You will work in the BioStar project, a collaboration between IVM-EPA and the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency. You would support our ongoing investigations of the bottom-up, non-state biodiversity governance landscape, its effectiveness and legitimacy, as well as questions related to integration into the post- 2020 biodiversity framework. A possible empirical focus of this post-doc could possibly evolve around existing linkages between the UN oceans agenda and biodiversity.

Your duties

• Systematically review literature on international bottom-up biodiversity governance
• Contribute to building and further developing a database on transnational biodiversity, including information on geographical distribution and hotspots
• Write policy briefs to inform Dutch, international and European Union decision-makers
• Teach 1 course in our master programme Environmental and Resource Management or Global Environmental Change and Policy

• PhD degree in Political Science
• Knowledge of environmental governance
• Proven experience in studying biodiversity at European and international levels
• Experience in working in interdisciplinary teams
• Able to start the position in April 2022

Fixed-term contract: 1 year.

A challenging position in a socially involved organisation. On full-time basis the remuneration amounts to a minimum gross monthly salary of €2,836 (scale 10)
and a maximum €4,474 (scale 10), depending on your education and experience. The job profile (Onderzoeker 4) is based on the university job ranking system and is vacant for at least 0.8 FTE.

The initial employment contract will affect a period of 1 year, with the possibility of extension provided successful external funding.

Additionally, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers excellent fringe benefits and various schemes and regulations to promote a good work/life balance, such as:

• a maximum of 41 days of annual leave based on full-time employment
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• solid pension scheme (ABP), contribution to commuting expenses
• optional model for designing a personalised benefits package

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

The ambition of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is clear: to contribute to a better world through outstanding education and ground-breaking research. We strive to be a university where personal development and commitment to society play a leading role. A university where people from different disciplines and backgrounds collaborate to achieve innovations and to generate new knowledge. Our teaching and research encompass the entire spectrum of academic endeavor - from the humanities, the social sciences and the natural sciences through to the life sciences and the medical sciences.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is home to more than 26,000 students. We employ over 4,600 individuals. The VU campus is easily accessible and located in the heart of Amsterdam's Zuidas district, a truly inspiring environment for teaching and research.

Diversity
We are an inclusive university community. Diversity is one of our most important values. We believe that engaging in international activities and welcoming students and staff from a wide variety of backgrounds enhances the quality of our education and research. We are always looking for people who can enrich our world with their own unique perspectives and experiences.

The Faculty of Science
The Faculty of Science inspires researchers and students to find sustainable solutions for complex societal issues. From forest fires to big data, from obesity to medicines and from molecules to the moon: our teaching and research programmes cover the full spectrum of the natural sciences. We share knowledge and experience with leading research institutes and industries, both here in the Netherlands and abroad.

Working at the Faculty of Science means working with students, PhD candidates and researchers, all with a clear focus on their field and a broad view of the world. We employ more than 1,250 staff members, and we are home to around 6,000 students.

About the institute
Established in 1971, IVM is a leading environmental research institute that is internationally recognized for its high quality research output in a range of environmental disciplines, as well as for its interdisciplinary work. The mission of the institute is to contribute to sustainable development and care for the environment through scientific research and teaching. IVM aims to do excellent problem-oriented research that is useful to a wide range of stakeholders in the Netherlands and internationally. A unique strength of our research is to understand sustainability problems in their social and economic context. IVM's research community works within four departments: Environmental Economics; Environmental Policy Analysis; Environmental Geography; and Water and Climate Risk. Since 2001 IVM is part of the Faculty of Science at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (www.ivm.vu.nl).

About the department
The Department of Environmental Policy Analysis at IVM is a team of more than 25 researchers that was evaluated in the most recent international research quality review as 'world leading' and as being 'one of the highest profile academic research groups involved with sustainability governance from around the world'. We address questions related to institutional effectiveness and change, governance innovation and complexity as well as learning and adaptation. Empirically, we have a strong focus on water, climate change and biodiversity