How citizens relate to wildlife and experience nature across cities in different urban context?

Research topic/area

Urban ecology

Type of thesis

Master

Start time

-

Application deadline

31.12.2025

Duration of the thesis

6 Monate

Description

General overview:
We are offering a master’s thesis topic to investigate ‘How citizens relate to wildlife and experience nature across cities in different urban context?’. The thesis topic is available under the project ‘CitiesForALL: Co-designing cities for human and wildlife’ at the Institute for Technology Assessments and Systems Analysis.

‘CitiesForALL’ is an exploratory research project which aims to enhance our understanding of urban wildlife and the relationships with landscape drivers, tree and climatic factors, and socioeconomic realities. By connecting different stakeholders, the project intends to identify citizen’s perception, values and attitudes that can shift human decisions toward wildlife-inclusive urban development. It will explore how green infrastructure design varies across socioeconomic neighbourhoods and how human perceptions influence acceptance of wildlife along gradient of urbanisation.

Tentative objectives of the study:
The student will investigate two specific objective -
• To investigate the patterns in emotion laden narratives of people's connection to wildlife and the variation in narratives in relation to varying urban forms, socioeconomic and demographic conditions.
• To understand which values drive citizens attitudes towards wildlife in different contexts and how these values affect their actions in urban area.

Methods:
For data collection, a mixed method using unstructured in-person interviews / online questionnaire survey can be considered. Besides, student can deploy a storytelling approach. The stories and interview texts can be analysed for the frequency of words and phrases that suggest patterns of attitudes toward wildlife.

Duration:
Starting date is negotiable

Student’s background:
A background in biology, landscape ecology, social science would be an advantage. The student would require knowledge for qualitative research.

Requirement

Requirements for students

• A background in biology, landscape ecology, social science would be an advantage. The student would require knowledge for qualitative research

Faculty departments

• Humanities & social sciences
  Other fields of study
• Natural sciences and Technology
  Biology
  Geoecology
  Geography

Supervision

Title, first name, last name

Dr. Marufa Sultana

Organizational unit

ITAS

Email address

marufa.sultana@kit.edu

Link to personal homepage/personal page

Website

Application via email

Application documents

• Cover letter
• Curriculum vitae
• Grade transcript
• Certificate of enrollment

E-Mail Address for application
Senden Sie die oben genannten Bewerbungsunterlagen bitte per Mail an marufa.sultana@kit.edu


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