PhD and Postdoc Position on the Political Ecology of Informal Recyclers in Barcelona – University of Barcelona

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Deadline: 7 January 2025
Position: PhD and Postdoc
Location: University of Barcelona, Spain

 

The increasing environmental challenges of waste generation and resource depletion call for innovative approaches that reconcile sustainability, and social equity. Informal recyclers (commonly called waste pickers) work under precarious and marginalized conditions, and play a critical yet under-recognized role in urban circular economies. There is a clear literature gap about informal recycling in the Global North, particularly in understanding their environmental contributions and integration into formal waste systems. In cities like Barcelona, informal recycling practices not only contribute to waste recycling and reuse but also reveal the intersection of social, economic, and environmental dynamics. Understanding these dynamics can help develop inclusive policies and change social perceptions and behaviours that enhance urban sustainability while addressing social justice for marginalized communities. The Guardian has featured our research on waste pickers with the article “Chariots of steel: Barcelona’s hidden army of scrap recyclers”. 

We are seeking applications for an outstanding PhD candidate and a postdoc researcher to join a research team addressing the intersections of informal recycling practices, livelihoods and grassroots strategies in the circular economy of Barcelona. This exciting research focuses on informal recyclers’ contributions to sustainability and urban livelihoods, with particular attention to different communities involved in this activity, their housing strategies, and  material reuse.

Our team is part of the EU-funded project “Circular Grassroots innovations for sustainable and inclusive urban transitions”. The project explores the challenges and opportunities for urban circular grassroots innovations to create, maintain, and scale solutions for sustainable and inclusive transitions, with a focus on spatial access, collaborative governance, and scalability, using participatory action-research in cities like Amsterdam, Barcelona, Gothenburg, and Nantes. Our team is part of Work Package 1 on Barcelona’s repairing and recycling movement. The successful candidates will contribute to this project. 

The ideal candidates will demonstrate a strong interest in urban informality, circular economies, and social justice research. Applicants should have a background in areas such as urban studies, political ecology, sociology, anthropology, environmental studies, or other relevant social and natural sciences. We value expertise in qualitative research methods, including interviews, ethnography, case studies, and participatory action research. Experience working with marginalized communities and an understanding of issues surrounding informal economies, housing precarity, or grassroots initiatives would be a significant asset.

In addition to technical skills, we are looking for candidates with strong analytical thinking, excellent organizational and communication abilities, and a collaborative mindset. The ideal researcher will demonstrate motivation, initiative, and a commitment to addressing complex social-environmental challenges through engaged and impactful scholarship.

Research Areas

Despite our team having significant experience studying this phenomenon in the Global South, for example in Colombia and India, we are now looking for candidates interested in investigating waste pickers in the Global North, and Barcelona in particular. These are the priority research areas for these positions: 

  1. Roma communities and informal recycling practices: Understanding the intersection of socio-economic roles and challenges faced by informal recyclers in Barcelona belonging to the Roma ethnic minority. Focus on recycling strategies and the social and legal aspects related to these. 
  2. Housing strategies and informality: Investigating squatting, informal settlements, and their use as facilities to sustain livelihoods involved in informal business that sustain the circular economy. Analysis of the legal and institutional barriers and related spatial conflicts. 
  3. Reuse of objects and electronic appliances: Analyzing the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of material reuse in informal markets and similar recycling systems. Study the avoided environmental impacts related to reuse strategies.
  4. The local and international dimension of the value chain: Mapping actors, as well as the local and international material and monetary flows of their recycling business. Study the political ecology and justice dimensions related to these flows and their interconnection to both political economy and materiality. 
  5. The paradox of informal recyclers in the Global North: Analyze the tensions existing between the practical contributions of informal recyclers to improve waste management systems and to the reaching of EU’s circular economy goals versus the situation of social stigmatization and institutional racism against these strategic actors. 
Location

The positions are based at the School of Economics, University of Barcelona, requiring residency and fieldwork in the Barcelona area. 100% remote work is not an option. The successful candidates will be supervised by Federico Demaria, Julián Porras Bulla, and Claudio Cattaneo. The PhD program may alternatively be undertaken through the National University of Distance Education (UNED), subject to strategic requirements.

Research Environment

The successful candidates will join an interdisciplinary team committed to advancing knowledge on informal recycling and grassroots circular economies. The University of Barcelona offers a vibrant academic environment in one of Europe’s most dynamic cities. Candidates will have opportunities to collaborate with international researchers and policymakers, contributing to impactful and inclusive urban sustainability practices. The team working on informal recyclers in Barcelona comprises Federico Demaria, Julián Porras Bulla, Daniele Vico, and Claudio Cattaneo.

