PhD on the History of Philippine Deforestation

We are looking for a PhD researcher who will contribute to reconstructing and explaining long-term patterns of deforestation in the Philippines in the context of a larger research project entitled Tragedy of the Tropics: Colonialism, Commodities and Commons in Southeast Asian Deforestation since 1850, funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO).
The project aims to provide a better understanding of the structural conditions that have hindered, and continue to hinder, the transition to more sustainable land and forest use and to assess the factors affecting long-run changes in deforestation rates at the local level. Project members will use GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and digitized colonial topographic and vegetation maps to develop new spatial estimates of forest area in Southeast Asia across different benchmark years since ca. 1850.

The project explains changes in forest area over time by relating it to developments in global trade, the implementation of colonial and post-colonial policies, changes to local land rights, and patterns of socio-economic and political inequality.
As one of the PhDs in this project, you will focus on regional variations in long-run deforestation across the Philippines and explain those patterns through a combination of quantitative and qualitative analyses of historical source materials.

Your duties and responsibilities include :

• develop your own research proposal;
• use GIS drawing on old maps to reconstruct forest area across the Philippines since ca. 1850;
• use social scientific theories, quantitative and qualitative research methods to explain variation in deforestation rates over time and across space;
• present your work at international conferences and seminars;
• write a PhD thesis.

You will work here
The research is embedded within the chair Economic and Environmental History which is led by Prof. Ewout Frankema. You will be co-supervised by Dr Pim de Zwart. The Economic and Environmental History Group is a thriving group which aims to provide temporal depth to societal debates and social theories on sustainable and equitable welfare development.

Requirements:

You are an ambitious and enthusiastic scholar, and a team player devoted to research and education in a highly international and interdisciplinary academic environment.

You also possess:

• a successfully completed MA/MSc degree in history, economics, forestry, or any other social science with a clear historical character (or about to get it);
• quantitative and qualitative research skills and a great willingness to develop them further;
• strong motivation to develop your own research design;
• ability to work independently;
• Spanish and Filipino language skills, and prior experience with GIS, are a plus.

For this position your command of the English language is expected to be at C1 level. Sometimes it is necessary to submit an internationally recognised Certificate of Proficiency in the English Language. More information can be found here.

Salary Benefits:

Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:

• partially paid parental leave;
• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• there is a strong focus on vitality and you can make use of the sports facilities available on campus for a small fee;
• a fixed December bonus of 8.3%;
• excellent pension scheme.

In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will receive a fully funded PhD position and you will be offered a course program tailored to your needs and the research team.

The gross salary for the first year is € 2.901,- per month rising to € 3.707,- in the fourth year in according to the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale P). This is based on a full-time working week of 38 hours. We offer a temporary contract for 18 months which will be extended for the duration of the project if you perform well.

There are plenty of options for personal initiative in a learning environment, and we provide excellent training opportunities. We are offering a unique position in an international environment with a pleasant and open working atmosphere.

You are going to work at the greenest and most innovative campus in Holland, and at a university that has been chosen as the “Best University” in the Netherlands for the 19th consecutive time.

Coming from abroad
Wageningen University & Research is the university and research centre for life sciences. The themes we deal with are relevant to everyone around the world and Wageningen, therefore, has a large international community and a lot to offer to international employees.

Because we expect you to work and live in the Netherlands our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family.
Feeling welcome also has everything to do with being well informed. We can assist you with any additional advice and information about for example helping your partner to find a job, housing, or schooling. Finally, certain categories of international staff may be eligible for a tax exemption on a part of their salary during the first five years in the Netherlands.

38 hours per week

Droevendaalsesteeg