PhD Research Position

Housing, Urban Sustainability Transitions and Social Inequalities

University of Tartu, Estonia

The Department of Geography at the University of Tartu invites applications for a fully funded four-year PhD research position in Urban and Housing Research, starting in September 2026.

The position is hosted by the Centre for Migration and Urban Studies, one of the leading research groups in Northern and Eastern Europe working on housing systems, urban change, mobility, and spatial inequalities.

The successful candidate will join an interdisciplinary research environment examining the social consequences of the green transition in housing systems, combining large-scale spatial data analysis, urban research and policy engagement.

The PhD offers a unique opportunity to work with nationwide longitudinal housing and population datasets, enabling cutting-edge research on housing markets, residential mobility, neighbourhood change and sustainability transitions.

Research focus

Cities and housing systems are central to the global climate transition. Across Europe, governments are investing heavily in building renovation and energy efficiency improvements in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

However, emerging evidence shows that sustainability transitions in housing may also have unintended social consequences, including:

• rising housing costs
• neighbourhood change and gentrification
• displacement of vulnerable households
• increasing spatial inequalities

Understanding these processes is crucial for designing socially inclusive and economically viable pathways for housing decarbonisation.

The PhD project will examine how housing sustainability transitions interact with housing affordability, residential mobility, and urban inequalities, contributing to the growing international debate on just urban energy transitions.

The candidate will develop their own research focus within this broad framework, working closely with the supervisory team.

Unique data infrastructure

The project benefits from an exceptionally rich spatial data infrastructure, allowing analysis at a scale rarely available in urban research.

The candidate will work with integrated datasets combining:

• nationwide population and housing register data covering the entire population of Estonia
• longitudinal residential mobility data
• housing transaction price data from the Land Board
• rental market data from real estate platforms
• spatial datasets on neighbourhood characteristics and housing stock
• survey data and qualitative interviews with residents and stakeholders

This enables the analysis of housing markets, renovation processes and population dynamics at an unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution.

The research is expected to include a strong spatial and quantitative component, using GIS-based analysis and large-scale datasets, combined with mixed methods where appropriate.

Possible PhD research directions

Applicants are invited to propose their research within one of the following thematic research frames.

1. Housing Renovation, Energy Transition and Social Inequalities

This research frame examines how large-scale housing renovation and decarbonisation programmes reshape housing markets and neighbourhood dynamics.

Possible research questions include:

• Do renovation programmes contribute to housing price increases or gentrification?
• Which neighbourhoods benefit from renovation investments and which are left behind?

• How do renovation processes influence residential mobility and displacement?

2. Housing Affordability and Urban Sustainability Transitions

This research frame focuses on the trade-offs between climate goals and housing affordability.

Possible research questions include:

• How does energy renovation influence housing affordability for different social groups?
• Which households are most vulnerable to energy poverty and renovation costs?

• How can housing policy reconcile climate targets with social equity goals?

3. Residential Mobility, Housing Markets and Neighbourhood Change

This research frame examines population dynamics and spatial restructuring of cities in the context of housing market change.

Possible research questions include:

• How do housing market dynamics influence residential mobility patterns?
• What spatial patterns of gentrification and socio-economic sorting emerge in urban regions?

• How do sustainability policies reshape urban spatial inequalities?

4. Data-Driven Urban Housing Analytics

This research frame focuses on methodological innovation in spatial housing research.

Possible research questions include:

• How can machine learning and spatial analytics improve the understanding of housing markets?
• Can large-scale spatial datasets be used to predict housing market dynamics or renovation patterns?
• How can geospatial big data support evidence-based housing policy?

Candidate profile

We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with strong analytical skills and a clear interest in urban and housing research.

Applicants should preferably hold an MSc in:

• Geography
• Spatial sciences
• Urban studies
• Data science
• Sociology or economics
• or related disciplines

Desired skills

The ideal candidate has experience or strong interest in:

Spatial data analysis

• GIS and spatial analysis (ArcGIS, QGIS or similar)
• geospatial visualization and mapping

• spatial statistics

Quantitative and computational methods

• statistical analysis for social sciences
• large-scale dataset analysis

• data integration and spatial modelling

Machine learning and data science (advantageous)

• Random Forest
• PyTorch or similar frameworks

• applications of machine learning in spatial or socioeconomic analysis

Research and collaboration

• interest in urban and socioeconomic research
• urban policy analysis and evaluation
• interdisciplinary collaboration

• academic writing and scientific communication

Excellent English language skills are required.

What we offer

The position offers:

• fully funded PhD position for four years (Sept 2026 – Aug 2030)
• access to unique nationwide spatial and population datasets
• participation in international research collaborations and conferences
• opportunities for high-impact international publications
• engagement with housing and climate policy development

The candidate will join the Centre for Migration and Urban Studies at the University of Tartu, a dynamic research environment working on:

• residential mobility and migration
• spatial segregation and integration
• housing systems and urban resilience
• sustainability transitions
• urban governance and policy analysis.

Application

Applicants should submit:

1. Motivation letter (max 2 pages) describing
   • the motivation for applying
   • research interests within the topic of housing and sustainability transitions
   • the strengths of the candidate’s background
   • a brief outline of possible research questions or components of the PhD project

2. Curriculum Vitae

Applications should be sent to:

[email protected] and [email protected]