Post-doc Floating Future (0.8-1.0 FTE)

We are looking for an enthusiastic Postdoctoral researcher on the topic ‘Water Governance - Enabling and Upscaling Floating Futures’, which is part of the interdisciplinary and applied national research project ‘Floating Future: Scaling up floating structures as climate-proof space-creating solution enabling societal, industrial and ecological win-wins’. Alternatively, instead of one Postdoctoral researcher, we could hire one researcher working on the water governance and institutional aspects relating to upscaling floating structures, and one researcher working on the Participatory Action Research (PAR) and the corresponding practical organization of PAR activities.



‘Floating Future’, led by research institute MARIN, is funded by the Dutch Science Council (NWO) and consists of a broad research consortium including multiple universities, universities of applied sciences, research institutes, public authorities, businesses and NGOs. The overall objective is to develop knowledge about societal acceptance, the required governance and legal arrangements, the ecological impacts and the technological challenges related to building large-scale floating islands. Participatory Action Research is the Floating Future ‘integration engine’ where the different scientific disciplines and societal stakeholders meet and co-create knowledge about how large-scale floating urban developments can be realized in the various case study areas (inland, coastal port city, offshore).



The research is part of the work package on Participatory Action Research. Enabling and upscaling floating structures from pilot projects to urban scale development requires participatory methods with both scientists, policy makers and societal stakeholders to contribute to increasing the societal research impact, integrate scientific knowledge from different disciplines, and facilitate the desired transition from ‘fighting the water’ to ‘living on the water’. Next to developing knowledge about and the (co-)organization of the Floating Future Participatory Action Research, the aim of the research is to identify and develop appropriate governance arrangements for upscaling floating structures, while recognizing institutional constraints and enablers in the various disciplinary fields and sectors involved in the Floating Future project and case study areas.



More specifically, your tasks will be to



- Develop knowledge about Participatory Action Research, and critically reflect on the Floating Future co-learning process between science and practice to stimulate interdisciplinary knowledge exchange.

- (Co-)organize collaborative meetings and workshops in the context of the Participatory Action Research in the case study areas of Floating Future.

- Develop and conduct an institutional analysis for each of the Floating Future case study areas, to examine the existing and diverging institutional and sectoral policy frameworks that guide policy development and actor behavior across the sectors, relevant to Floating Future.

- Combine and integrate the (intermediate) findings of the work package on Governance about the social, economic and legal design principles and, based on these findings, conceptualize future governance arrangements for upscaling floating structures.

- Conduct research activities including: literature analysis, policy analysis, stakeholder interviews, focus group discussions, action research, participatory observations/’reflection-in-action’.

- Lead and support in the development of co-authored academic publications and other research outputs, such as professional publications, policy briefs and brochures, and contribute to project tasks and deliverables.

- Occasionally, you may teach in Bachelor and Master educational programmes and supervise Master students’ theses.



Organisation

The Faculty of Spatial Sciences (FSS) at the University of Groningen (RUG) is looking for an enthusiastic Postdoctoral Researcher on water governance, in particular the enabling and upscaling of floating futures.



The FSS is the only independent Faculty of Spatial Sciences in the Netherlands. The Faculty consists of approximately 100 members of staff, 100 PhD researchers, and around 1100 students. We focus on high quality teaching and research in the fields of social and economic geography, demography, and spatial planning. With a Faculty slogan of ‘making places better together’ and an overarching research theme 'Towards Wellbeing, Innovation and Spatial Transformation' (tWIST), it is our mission to produce research which is world-leading, distinctive, and policy-relevant. With two Bachelor and eight Master programs, we provide a wide range of courses within the fields of geography and the spatial sciences.



You will be based in the Department of Spatial Planning and Environment, which has around 30 members of staff and around 30 PhD candidates. The research agenda of the Department is centered on institutional design for purposeful interventions within the human environment. The Department offers a vibrant academic environment with an international staff and extensive experience in working within national and international research projects. The Department actively pursues socially relevant research, as is also expressed in its research targeting water governance and climate adaptation in relation to spatial planning to which the Postdoctoral Researcher is to contribute.

Requirements:

We are looking for a social, enthusiastic and ambitious Postdoctoral Researcher, who



- Has a PhD, or has an almost finished PhD, in the wider field of spatial planning, geography, environmental policy, public administration, or other related discipline.

- Has proven affinity and/or demonstrated experience with the topics of water governance, institutional analysis, and climate adaptation.

- Has excellent writing skills and publications in international, peer-reviewed academic journals.

- Has good qualitative research skills with expertise in conducting in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Experience with action-oriented research is a plus.

- Has experience in working in interdisciplinary settings and the ambition to connect science to practice.

- Is a proactive team-player with excellent organizational and communication skills, and is able to work independently.

- Is fluent in English (reading, writing, speaking).

- Given the Dutch research context, Dutch proficiency (or the ability and willingness to achieve this within one year) is also an absolute plus.

Salary Benefits:

We offer you in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities



- A salary depending on qualifications and work experience, with a minimum of € 4,020 to a maximum of € 5,278 (salary scale 10) gross per month for a full-time position.

- On top of that income, an 8% holiday allowance and an annual bonus of 8.3%.

- You will be appointed for a period of 1 year with the prospect of an extension, for max (3 years). The appointment will be for either 0.8 or 1.0 FTE. This can be discussed.



The intended starting date is: 1 January 2025

38 hours per week

Broerstraat 5