PhD transdisciplinary, systemic design for transformative change

Are you interested to explore the potential of transdisciplinary landscape design to contribute to transformative societal change? Would you like to contribute to theory and methodology development for systemic designing on the regional scale? Then you could be the ideal PhD candidate to join our team!

Today’s society faces major environmental challenges, such as climate change adaptation, sustainable resource management and biodiversity decline. Small-scale, sectoral solutions will not suffice to address these challenges adequately and comprehensively. Instead, far-reaching societal change is needed. Landscape architects have an important role to play in fostering these changes. Designing long-term future perspectives and strategies towards these futures can provide insight into how to address the current challenges in an integrated and transformative manner. For example, by revealing potential spatial and temporal synergies between, zero-emission and circular agriculture, water storage, renewable energy, and nature-inclusive urbanization.

Designing for transformative change comes with high complexity and requires a systemic approach with due attention to both the spatial and temporal characteristics of landscapes and the processes within it. Thereby the potential to foster real-world change lies not only in the outcome of the design process (i.e. the design), but even more so in the design process (i.e. the designing). This calls upon, amongst others, a design process that is transdisciplinary and embraces a post-anthropocentric perspective on human-nature relationships, a process-oriented role of designers as well as greater attention to temporality, dynamics and uncertainty in the design process.

It is yet unknown what preconditions should be met for transdisciplinary regional design processes to act as a stimulus for systemic change in rural areas, whilst offering a robust framework for evidence-based, transformative spatial strategies. The Landscape Architecture Group is therefore looking for a PhD researcher that can contribute to a theoretical and methodological basis for ‘transdisciplinary, systemic design for transformative change’.

This research should explore questions such as: What preconditions should transdisciplinary regional design processes meet to enable accounting for the spatio-temporal relationships between environmental challenges and solutions, as well as between human and non-humans? Which methods, techniques and technologies can be used to analyze and visualize the spatio-temporal relationships in socio-ecological patterns and processes? How can these be embedded in transdisciplinary, long-term regional design processes?

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• Contributing to the development of methodological recommendations in designing and implementing a transdisciplinary design process aiming to contribute to transformative change in rural areas;
• Developing design guidelines that support landscape architects in designing with spatio-temporal relationships on the regional scale that effectuate long-term, systemic change;
• Setting up and carrying out the above-mentioned research, resulting in, among other things, a dissertation containing at least three international scientific publications, which will be defended in public;
• Presenting the research and intermediate research results in the Netherlands and at international scientific conferences;
• Actively participating and contributing to the PhD community of the Landscape Architecture and Spatial Planning cluster.

You will work here
The research is embedded within the Landscape Architecture Chair Group, part of the cluster Landscape Architecture and Spatial Planning. You will be supervised by dr. ir. Ilse Voskamp and prof. dr. Sven Stremke.

Requirements:

You are:

• An enthusiastic researcher who is creative, perseverant and intrinsically motivated to address societal challenges;
• An environmental designer with proven ability to design integrated and systemic solutions for key landscape challenges on the regional scale;

You have:

• Knowledge of the Dutch landscape, including physical and social landscape processes, and pressing environmental challenges in rural areas in the Netherlands;
• Strong analytical skills and a keen interest in method and/or theory development for systemic design;
• Preferably experience in working in collaborative design processes, or in trans-disciplinary settings with scientists from various disciplines as well as societal stakeholders;
• Strong organizational and communication skills, both oral and written;

You also possess:

• A successfully completed (or about to be completed) MSc degree in Landscape Architecture or a related Environmental Design field such as landscape urbanism or spatial planning;

For this position your command Dutch is on a B1 level and 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 year-end 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.

Wageningen University & Research offers plenty of opportunities for growth and development, with a strong internal recruitment policy and excellent training programmes.
You will work on the greenest and most innovative campus in the Netherlands, in an international and open working environment. For 20 consecutive years, we have been voted the "best university" in the Netherlands! A place to be proud of.

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