Post Doc Social dimensions of Flood Resilient Deltas

Do you want to explore how coastal communities shape and respond to proposed solutions for impacts of climate change? Are you passionate about the social dynamics of dealing with change in delta regions? Then this opportunity may be a great fit for you!

The Postdoc project is about providing insights in the social dimensions of Food Resilient Landscapes (FRL) and Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in the Southwestern Delta of the Netherlands. This PD project is part of the Icon project “Flexible Deltas” of the Delta Climate Center (DCC) in Vlissingen. To arrive at FRL and NbS, people and their communities are crucial; what are their needs, perceptions, which knowledge do they hold, etc. The PD will focus on the discourses related to FRLs, on the social (non-) acceptance and output (il-)legitimacy of FRL versus business as usual, an assessment of social capital of coastal communities and a contribution to the institutional co-design of NbS with stakeholders.

Within Flexible Deltas this PD project gives insight in the social dimensions of FRL. Special objectives of this PD project are (1) to understand the different discourses around FRL and business as usual, assessing the different ways people lived in the delta under different circumstances (2) to understand the social (non-)acceptance and output (il-)legitimacy of FRL versus business as usual and the involvement of stakeholders and local communities in the development of FRL, and (3) to assess the social capital of coastal communities affected by and involved in FRL.

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• Analyze the social dimensions of FRL and NbS and conduct fieldwork for the three selected FRLs;
• Cooperate with the other researchers in the Flexible Deltas project and actively participate in the meetings and workshops with the private and public stakeholders in the Living Lab setting;
• To contribute to the development of the Delta Climate Center;
• Present and share your research results in ((inter)national) conferences.

You will work here
This Postdoc project is embedded within the Delta Climate Center and the Environmental Policy Group of Wageningen University.

As Postdoc researcher you will be member of the DCC Flexible Deltas team. You will be supervised by Prof.dr.ir. Jan van Tatenhove and Dr. Marloes Kraan. Your work location will be Vlissingen.

The Delta Climate Center is a new and innovative knowledge center in the field of climate adaptation. Its core question is: how to advance the transition towards sustainable, climate-resilient and prosperous deltas? With the Zeeland delta as its living lab, the Delta Climate Center fosters innovative and impactful solutions for future-proof delta’s worldwide. The DCC unites science and practice in a unique partnership between Scalda, HZ University of Applied Sciences, University College Roosevelt, NIOZ, Utrecht University, and Wageningen University & Research.

Requirements:

You are a motivated researcher with a broad curiosity and the ability to cooperate with researchers of several disciplines (ranging from the natural to the social sciences), but also to work in the transdisciplinary setting of Living Labs in which scientists cooperate and work together with a diversity of public and private stakeholders. We are looking for a motivated, collaborative and flexible team member, who is able to work independently and contributes to the broader Flexible Delta project.
You also possess:

• A successfully completed PhD degree in social sciences, preferably anthropology, sociology, human geography or related disciplines.
• Background in and experience with innovative qualitative research methods in the social sciences
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in Dutch and English and the ability and willingness to participate in inter- and transdisciplinary meetings and workshops

For this position your command of the Dutch language is expected.

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;
• 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 of course receive a good salary. Depending on your experience, we offer a competitive gross salary of between € 3.378,- and € 5.331,- for a full-time working week of 38 hours, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale 10).

This position is 0.5 FTE for three years. We have the ambition to expand your position, should you be interested with 0.5 FTE, yet this is pending on acquisition success. A full time position for 1,5 years or anything in between is negotiable. As for your contract, we initially offer a one-year contract that can be extended for 2 more years on good performance. Of course, we are happy to have a conversation with you if you have any questions about this.

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. Wageningen University & Research's International Community page contains practical information about what we can do to support international employees coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, our Welcome Center can assist you with any additional advice and information about for example housing, opening a bank account, dual career programs 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.

20 hours per week

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