PhD position on Transitioning public organizations for future-proof infrastructure

Society is facing major challenges like circularity, digitalisation and climate adaptation. These challenges have a significant impact on our built environment and the actors that operate in this field. Addressing these challenges requires a fundamental change in how public organisations operate and coordinate themselves and their relations with private parties.

This PhD project aims to develop organisational principles and action perspectives to help infrastructure agencies that maintain our roads, bridges, waterways, electricity networks and railways adapt to these emerging challenges. The PhD candidate will focus on bridging the gap between mission-oriented policies, organisational strategies and project practices,. They will work across multiple levels, studying how infrastructure administrators handle uncertainty and complexity at the organisational and inter-organisational level.

The candidate will actively engage with Dutch (semi) public organisations to co-create integrated solutions for a resilient infrastructure sector, gain experience in different professional settings, and operate at the intersection of various academic disciplines. This requires a curiosity for interdisciplinary and qualitative empirical research and a sense of urgency for turning theory into practice and practice into theory.

Requirements:

• You have, or will shortly acquire, a master’s degree in the field of in organizational studies, construction management, civil engineering & management, innovation sciences, management studies, or a related discipline.
• Strong interest in and affinity for (1) organizational transformation, (2) behavioural change, and/or (3) design thinking.
• Eager to explore new research directions and flexible to adapt the research process to new developments and insights.
• Comfortable at the interface of academia and practice, demonstrating effective communication skills in both.
• Interested in managing networks and relations with practitioners.
• You have excellent speaking and academic writing skills in English.
• You have effective operational proficiency in Dutch (minimum C1 level).

Salary Benefits:

• As a PhD candidate at UT, you will be appointed to a full-time position for four years, with a qualifier in the first year, within a very stimulating and exciting scientific environment.
• Your salary and associated conditions are in accordance with the collective labour agreement for Dutch universities (CAO-NU).
• You will receive a gross monthly salary ranging from € 2.872 (first year) to € 3.670,- (fourth year)
• There are excellent benefits including a holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary, an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%, and a solid pension scheme.
• A minimum of 232 leave hours in case of full-time employment based on a formal workweek of 38 hours. A full-time employment in practice means 40 hours a week, therefore resulting in 96 extra leave hours on an annual basis.
• Free access to sports facilities on campus.
• A family-friendly institution that offers parental leave (both paid and unpaid).
• You will have a training programme as part of the Twente Graduate School where you and your supervisors will determine a plan for a suitable education and supervision.
• We encourage a high degree of responsibility and independence while collaborating with close colleagues, researchers and industry practitioners.

40 hours per week

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