The Environmental Policy group of Wageningen University has a vacancy for a post-doctoral researcher for the NWO funded programme OR ELSE (Operational Recommendations for Ecosystem-based Large-scale Sand Extraction).

Do you like to focus on the challenge of climate-induced increase of sand extraction volumes for coastal defence and the ecological impacts in the Dutch North Sea, particularly on habitats, benthos, fish larvae, and, consequently, on fisheries?

So far, the government has taken a sectoral approach to sand extraction with little attention for cross-sectoral collaboration and deliberation. In the post-doctoral project, the aim is to close this gap but also to move beyond stakeholder consultation by exploring opportunities for collaborative learning across the sand extraction industry, fishery sector, policy makers, societal actors and scientists.

By studying and enforcing the co-design of a Sand Extraction Serious Game (SESG), the post-doctoral researcher will enhance our understanding of the ways in which digital systems and tools enable reflexivity, learning and institutional change in marine governance. Game development and design lies with project partner BUAS with whom the post-doctoral researcher will closely work. Through action research, the post-doctoral researcher will analyse the co-design of the SESG, which will be coupled to a Digital Twin of the North Sea. Using participatory methods, the post-doctoral researcher will study the application of the SESG with ORELSE's Stakeholder Community. The post-doctoral researcher will also participate in the overall project management, such as chairing project group meetings and facilitating cross-linkages between fundamental and applied science.

The post-doctoral researcher will be positioned at the Environmental Policy group and directly collaborate with, and guided by, dr Hilde Toonen, dr Judith van Leeuwen and prof Simon Bush.

OR ELSE is an interdisciplinary programme consisting of two post-doc projects and six PhD projects. Consortium partners are from different parts of Wageningen University and Research, from the technical universities of Twente and Delft, universities of applied sciences (BUAS, Van Hall Larenstein). Government, sand extraction industries, fisheries, and societal organizations are also partners in the research consortium. The OR ELSE research programme is coordinated by Dr Martin Baptist, Wageningen Marine Research (WRM).

• a doctorate degree (PhD), obtained or near completion, in sociology, political sciences or a related field;
• proven experience with social scientific research on digital technologies, marine industries/marine spatial planning, and sustainability;
• demonstrated writing skills;
• proven qualitative research skills, and affinity with action research methodology, participatory methods, and quantitative research;
• ability, willingness and commitment to collaborate in a diverse research team and write joint publications;
• a creative and critical person with an open mind towards interdisciplinary research and transdisciplinary collaboration, and ability to build a network within the domain of the project;
• project management skills;
• fluency in English and Dutch.

Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities include:

• 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;
• the option to accrue additional compensation / holiday hours by working more, up to 40 hours per week;
• 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 December bonus of 8.3%;
• excellent pension scheme.

We offer you a temporary contract for 0.8 FTE for a period of 30 months (preferred start 1 October 2022). According to the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale 10) starting by € 2.960,-. This is based on a full-time working week of 38 hours.

There are plenty of options for personal initiative in a learning environment, and we provide excellent training opportunities. We are offering a unique position in an international environment with a pleasant and open working atmosphere.

You are going to work at the greenest and most innovative campus in Holland, and at a university that has been chosen as the " Best University " in the Netherlands for the 17th consecutive time.

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. Applicants from abroad moving to the Netherlands may qualify for a special tax relief, known as the 30% ruling. 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
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 and students coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, we can assist you with any additional advice and information about helping your partner to find a job, housing, schooling, and other issues.

Equal opportunities
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) employs a large number of people with very different backgrounds and qualities, who inspire and motivate each other. We want every talent to feel at home in our organisation and be offered the same career opportunities. We therefore especially welcome applications from people who are underrepresented at WUR. For more information please go to our inclusivity page. A good example of how WUR deals with inclusiveness can be read on the page working at WUR with a functional impairment.

Wageningen University & Research

Wageningen University & Research
The mission of Wageningen University & Research is "To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life". Under the banner Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen University and the specialised research institutes of the Wageningen Research Foundation have joined forces in contributing to finding solutions to important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment. With its roughly 30 branches, 7,200 employees (6,400 fte) and 13,200 students and over 150.000 participants to WUR's Life Long Learning, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. The unique Wageningen approach lies in its integrated approach to issues and the collaboration between different disciplines.

Read the 5 reasons why your future colleagues enjoy working at WUR and watch this video to get an idea of our green campus!

We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves, so no employment agencies please. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.