Are you an experienced and collaborative researcher with a proven ability to publish scientific articles and work in intercultural and interdisciplinary environments? Are you passionate about inclusive and effective development? Do you have interest in comparative public governance research? If so, then join us at the Public Administration and Policy group!

As a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Wageningen University on the topic of “Inclusive and effective governance of SDG (Sustainability Development Goal) interactions in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda”, you will join a vibrant international research team of PhDs, postdocs and senior researchers across the Netherlands and East-Africa. You will contribute to comparative research across national case studies on climate, water, food and biodiversity-related SDGs, and engage with national and international stakeholders on this important topic.

As a postdoc, you will contribute to the interdisciplinary research project “Governing SDG interactions in East-Africa”, led by Prof. Art Dewulf) This project investigates how national and international development efforts can be aligned for inclusive and effective governance of trade-offs and synergies between SDGs. You will be responsible for driving forward the comparative research across the case studies on landscape restoration in Ethiopia, climate-smart livestock in Kenya, and the water-energy-food nexus in Uganda.

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• lead the cross-case and cross-country comparative governance research;
• lead the writing of scientific publications on project research results;
• collaborate with the project PhDs, postdocs and senior researchers;
• support the Principal Investigator with organizing cross-cutting activities in the project;
• engage with national and international stakeholders on SDG governance;

This position is for 2 years, the intended starting date will be from 1 September 2024.

You will work here
The research is embedded within the chair Public Administration and Policy, which is led by Prof. Dave Huitema. You will be supervised by Prof. dr. Art Dewulf.

The mission of the Public Administration and Policy group is to study the governance of wicked problems in the interrelated domains of water and climate, food and agriculture, and energy and circular economy, and to use the generated insights to develop governance arrangements. By doing so the group aims to contribute to scientific progress, to societal debates, and to policy practice.

The project “Governing SDG interactions in East-Africa” studies SDG governance in case studies on landscape restoration in Ethiopia, climate-smart livestock in Kenya, and the water-energy-food nexus in Uganda. Numerous governments, businesses, and civil society organisations aim to contribute to achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals in East-Africa. However, cherry-picking SDGs coupled with lack of alignment between initiatives means trade-offs are not addressed and opportunities for synergy are missed. This project investigates SDG interactions in East-Africa and cross-sector and cross-level alignment mechanisms to govern these interactions.

You are an experienced and collaborative researcher, with proven capacity to publish scientific articles and to work in intercultural and interdisciplinary environments.

You also possess:

• a PhD degree in public administration, political science, international development studies or related discipline;
• a record of international peer-reviewed publications as an early-career researcher;
• an excellent level of English and strong academic writing skills;
• work/research experience in the global North and the global South;
• good understanding of sustainable development challenges related to climate, water, food and biodiversity;
• solid methodological knowledge of qualitative and quantitative research methods.

In our international working environment there is an increasing amount of communication in English. For this position it is about language level C1.

You can see that there are plenty of challenges ahead of you. These challenges can also be seen as development opportunities. So if you do not yet have the track-record required in the vacancy, but do have solid work experience, we would also like to invite you to apply.

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;
• the option to accrue additional compensation / holiday hours by working more, 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.

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 € 3,226.- and € 5,090.- for a full-time working week of 38 hours, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale 10 ). Additionally, a contract for 0.8 FTE can be discussed. This position is for 2 years strating from 1 September 2024.

Wageningen University & Research encourages internal advancement opportunities and mobility with an internal recruitment policy. 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 19th 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.

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 and students coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, we can assist you with any additional advice and information about for example helping your partner to find a job, housing, 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.

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, 7,600 employees (6,700 fte) and 13,100 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 the video below 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.