Postdoc in urban water disaster reduction in the Netherlands and India

The post-doc position is a key social-science role in the interdisciplinary LODESTAR project (LOw-cost Disaster & Emergency Services for communitTies At Risk), working with the social and natural scientists in the consortium in the Netherlands and India. Funded by Dutch NWO and Indian DST, it aims to improve the uptake of local knowledge and knowledge needs into a user-friendly early warning tool for extreme urban floods and droughts in selected disaster-prone cities in India and the Netherlands. It requires liaising with the team’s tool developers in India and the Netherlands, outreach to the wider community of knowledge partners and local stakeholders in those localities, the organization of Living Labs and analysis of their process and outcomes and related research activities. You will lead or contribute to professional and academic publications reporting the results of the project and support its communication to a wider audience.

You will be based in the Sociology of Development and Change group in Wageningen University. The Sociology of Development and Change group (SDC) are a politically engaged and interdisciplinary research and educational centre in development studies, political ecology, anthropology of law and crisis and disaster studies.

You will work here
The research is embedded within the Sociology of Development and Change (SDC) chair group, led by Professor Bram Büscher. The Sociology of Development and Change group (SDC) focuses on the structures and practices of development and change with a particular scientific interest in inequality, marginalization and political agency. We are a politically engaged and interdisciplinary research and educational centre in development studies, political ecology, anthropology of law and crisis and disaster studies.

You will report to Dr. Sumit Vij, Assistant Professor and Dr Jeroen Warner, Associate Professor at SDC.

Requirements:

You have:

• a PhD in the area of: disaster governance, human geography, development studies, environmental politics and policy, environmental governance, or another social science discipline relevant to disaster risk reduction in (peri)urban areas;
• knowledge and experience in governance, transdisciplinary research, and multi-stakeholder platforms and/or living labs. Please note that this post-doc position requires proven record of research on the governance of flood risk in (larger) river basins;
• excellent and proven research skills;
• experience in publishing as a lead author in high-quality international peer-reviewed journals, with a minimum of three published papers at the time of the application;
• experience in conducting and analysing structured and semi-structured interviews, large and small workshops, focus groups and/or other kinds of transdisciplinary research activities;
• experience in presenting research findings at an international level;
• ability to work across different, interdisciplinary research projects and research initiatives;
• ability to think independently and overcome difficulties in the research process.

You also possess:

• working knowledge of local water (risk) governance in the face of climate change;
• advanced Dutch and English language skills (C1/C2);
• organization, coordination and communication skills;
• relevant work experience in the global South is a plus;
• experience in publishing for a multidisciplinary academic and, preferably, professional audiences.

We expect from you:

• a positive, co-operative and responsive attitude that fosters positive and safe working relationships;
• conducting individual and collaborative research complying with and following research ethical standards;
• engaging in the wider research and scholarly activities of the LODESTAR research project and LODESTAR team at Wageningen University and its partners in the Netherlands and India related to urban disasters;
• engaging in the dissemination of results of the LODESTAR project by producing at least two high-quality academic papers and one professional publication as a lead author.

Salary Benefits:

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

• sabbatical leave, study leave, and partially paid parental leave;
• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• the option to accrue additional compensation / holiday hours by working more, per week;
• 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 of course receive a good salary. Depending on your experience, we offer a competitive gross salary of between €3345,- and €5278,- for a full-time working week of 38 hours, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale 10). The vacancy is for 0,8 fte. Additionally, a contract for 0.6 fte can be discussed. As for your contract, we initially offer a one-year contract that can be extended - if possible within (company) organizational circumstances - on good performance. Of course, we are happy to have a conversation with you if you have any questions about this.

Wageningen University & Research encourages internal advancement opportunities and mobility with an internal recruitment policy. 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 education 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.

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. Wageningen University & Research's International Community page contains practical information about what we can do to support international employees and students coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, 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.

32 hours per week

Droevendaalsesteeg