Two PhD Positions on Power Dynamics in Transformative Social Innovation

The ecological, economic, and social challenges of our times are interconnected and systemic. Addressing these global issues requires not just innovation but also profound transformative change. We need to tackle the root causes of injustice and unsustainability, including the transformation of existing power relations that perpetuate inequality, oppression, exclusion, exploitation, and extractivism.

Your job
We know that countless initiatives and movements worldwide are experimenting with social innovation to promote justice and sustainability by altering social relations and creating new ways of doing, thinking, and organizing. However, there is limited understanding of the power dynamics underlying these social innovation movements. Key questions include: Who gains or loses power, and how are power relations challenged or reinforced in social innovation?

To explore these questions, the 5-year POTRANSI project, funded by the European Research Council (ERC), will analyze four social innovation movements—decentralized energy production, the sharing economy, eco-communities, and participatory democracy—across Europe and beyond. We will investigate local initiatives in Portugal, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, as well as examine how these innovations are connected through translocal networks as ‘prefigurative social movements.’ Our goal is to understand how participants navigate the paradoxes and challenges of power dynamics in practice.

In addition to traditional fieldwork methods like interviews and participant observation, we will organize a translocal Transformative Power Arena. This innovative research method will engage entrepreneurs, activists, policy-makers, and citizens through action research and systematic methodology testing. We will experiment with alternative inquiry forms, such as Theatre of the Oppressed, to explore power dynamics in a more experiential manner.

The POTRANSI project team will consist of two PhD students, one postdoc, the project lead/principal investigator (Prof. Dr. Flor Avelino), and two assistant professors involved in PhD supervision (yet to be decided).

We are seeking two curious and proactive PhD students eager to tackle the following research questions: How, to what extent, and under which conditions can social innovations contribute to just sustainability transitions? How are power relations transformed or reproduced in transformative social innovation processes? How can we enhance the transformative power of social innovation?

The PhD students will focus on theoretical and empirical investigations of two or more social innovation movements (decentralized energy production, the sharing economy, eco-communities, and/or participatory democracy) across Europe and beyond. They will study translocal networks and conduct local case studies in Portugal, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

In addition to their theoretical and empirical work, the PhD students will engage in transdisciplinary inquiry and action research, contributing to the development and nurturing of POTRANSI’s Transformative Power Arena as a community of practice. This role not only aims to understand power dynamics and social innovation but also to empower transformative change towards justice and sustainability.

We are seeking talented, curious, and engaged graduates in political science, innovation sciences, sociology, organization studies, geography, science & technology studies, or related fields.

This project may be a great fit for you if you:

• Have a strong affinity with and prior knowledge of social innovation, political theory, sustainability transitions, justice, or other relevant social-scientific themes.
• Possess experience in qualitative research methods such as interviews, participant observation, document reviews, and focus groups.
• Demonstrate highly developed organizational, communication, and social skills.
• Have an excellent command of English and C1+ level proficiency in at least one of the project's additional languages (Dutch or Portuguese).
• Are willing to engage in online community-building and digital dissemination through social media.
• Exhibit a pro-active, curious, and open-minded attitude.
• Are prepared to contribute to teaching (10% of the time) at the Copernicus Institute for Sustainable Development.

We offer:

• a temporary position, for one year with an extension to a total of four years upon a successful assessment in the first year, and with the specific intent that it results in a doctorate within this period;
• a working week of 36 hours and a gross monthly salary between €2.770 and €3.539 in the case of full-time employment (salary scale P under the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU));
• 8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible terms of employment based on the CAO NU.

In addition to the terms of employment laid down in the CAO NU, Utrecht University has a number of schemes and facilities of its own for employees. This includes schemes facilitating professional development, leave schemes and schemes for sports and cultural activities, as well as discounts on software and other IT products. We also offer access to additional employee benefits through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, we encourage our employees to continue to invest in their growth. For more information, please visit Working at Utrecht University.

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major strategic themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Pathways to Sustainability. Sharing science, shaping tomorrow.

Utrecht University’s Faculty of Geosciences studies the Earth: from the Earth’s core to its surface, including man’s spatial and material utilisation of the Earth – always with a focus on sustainability and innovation. With 3,400 students (BSc and MSc) and 720 staff, the faculty is a strong and challenging organisation. The Faculty of Geosciences is organised in four Departments: Earth Sciences, Human Geography & Spatial Planning, Physical Geography, and Sustainable Development.

The Copernicus Institute investigates processes and opportunities for innovative change towards sustainability. This transformation is a multidisciplinary process requiring a variety of disciplines. The Copernicus Institute offers a unique multidisciplinary environment in this complex field. The institute is embedded in the Faculty of Geosciences at Utrecht University and consists of five research groups (sections): Innovation Studies, Environmental Governance, Environmental Sciences, Energy and Resources, and the Utrecht Futures Studio. The PhD will be embedded in the Innovation Studies group.