PhD Scholarship – New Mobility Opportunities in Urban Sprawl

About the role

The Department of Architecture at KU Leuven invites applications for a doctoral scholarship within the research project “New mobility opportunities in urban sprawl”. The PhD candidate will explore how emerging mobility services and active transport modes can be integrated into the spatial structure of Flemish urban sprawl to promote sustainable mobility lifestyles.

Key responsibilities

• Conduct design‑based exploratory research on territorial and community‑scale scenarios in dialogue with parallel modelling work.
• Follow the Arenberg Doctoral School programme and fulfil the university’s teaching obligations, including thesis supervision and course assistance.
• Publish findings in peer‑reviewed journals and present results at international conferences and seminars.
• Collaborate with a post‑doctoral researcher and a second PhD track, ensuring mutual feedback between design and modelling approaches.
• Contribute to societal debates on the role of bicycles, electric vehicles and automated mobility services in sustainable urban development.

Required profile

• Master’s degree in architecture, urban planning, spatial design or a closely related field.
• Strong interest in mobility, automated mobility services and sustainable urban form.
• Ability to work deductively on large‑scale scenarios and engage in interdisciplinary research.
• Excellent communication skills in English and willingness to collaborate across faculties.

Required skills

• Design‑based research methodology.
• Scenario development and spatial analysis.
• Familiarity with concepts of Mobility‑as‑a‑Service, automated vehicles and active transport modes.

What we offer

• Full doctoral scholarship funded by the university.
• Access to state‑of‑the‑art research facilities at KU Leuven campuses in Leuven, Ghent and Brussels.
• Integration in an international research community with over 150 PhD students.
• Opportunities for teaching experience and professional networking.