PhD position in Participatory and Collaborative Water Governance

Water governance systems in Europe are in need of innovations to effectively respond to the growing ecological, social and political challenges. These governance innovations range from regulatory and economic instruments to digital solutions and citizen science. More importantly, many of them aim to improve or even transform public participation and collaboration. However, there are no comparative, critical insights on the contribution of such innovations to a sustainable and equitable water governance.

We are seeking a PhD candidate that is eager to advance the understanding of public participation and collaboration across the sectors and scales of water governance. You will join a team of interdisciplinary researchers at the section of Governance and Technology for Sustainability (CSTM).

The PhD research will take place within the scope of the Horizon Europe GOVAQUA project, which is planned to start in February 2023. This transdisciplinary project brings together societal organisations and scientists from different fields. Your research will provide important insights for the project to enhance the design and implementation of innovative approaches.

Based on a systematic literature review, you will identify the challenges and good practices of participatory and collaborative approaches. You will analyse and compare multiple cases, focusing on innovations in multi-stakeholder collaboration and in citizen empowerment and involvement. You will also actively take part in the living labs that will be implemented as part of the GOVAQUA project. Finally, you will contribute to developing policy recommendations for a sustainable and equitable water transition in Europe.

With guidance from supervisors, you will present your results at project meetings and international conferences and publish in peer-reviewed journals.

We encourage high responsibility and independence, while collaborating with colleagues, other university staff and project partners. We follow the terms of employment by the Dutch Collective Labour Agreement for Universities (CAO). Our offer contains a fulltime four-year PhD position; mentorship in a stimulating research environment with excellent facilities; and a personal development programme within the Twente Graduate School. It also includes:

• Gross monthly salary of € 2.541 in the first year, increasing each year up to € 3.247 in the fourth year;
• Holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary, and end of year bonus (8.3%);
• 29 holidays per year in case of full-time employment;
• Employee status at the UT, including pension and health care benefits.