator and enjoys working in a team, including regular presence on campus;  
• Is eager to work proactively, with a high level of autonomy and against tight deadlines; 
• Is able to show proof of excellent writing and communication in both English and Spanish, or committed to significantly expand language skills; 
• Is capable and prepared to conduct intensive field and archival research in Ecuador, and evidence of relevant or promising provisional experience in Participatory Action Research or similar; 
• Is eager to operate in contested territories and holds on to high ethical standards in terms of research integrity and conduct. 
• Graphic and visual skills in drawing and mapping are an asset. 
• Is willing to move to Belgium for the duration of the position  

We particularly encourage candidates from historically underrepresented and marginalized backgrounds, to apply.  

Offer

We offer an appointment as a full-time PhD researcher. You will be appointed for the duration of 1 year, extendable to a maximum of 4 years in total (depending on positive interim evaluations). The net amount of a  PhD scholarship is equal to 100% of the salary of a member of junior academic staff with the same qualifications, age and  family status (net wage scale 43). You will be based at the Faculty of Architecture, campus Sint-Lucas Ghent and Brussels, while frequently attending courses and meetings at the Faculty of Engineering Sciences, campus Heverlee/Leuven. KU Leuven opts for hybrid working, whereby a combination of on campus and working from home is possible. Other benefits include: eco vouchers, end of year bonus and holiday pay (for scholarship holders subject to full social security), hospital insurance and reimbursement of commuting costs.
The starting date of the position is envisioned in the Summer of 2025, or on the earliest alternative date agreed on together.

Within this position, you will be part of KU Leuven, a university where 13,000 colleagues together make top-level teaching and research possible. This includes an exciting work environment that offers opportunities to build your experience and develop your skills. In addition, various initiatives are taken, locally and centrally, to ensure the well-being and satisfaction of colleagues in this work environment. The Department of Architecture (www.architecture.kuleuven.be) is part of the Science and Technology Group at KU Leuven and coordinates the research on (interior) architecture, urbanism and spatial planning at the Faculty of Architecture (Brussels and Gent) and the Faculty of Engineering (Leuven). The Department enjoys an international reputation and currently counts more than 150 (international) PhD students. 

Scale 43
Working conditions

Interested?

For more information, please contact prof. Viviana d’Auria (Viviana.dauria@kuleuven.be) and prof. Jeroen Stevens (Jeroen.stevens@kuleuven.be). Candidates are invited to apply online before 28 February at 12.00 am CET. Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed in the second week of March (10-14). 

Please include in your application file (in English): 

• a cover letter with a clear motivation (1 page max); 
• A CV; 
• A portfolio and/or sample of relevant research work (a paper, article, book chapter, thesis, …); 
• The names, function and contact information of two referees whom we might contact during the selection process. 

You can apply for this job no later than February 28, 2025 via the online application tool

KU Leuven strives for an inclusive, respectful and socially safe environment. We embrace diversity among individuals and groups as an asset. Open dialogue and differences in perspective are essential for an ambitious research and educational environment. In our commitment to equal opportunity, we recognize the consequences of historical inequalities. We do not accept any form of discrimination based on, but not limited to, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, ethnic or national background, skin colour, religious and philosophical diversity, neurodivergence, employment disability, health, or socioeconomic status. For questions about accessibility or support offered, we are happy to assist you at this email address.

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