Production and manufacturing have shaped nations, cities, and urban environments worldwide. The rise of China as the leading global industrial power, the phenomenon of radical automation or the new cutting-edge developments in Silicon Valley, California, have for some time attracted the focus of academic study. Contrastingly, the form Continua
16 September 2020 – 14 February 2021 | Exhibition | Canadian Centre for Architecture. Elements of the Design in Dialogue Lab of ETH’s NEWROPE Chair of Architecture and Urban Transformation are exhibited at the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) in Montreal as part of ‘The Things Around Us’.
Rewriting Architecture explores and embraces the potential of place. The book claims that the idea of ‘tabula rasa’, or creating from scratch, is no longer a viable option. It considers the quality of the existing urban and social fabric – the tabula scripta – as an inspiration, motivation Continua
10/11 November | Workshop | ETH Zurich, Oerlikon, Design in Dialogue Lab & online. Spatial design is often confronted with an immense diversity of transformation processes. As a designer, it is often difficult to fully acknowledge this immanent complexity and find a position to intervene.
Spatial design is often confronted with an immense diversity of transformation processes. As a designer it is often difficult to fully acknowledge this immanent complexity and find a position to intervene. How can we answer questions as ‘With whom do I collaborate? How does personal transformation play a Continua
The Institute for Landscape and Urban Studies (LUS) has been founded as part of the Department of Architecture, with the Professors Christophe Girot, Hubert Klumpner, Freek Persyn, Christian Schmid, Milica Topalovic, and Günther Vogt. It replaces the three previous Institutes for Urban Design (ISB), Landscape Architecture (ILA) and the Contemporary City Institute (CCI).
With Freek Persyn a new and experimental way of looking at and practicing urbanism came to the NSL. We questioned him on his notion on urban transformation, on his «radical openness to learn from others», his experiences in Albania, and the new «Design in Dialogue Lab» for students Continua
The Institute of Landscape and Urban Studies (LUS) at the ETH Zurich Department of Architecture invites applications for two doctoral fellowship positions. The fellowship will start on 1 October 2026, with a 100% workload, based in Zurich, and is fixed-term for three and a half years.
The LUS Institute investigates landscapes, territories, and settlements – and the human and more-than-human relations that shape them – across scales and geographies, from Switzerland and Europe to diverse contexts throughout the so-called Global North and Global South.
Its research examines the spatial, environmental, political, (geo)historical, and more-than-human relations through which contemporary environments are produced, contested, and continually reshaped. The Institute engages with a broad set of interconnected themes that explore how these environments evolve. Core areas of inquiry include territorial and urban transformation; post-industrial and resource-affected territories; and the global–local entanglements that drive ongoing urbanisation processes. These interests are complemented by research into more-than-human and multispecies spatialities, foregrounding ecological interdependencies within changing landscapes.
Research projects address topics such as designed ecologies, energy transitions, housing, agroecology, hydrology, biodiversity and ecosystem processes, regenerative systems, and adaptive territorial infrastructures. Additional areas of focus include more-than-human landscapes, Indigenous territorialities, and socio-ecological and socio-economic transitions, and climate adaptation – together offering a comprehensive lens on the challenges and potentials of present and future development of landscapes, territories, and settlements.
The doctoral programme adopts an inter- and transdisciplinary approach, integrating architecture, landscape architecture, urban and territorial design, planning, urban theory and history, as well as the social sciences. It welcomes a wide range of methodological approaches, spanning (geo)historical research into landscape and urban form, participatory and community-engaged methods, qualitative and ethnographic inquiry, as well as cartographic, spatial, and mapping techniques.
The LUS Institute currently consists of seven chairs, each contributing uniquely to its diverse research landscape:
The LUS fellowship will start on 1 October 2026, with a 100% workload, based in Zurich, and is fixed-term for three and a half years.
While it is advantageous for proposed research to align with the individual and/or collective research agendas of the participating chairs at the LUS Institute, candidates are also encouraged to apply with independent research topics that resonate with the Institute’s broader areas of expertise and competencies.
We are seeking individuals with a background in:
In line with our values, ETH Zurich encourages an inclusive culture. We promote equality of opportunity, value diversity and nurture a working and learning environment in which the rights and dignity of all our staff and students are respected. Visit our Equal Opportunities and Diversity website to find out how we ensure a fair and open environment that allows everyone to grow and flourish. Sustainability is a core value for us – we are consistently working towards a climate-neutral future.
Applications should be addressed directly to the Institute of Landscape and Urban Studies (LUS), rather than to individual professors. Please note that applications will be evaluated solely based on their content; applicants are therefore requested not to contact individual professors prior to applying.
We look forward to receiving your online application by 2 March 2026, 23:59 CET. Your application should include the following documents:
This document must include:
The main content must adhere to the 4-page limit, using 11 pt font and single-spacing. Supplementary pages may include up to three illustrations (maps, drawings, images), a bibliography, and a project timeline.
Applications missing required documents or exceeding page limits will not be considered for evaluation.
Please do not include Language Certificates, Transcripts, or other document not listed.
The programme exclusively accepts application documents submitted through the ETH online application portal. Applications submitted via email or postal mail will not be considered.
Applicants are asked to consult the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) before reaching out. If your question is not covered there, you may contact the doctoral programme coordinator, Nazlı Tümerdem, at tuemerdem@arch.ethz.ch. Requests sent to any other email addresses will not be considered.
You may apply via this link.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Application period: 1 January 2025 – 31 March 2025. Master of Advanced Studies in Urban and Territorial Design ETH Zürich D-ARCH LUS and EPFL ENAC HRC, joint master programme.