Geographisches Institut
PhD position Geographic Information Visualization and Analysis (GIVA) “GeoNavLearn” 80 %
Start of employment 01.09.2025With 28,000 students and 9,000 employees, the University of Zurich (UZH) is the biggest university in Switzerland. As a member of the League of European Research Universities, it counts amongst the leading European universities. The UZH offers a culturally diverse and inspiring working environment and promotes international collaboration in research.
The Geographic Information Visualization and Analysis (GIVA) group at the University of Zurich, Faculty of Science, invites applications for a 4-year PhD position with the SNF-funded Project “GeoNavLearn: Towards geographic context-adaptive mobile geographic information displays (mGIDs) to support navigators' spatial learning” led by GIVA head Prof. Dr. Sara I. Fabrikant.
The initial appointment is for the first year, with a three-year extension.
Your responsibilities
You will design and conduct navigation experiments to study the process of spatial learning in mGID-assisted pedestrian navigation in a virtual urban environment of changing familiarity to navigators. The core of your research will be to assess what role environmental familiarity and the design of landmarks (LMs) shown on the mGID (i.e., standard LMs vs. realistic 3D LMs) plays in this process.
- You will create an urban VR environment and run empirical studies with human participants
- You will collect and analyze human sensor data (i.e., EEG, eye tracking, interaction logs) in VR
- You will present and publish your results at appropriate academic venues
- You will participate in the Graduate School in Geography and Earth System Science and complete the associated requirements
- You will contribute to teaching and services in the GIVA Group
Your profile
An MSc degree (including a completed MSc thesis) in geography, GIScience, psychology, cognitive (neuro-)science, and/or documented experience in geographic information visualization, spatial cognition, and empirical behavioral research with human participants.
Your benefits
We will provide a stimulating and supportive research environment with ample opportunities for collaboration. Zurich and its surroundings provide an excellent living environment, with a broad range of cultural activities and easy access to the countryside and mountains.
- You have experience in empirical research with human participants
- You are interested in creating virtual reality (VR) environments and running empirical studies in VR
- You are confident in writing scripts to collect and process human sensor data (i.e., EEG, eye tracking, etc.) and perform various analyses (i.e., in Python or R)
- You have good organizational and communication skills
- You speak and write in English fluently. Knowledge of German would be an asset
- You value diversity and inclusion in the workplace
Your benefits
- Your PhD will be part of a structured programme at the Graduate School of Geography and Earth System Science
- 70% protected time for your research
- Pay according to the regulations of the University of Zurich for PhD Candidates (at the standard employment level for doctoral students of 80%)
- Holiday entitlement of 25 days per year plus public holidays
- Regular supervision and mentoring
- UZH offers attractive working conditions and opportunities for further education
We will provide a stimulating and supportive research environment with ample opportunities for collaboration. Zurich and its surroundings provide an excellent living environment, with a broad range of cultural activities and easy access to the countryside and mountains.
Information on your application
To find out more about the research undertaken at the GIVA group, visit our web page. More general information about teaching and research in the Department of Geography is available here.To apply, please upload the following documents (as a single PDF) in English:
1) A motivation letter explaining why you want to apply for this particular position and demonstrating how you fulfill the criteria listed above
2) A CV and the contact details for three referees
3) Degree transcripts
4) Your Master's thesis, including a 500-word summary of your thesis setting out your scientific motivation, what you did, results, and the implications of your work. Include a statement about whether and how you have used AI for this application.
The initial deadline for applications is May 15, 2025. Review of applications will commence thereafter and will continue until the position is filled.
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Working at UZH
The University of Zurich, Switzerland's largest university, offers a range of attractive positions in various subject areas and professional fields. With around 10,000 employees and currently 12 professional apprenticeship streams the University offers an inspiring working environment on cutting-edge research and top-class education. Put your talent and skills to work with us. Find out more about UZH as an employer!
More → https://www.uzh.ch/cmsssl/en/explore/work.html
Please apply via our job portal www.jobs.uzh.ch.
The University of Zurich, Switzerland's largest university, offers a range of attractive positions in various subject areas and professional fields. With around 10,000 employees and currently 12 professional apprenticeship streams the University offers an inspiring working environment on cutting-edge research and top-class education. Put your talent and skills to work with us. Find out more about UZH as an employer!
More → https://www.uzh.ch/cmsssl/en/explore/work.html
Please apply via our job portal www.jobs.uzh.ch.
Working at UZH
The University of Zurich, Switzerland's largest university, offers a range of attractive positions in various subject areas and professional fields. With around 10,000 employees and currently 12 professional apprenticeship streams the University offers an inspiring working environment on cutting-edge research and top-class education. Put your talent and skills to work with us. Find out more about UZH as an employer!
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