PhD Candidate in Urban Noise and Environmental Health (f/m) - Ref: 26-18

The Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER)

is recruiting a

PhD Candidate in Urban Noise and Environmental Health (f/m)

• Ref: 26-18
• Fixed-term working contract at LISER for 36 months (extendable up to 48 months maximum)
• Full-time, 40 hours/week
• Department: Urban Development and Mobility (UDM)
• Registration in the PhD program at the University of Luxembourg
• Work location: Belval (Luxembourg)
• Deadline to submit applications: July 5th 2026 at midnight CET
• Foreseen start date: September 1st, 2026 or later

Project description

The Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER) is pleased to invite applications for a fully funded PhD position within European Commission-funded research project. The successful candidate will work on the AIR AND NOISE POLLUTION MITIGATION THROUGH INTEGRATED, SOCIETY-CENTRED ACTIONS (ATMOPOLIS) project.

ATMOPOLIS is an integrative, interdisciplinary, and multi-scale approach to tackling air and noise pollution in European cities. Its overall aim is to identify pathways to mitigate air and noise pollution and GHG emissions that are ambitious, human-centric, and which lead to maximum reductions to their harmful effects on health and the environment. Air and noise pollution regularly exceed recommended limits in Europe, with significant public health burdens, particularly for the vulnerable. Reducing pollution not only benefits population health but can have co-benefits for reducing carbon emissions and mitigating climate change. Urban pollution is a complex challenge requiring integrative solutions that combine comparative evidence of the impact of measures on pollution reduction and health, with an understanding of their social and economic, and systemic implications. Ambitious change will require that solutions and actions across multiple scales (city/citizens). ATMOPOLIS addresses the combined effects of air and noise pollution in European cities, identifying optimal solutions and supporting top-down (city/region) and bottom-up (community/people) action to achieve aligned pollution and climate mitigation goals.

Your role

This PhD research will address the following core research question:

• How can citizen-generated noise measurements and complaints be transformed into robust, equitable and policy-actionable indicators that improve traditional urban noise assessment and mitigation planning?

Your profile

We seek a highly motivated doctoral researcher with the following qualifications:

• A Master’s degree in engineering, acoustics, computational methods, data science, geography/planning or related discipline;
• Deep learning skills, programming experience (Python, MATLAB, R etc) is essential;
• Ability to support with project management including liaising with project partners, organising events and participation activities;
• A strong interest in interdisciplinary research, and the value of combining different expertise to solve complex problems;
• Excellent verbal communication and academic writing skills in English, any other language such as French, German, or Luxembourgish is considered as an asset.

LISER particularly encourage female applicants to apply

What we offer

• A dynamic and international research environment with attractive working conditions and a stimulating work environment;
• Flexibility in the organisation of the working hours and the possibility of teleworking;
• Competitive remuneration according to the Collective Bargaining Agreement in force (meal vouchers, etc.);
• Investment in career support and development (trainings, seminars, participation to international meetings and conferences);
• 32.5 days of annual leave for a full-time contract.

How to apply

Please submit your complete application in English via https://jobs.liser.lu/jobs by including the following documents:

• Curriculum vitae;
• Motivation letter;
• Copy of your last obtained diploma and transcripts;
• Two reference letters (to be uploaded with the application documents or sent separately to recruitment@liser.lu).

Deadline to submit applications: July 5th 2026

For any work-related question, please contact Prof. Enda Murphy at enda.murphy@liser.lu

For administrative matters, please contact Mrs. Vanya Kirova at recruitment@liser.lu

Why LISER?

LISER is a publicly funded research institute located in Luxembourg and dedicated to applied empirical research in economic, social and spatial sciences. The Institute attracts top researchers from all over the world and high-level student training is a vibrant part of the Institute’s activities. LISER staff consists of approx. 200 employees, about 60% of the staff being researchers; mainly from the fields of economics, geography and sociology. The vision of the institute is to be a socio-economic research institute internationally recognised, focused on scientific excellence and societal impact, able to contribute through multi-disciplinary and intersectoral research, in an active and inclusive way to a sustainable and inclusive society at national and international level.

The institute is located on the new Belval campus in the south of Luxembourg (Cité des Sciences, Luxembourg), which hosts the University of Luxembourg and a substantial part of the country’s publicly funded research facilities, i.e. LISER, the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS) cross-national data centre, the Luxembourg institutes of Health (LIH) and of Science and Technology (LIST). Information on research in Luxembourg is accessible via the national EURAXESS platform.

LISER is an Equal Opportunity Employer