PhD Position

  • Deadline: January 7, 2025
  • Position: PhD Studentship, Informal Recyclers in Barcelona
  • Starting Date: Fall 2025
  • Requirements:
    • A first-class Bachelor’s and Master’s degree (completed by June 2025). For European candidates: 300 ECTS total, at least 60 at the master level. Candidates from outside Europe should have equivalent degrees and be eligible for access to a PhD program at their home university.  
    • Top academic grades (e.g., an average of 8/10 or higher in the Spanish system). Applicants who have fully or partially completed the studies outside of the Spanish university system must submit their grade equivalency declarations issued by the Ministry of Education. See the Online platform and the Instructions in English.
    • Knowledge of qualitative research methods such as ethnography, interviews, or participatory approaches is desirable.
    • Fluency in English. Proficiency in Spanish is desirable, willingness to learn it is  essential, because is needed for the field work. Other languages like French, Wolof, or Romani would be a plus. 
  • Salary: €22,250 per year for 3 years, including travel allowance. Candidates are expected to apply for external scholarships. The contract could be extended to 4 years.
  • How to Apply:

Online interviews will be held in the last two weeks of January. The successful candidate will then be invited to submit an application for admission to the PhD programme at the University of Barcelona (or UNED) by April 2025, and then apply for the scholarships. The successful candidate is expected to start in the fall of 2025; while there can be some flexibility, it should be no later than 2025. You can find more details about these scholarships here, but you are not expected to look into this before the interview.

Postdoc Position

  • Deadline: 7 January 2025
  • Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, Informal Recyclers in Barcelona
  • Starting Date: Flexible, 2025
  • Requirements:
    • A PhD in sociology, urban studies, geography, applied economics, sustainability science, or a related field (To be completed before the start date).
    • A strong publication record in peer-reviewed journals.
    • Proficiency in qualitative research methods and an interest in policy-oriented studies.
    • Additional expertise in quantitative methods, facilitation techniques, or policy impact is a plus.
  • Salary: We will sponsor the successful candidates to external scholarships such as the Juan de la Cierva fellowship. Other options could be the Marie Curie individual fellowship, or the Beatriu de Pinos. These normally last for 2 or 3 years. You can find more about these scholarships here, but you are not expected to look into this before the interview.
  • How to Apply:
    • Fill in this application form
    • Submit a CV (max 10 pages), PhD diploma or proof to have completed a PhD, a one-page cover letter, and a one-page research proposal to ecoeco.recruitment@gmail.com.  The subject of your email should be: “Application for postdoc on informal recyclers in Barcelona” 
    • Arrange for two reference letters to be sent directly to ecoeco.reference@gmail.com by 12 January 2025.
    • Online interviews will be held in mid January 2025.

Within your 1-page cover letter, please indicate how your skills and experience match the position. Within your 1-page research proposal, please write a research proposal for one of the proposed research topics. It can also be a combination, or one of your choice, but it should be related to waste pickers in the Global. The successful candidate will be invited to apply for the scholarships most relevant to her/his profile and experience. You can find more about these scholarships here, but you are not expected to look into this before the interview.

 

PROJECT: “Circular Grassroots innovations for sustainable and inclusive urban transitions”

The project aims at examining the challenges and opportunities that urban circular grassroots innovations encounter to create, maintain and scale their solutions for sustainable and inclusive transitions from below. Cities are spaces of overconsumption, waste-intensive production, and high environmental footprints, but also hubs for creativity and innovation. Citizens experiment with a wealth of innovations to address the challenge of a steady consumption growth and overuse of resources. Despite their contributions further research is necessary to investigate the challenges and opportunities to diffuse these practices in terms of a. space (access to multi-functional, public/private spaces in central/periurban city districts), b. collaborative and democratic arenas among local government, urban planners and grassroots organizations, c. inclusivity and scalability of the grassroots initiatives (challenges to meet their ambitions, grow, replicate and expand their sharing/circularity practices). The project adopts an inter/transdisciplinary and participatory action-research approach in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Gothenburg and Nantes, building on our previous research from several disciplines (sociology, human geography, urban planning, social psychology, consumption, business and public administration) and areas (repairing, housing, food, recycling). The project supports the scaling of the innovations by facilitating knowledge co-production among activists, social enterprises, scholars and policymakers.

The University of Barcelona (UB), together with the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), is in charge of Work Package 1 titled “Repairing and recycling movement in Barcelona (Spain)”. The PI at the University of Barcelona is Federico Demaria, while at UAB is Blanca Callen. More info here.