About the Research Training Group (RTG)
- The Research Training Group „Urban Future – managing transformations for a better health in blue cities“ examines how urban spaces along rivers and coastlines can be designed and managed to promote public health, ecological sustainability, and social justice.
- At its core is the concept of the „Blue City“: urban environments where water is not merely a resource or hazard, but an integral component of urban planning, infrastructure, and societal identity.
- The RTG bridges natural, health and economics & social sciences to decode the complex interactions between urban transformations, water-related challenges, and public health outcomes.
- The RTG is operated by the University of Bonn and the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences in cooperation with German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) and various partner universities in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Research and training
- The heart of the RTG is the structured, interdisciplinary training program that places strong emphasis on developing systems thinking, trans-disciplinary research, and the development of meta-competencies required for the interdisciplinary research of complex urban systems.
- Four research clusters (Urban Health Resilience, Urban Disease Ecology, Governance and Institutional Change, Adaptive Urban Ecosystems) form the conceptual foundation, operationally linked through four interdisciplinary research tracks.
Context and contract
- The Research Training Group will start on April 1, 2027.
- Successful applicants will be offered a 4-year doctoral support contract with remuneration dependent on TV-L pay grade 13 (65%) according to the German public salary scale; employment will be either at the University of Bonn or the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences.
- Degrees will be obtained from the faculties of medical, mathematical-natural science, philosophical or agricultural, nutritional and engineering sciences or the Promotionskolleg NRW, respectively, depending on disciplinary background and research focus.
- All doctoral researchers will complete the structured doctoral program, which strongly emphasizes systems thinking and trans-disciplinary approaches to build meta-competencies for urban health research. Next to overarching interdisciplinary courses, specific disciplinary courses and soft-skills training make up the foundation of the program.
How to apply?
- You can apply only via the application portal: https://masterapplication.uni-bonn.de/movein/hosted/online/move/movein/portal/zefb_portal.php