Postdoc on Reconciling Food Systems Sustainability and Biodiversity Conservation

The postdoc researcher will conduct research within the project emBrace, help developing effective and efficient coordination of collaborative work in the consortium, and contribute to publishing and disseminate project findings. The work will have a strong interdisciplinary character, combining participatory approaches and social learning dynamics with knowledge synthesis methods. Grounded in the Nature Futures framework, you will contribute to develop shared visions of desirable futures using participatory visioning workshops that foster human-nature connectedness, collaborative and inclusive governance, and interdependent social-ecological benefits in multifunctional protected areas across Europe.

Your duties

• you develop research to identify strategies to adaptively navigate the processes of integrating food systems in multifunctional protected areas, with an emphasis on the synergies and tradeoffs that emerge from the institutional, social, economic, and environmental dimensions of transformative change
• you engage in transdisciplinary empirical research in at least one of emBrace’s case studies, and conduct knowledge synthesis and integration processes
• you collaborate with the project partners towards making the case studies comparable
• you provide day-to-day assistance for the coordination of the project and facilitate collaboration with other researchers of the international emBrace project consortium
• you support project tasks and dissemination (including project meetings, conferences, deliverables)
• you publish high-impact, peer-reviewed research in international scientific journals.

Requirements:

• you have a PhD in geography, or a social or environmental related discipline
• you have a track record of peer-reviewed publications as well as the ability to initiate and complete original research
• you have knowledge of the literature and demonstrable expertise in applying state-of-the-art socio-ecological systems analysis methods
• you have the ability to help coordinate teamwork, and conduct transdisciplinary work with local stakeholders.
• you have excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• you have excellent written and oral command of English. Proficiency in Spanish and French would be valuable.
• you are available to start around April 1st, 2025.

We realise that each individual brings a unique set of skills, expertise and mindset. Therefore we are happy to invite anyone who recognises themselves in the profile to apply, even if you do not fully meet all the requirements.

Salary Benefits:

A challenging position in a socially engaged organisation. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable. So in return for your efforts, we offer you:

• a salary of minimum € 3.378,00 (Scale 10) and maximum € 5.331,00 (Scale 10) gross per month, on a full-time basis. This is based on UFO profile Researcher 4. The exact salary depends on your education and experience.
• a position for at least 0.8 FTE. Your employment contract will initially last 1 year. Afterwards, the possibility of expansion exists.

We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and regulations. Some examples:

• A full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata.
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• contribution to commuting expenses
• optional model for designing a personalized benefits package
• a wide range of sports facilities which staff may use at a modest charge

De Boelelaan 1105