The food system aims at providing large amounts of food anywhere, anytime, at the expense of extensive food waste. This project investigates changes in the food system to obtain a transition from having excess to having enough, specifically focusing on the demand side. The large amount of food wasted indicates that consumers have trouble predicting their consumption levels because of preference changes and unexpected events throughout the week. A mindset shift on the side of the consumer is needed from "fear of too little" to "concern about too much". We investigate how this can be accomplished and what it entails for the way households manage their food. Do you want to contribute to a transformation in food management practices and food retailing to reduce food waste?

This PhD position is funded by NWO. The project is interdisciplinary, at the interface between consumer behaviour, marketing, and design. Partners in the project are the Wageningen University & Research (Marketing and Consumer Behaviour Group) and Delft University of Technology (industrial design), and we collaborate with various public and private partners such as Voedingscentrum, the Foundation United Against Food Waste, Hello Fresh, and others. More information about the project can be found on https://www.marketingandconsumerbehaviour.nl/new-project-food-waste-from-excess-to-enough/
This offers major advantages for the PhD candidate in terms of opportunities to collect high-quality data, additional funds for travelling, and close interactions and discussions enhancing the quality and relevancy of the research projects. The project will supervised by Prof. Jenny van Doorn and Prof. Koert van Ittersum and will be embedded in SOM’s research programme in Marketing: https://www.rug.nl/research/marketing/

The PhD candidate should have a background (MSc, research master) in marketing or a discipline related to the topic described above, such as psychology or social sciences.

Fixed-term contract: 48 months.

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

- a starting salary of € 2,325, which increases yearly to a maximum of € 2,972 gross per month
- an additional 8% holiday allowance each year in May, and an additional 8.3 % year-end bonus in December
- a full-time temporary appointment for a period of four years, under the condition of a positive assessment at the end of the first year.

Starting date: 1 September 2020

Faculty of Economics and Business

Since its foundation in 1614, the University of Groningen has enjoyed an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative centre of higher education offering high-quality teaching and research. Belonging to the best research universities of Europe and joining forces with prestigious partner universities and networks, the University of Groningen is truly an international place of knowledge.

Faculty of Economics and Business
The Faculty of Economics and Business offers an inspiring study and working environment for students and employees. International accreditation enables the Faculty to assess performance against the highest international standards. It also creates an exciting environment of continuous improvement. FEB's programmes, academic staff and research do well on various excellence ranking lists.

SOM, the graduate school and research institute of the Faculty of Economics and Business has a PhD position available.