VacancynoticeLocatedintheheartofBrussels,you’llfindtheUniversitéLibredeBruxelles.AcrossthewholeULB,over 4000professors, scientists, PhD students, and lab technicians are atwork in every field fromscienceandtechnologytolifesciencesandhealthcare,andhumanitiesandsocialsciences.TheULB’sFaculty of Architecture is French-speaking Belgium’s largest and most dynamic institution foreducationandresearchinthefieldsofarchitecture,urbanism,andlandscape.Faculté d’architecture La Cambre-Horta opens up a position within Clara research center and itsLaboratoryonUrbanism,InfrastructuresandEcologies(LoUIsE)foran:

experiencedresearcherfortwoaction-researchprojectsonurbancitizenparticipation(80%fulltimeequivalent-1to4years)

FUNCTIONANDCONTEXTYouwillbepartofamultidisciplinaryteam,investigatingthepotentialofnewapproachestourbancivic participation, such as by experimenting and developing new methodologies, designinterventionsandtechnologicalapproaches.Youwillbemainlyresponsibleforexploratoryresearchandinquiries,in-depthfieldstudies,andforevaluatingandreportingoftheaction-research.Throughyourexperienceinfieldresearch(PhDorsimilarexperience)andstronginterestinurbanissues,yourinputandcritical reflectionswillnourishand trigger the teamofdesignpractitioners incomingupwith(andimprovingupon)urbandesigninterventions.

TASKSANDRESPONSIBILITIES• To carry out fieldwork, to extensively prepare the ground for design interventions, and to

followthemupcloselyduringandaftertheir implementation,usingbothprovenandnovelevaluationmethodologies;

• Todevelopcasespecifictoolsandmethodologiesforconductingthefieldwork,forinstancetobetterinquireandqualifysocialconnectionsandconflictualsituations;

• Toparticipate to the elaborationof theproject’s conceptual,methodological andpracticalframework;

• To reflect on the specificities and possible rallying points between the various disciplinesinvolvedintheprojects;

• ToassembletheStateoftheArtofurbanparticipatoryandresearchmethodologies,aswellascivicmediaprojects;

• To act as an active organizer and facilitator of co-creative processes and participatoryworkshops,employinglistening,verbalandsyntheticskills;

• To facilitate meetings with the various stakeholders (citizens, associations, institutionalpartners,…);

• To collaborate to the project’s deliverables, such as the creation of participatory (design)toolkits,awebplatform,andtoprovidecriticalreflectiononthedesignthinkingprocess;

• Tocontributetothewritingofconferenceandjournalpapers,aswellasprojectreports.

PROFILE

• YouhaveaDoctoraldegree(orsimilarexperience,i.e.Masterdegreewithatleastfouryears’full-time research experience by the time of the call deadline) either in sociology,anthropology, architecture or urban design. Other degrees may also be accepted (i.e.political sciences, geography), if you can prove significant experience in the researchmethodsandtopics;

• Consistentexperienceinfieldinquiryandintheuseofavarietyofinquiryandparticipatorymethods,includinginterviews,userobservation,participantobservation,focusgroups;

• Previousexperience,throughpracticeorcollaboration,evaluatingprojectsemployingeitherinteraction design, game design, product design, HCI, participatory design, cartography orotherartisticanddesignpractices;

• Strong interests for urban matters and/or for citizen participation, co-creation processes,socialinnovationanddesign;

• AffinitieswithIoT,GISandFLOSSareaplus;• Excellentteamplayerandcommunicationskills;• Excellent oral, reading and writing fluency in French, for carrying out the fieldwork and

meetingswiththedifferentstakeholders;• Excellentoral,readingandwritingfluencyin(academic)English,forintegratingtheresearch

team;• BasicknowledgeofDutchisaplus,butnotarequirement.

APPOINTMENT

• Part time (80%: 60% SUCIB and 20% P-LAB) temporary appointment in the function ofexperiencedresearcher,foraperiodof1year(March2018–2019).Theappointmentwillbeprolongedwithatleast1yearontheconditionofapositiveevaluationofthedeliveredwork(and up to 3 years depending on the renewal of both projects, since theywill last 2 to 4years).

• Income based on ULB salary scale, according to your degree and years of significantexperience.

SELECTIONPROCEDURE

• Weexpectyourwrittencandidatureno laterthan22/01/2018 inpdfformatandviae-mail(max. 3Mb, or download link), to lab.participation@gmail.com. Your application shouldinclude:

- amotivationletter(inEnglish);- adetailedCV(includingyourpublicationslist);- upto3relevantpublicationsorproductions,rankedinorderofrelevance(including

anelectronicversionofyourPhDthesis,ifitapplies);- thecontactdetailsoftwoexternalreferees.

• Selected candidates will be invited for an assessment and interview by a selectioncommission(onlineorface-to-face),between29/01/2018and09/02/2018(approximately).Theywillreceivefullproject’sproposalsinordertopreparetheinterview.Theinterviewwillfocus on their skills and competences, as well as on theirmotivation, including how theyenvisiontheircontributiontotheproject.

• The selected candidate will be informed as soon as possible and invited to complete theadministrativepartofhis/herapplication(Seeinfobelow).

DETAILEDPROJECTINFOYouwillbeworkingonSUCIBandP-LAB,twoaction-researchaimedatsupportingthesocio-culturalenvironment in the Brussels Capital Region (with a special focus on two different neighborhoods:Schaerbeekand thepedestrianarea in theCityCenter).Theyare fundedby Innoviris (theBrusselsInstitute for the encouragement of scientific research and innovation), and are carried out by 3academicpartners:ULB-Facultéd’architectureLaCambre-Horta(Clara–LoUIsE),coordinatedbyprof.JudithleMaireULB-Facultédesciencessociales(GRAP),coordinatedbyprof.Jean-LouisGenardLUCA-SchoolofArts/Intermedia,coordinatedbyprof.StevenDevleminckIncollaborationwithinstitutionalpartners:SchaerbeektowncouncilBruxelles-Environnement/LeefmilieuBrusselMADBrussels-MADinSituBrusselsSmartCityAtriumBrussels-Retail&Development-BusinessUnitDevelopmentTheBrusselsCenterobservatoryandtheBrusselsStudiesInstitute

SUCIBabstractThe urban environment can be described as awicked problem,meaning that any action taken totackleanurbanissueevolvesthesituationinunpredictableways,potentiallyrequiringnewtypesofanswers.City-solutions,suchasSmartCityplatformsandcity-renewalprocesses,areoftenunabletoadapt swiftly and efficiently to the ungraspable problems to solve. Top-down approaches arefrequentlyrejectedbycitizens,whilemorecitizen-drivenparticipatoryapproachesmaynotonlyleadto increased acceptance, but also fosters “smarter” and civically empowered citizens. Ourassumptionisthatthereisaroleforatoolkitforphysical,interactiveinterventionsthatintercedeinsituations using playful tactics. Through keeping such toolkit modular and adaptable, we aim atmaximizing its sustainability, as well as stimulate creativity, self-initiative and learning of theparticipants,and for the research teamtocriticallyevaluateamultitudeofeffects.Canamodularsystem of ludic urban Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructures and services facilitate citizenengagement, constructive socialexchangesandself-organisation? If so,howand towhichextend?ThegoaloftheSmartUrbanCommunityInteractionBlocks(SUCIB)researchprojectistodesignandevaluate a toolkit for creating interactive urban interventions for both placemaking and civicpurposes.ThistoolkitconsistsofphysicalIoTcomponentswecallInteractionBlocks(IB),aswellasanonlineplatformonwhich these IB’s canbe connected and configured.Our aim is tomake the IB-toolkit aseasy-to-useaspossible, allowingdivers typesof (non-expert)participants tobeengagedand empowered to voice their opinions and act in their neighbourhood. The toolkit is developedthrough two use-cases that are socially and culturallymotivated, and two use-cases that addressmajor urban inconveniences such as noise and road works, which tend to generate frictions orconflicts both among citizens and with public authority. Throughout the cases, new insights andtacticsonparticipationand citizenship in the contextof social SmartCities aredevelopedandputintoacriticalperspectivethroughthemultidisciplinaryapproachoftheresearchteam.

P-LABabstractWhat does “urban participation” actually mean? The aim of the P-lab project is to open up thedefinitionofparticipationbypointingoutexistingminorformsofparticipation,suchascommercial,ludic, technical or artistic practices and actions performed by citizens in the urban realm. Theseforms do not typically fit the standards of institutional participation procedures, but nevertheless

contribute significantly to society. ThegroundworkofP-lab is anextensiveethnographic surveyofsuchmicroparticipatorycitizenactions, inorder todigoutspecificobjects,actionsordevices thatenable a transition towards the politicization of ordinary practices. The other way around, theresearch project also tackles “transition enablers” through which public authorities are shiftingpolitical issues towards unpolitical procedures and actions (i.e. through the use of social media,entertainment, gamification…). Based on this groundwork, we will experiment different forms ofamplifying, hacking, disseminating, these transition enablers by design interventions (as “urbanamplifiers”).These interventionswillbeevaluatedcritically,both in the largerperspectiveof“bestpractices”,andthroughtheprinciplesandpracticeofFLOSS.Theurbanamplifiersaremeanttobepart of a design research process, with an increasing level of consistency, evolving from simpleprototypingtofull-blowndesignsolutionsforspecificurbanparticipatoryprojectsandinitiatives.

RESEARCHENVIRONMENTYouwillintegratetheULB-Facultéd’architectureLaCambre-Horta(Clara–LoUIsE)team,workinginclosecollaborationwithalltheacademicandinstitutionalpartners.

ClaraClarafor“CentredesLaboratoiresAssociéspourlaRechercheenArchitecture”isaresearchplatformthatgathers4researchcenters:LoUIse,Alice,hortenceandSasha.Claraisinterestedincarryingoutresearch and experimentation in the broad field of architecture with an approach that works inpartnershipwithdifferentdisciplines (sociology,history,art,medias,), anda rangeof communitiesandpublicservices.

LoUIsELoUIsE – Laboratory on Urbanism, Infrastructures and Ecologies- research is focusing on thedynamicsoftransformationsofmetropolitanterritories.Theresearchgoesbeyondthedisciplineofurbanismto takeonenvironmental, infrastructural,politicalandsocial issuesconcerningcitiesandurbanterritoriesinthelargersense.Nexttothisactivityofresearch,Louiseisactivelytakingpartinongoingdebateson thedevelopmentof theBrussels-Capital Region, by co-organizing the regionalinitiative]pyblik[dedicatedtothetrainingofskills inthecreationofpublicspaceandbeingpartofthe Metrolab, a trans-disciplinary and inter-university laboratory for applied and critical urbanresearch,fundedbytheBrusselsCapitalRegionthroughitsERDFprogram.Workplacewillbelocatednexttotheresearchfields.Shorttravelsabroadtoattendconferencesandnetworkingactivitiesarepossible.

ADMNISTRATIVEINFO• Visarequirements:

- NovisaisrequiredbySwissnationalsornationalsofoneoftheMemberStatesoftheEuropeanEconomicArea(EEA).

- Foreign nationals, who already hold a permanent Belgian identity card, are notrequiredtoobtainavisa.

- NationalsofastatethatisnotpartoftheEEAorwhoarenotfromSwitzerlandmustobtain a Type D visa before their arrival in Belgium in order to gain access to theBelgianterritory.

• Administrative dossier of the selected candidate should include the following documents(withcertifiedtranslationifissuedinalanguageotherthanFrench,DutchorEnglish):

- alegallycertifiedcopyofyouroriginalPhDand/orMasterdegree;

- acertificateofyourprioremployer(s),oranyequivalentdocument,proving:full-timeequivalence,periodofemployment,positionheld;

- birthcertificate;- ifapplicable,anydocumentcertifyingthatyouhavecompletedyourdutiesinmatter

ofcompulsorymilitary/civilservice,orthatyouareexemptofsuchobligation;- householdcompositioncertificate.