The Management Studies Group of Wageningen University is looking for a post-doc for the NWO-project named "Inclusive Biobased Innovation: Securing sustainability and supply through farmers' involvement (IBIS)". This Responsible Innovation-project seeks to promote new biobased value chains around the globe, by targeting issues related to linking agriculture and biobased industries. Some of the research questions to be dealt with in the IBIS project are: What are the major issues in the transition to sustainable, just and viable biobased value chains? How does the role and involvement of farmers change? What are the boundary conditions, and how can supply chain actors benefit from reconciling the different values, concerns and interests?
By explicating best practices in creating shared values in novel Dutch biobased value chains, the post-doc contributes to advancing new biobased business models, to the benefit of different feedstock cases in the US, Brazil, South Africa and Jamaica.

The postdoc will be stationed at the Management Studies Group of Wageningen University. Field research will focus on Dutch value chains, e.g., involving grass, hemp, digesters, and vegetables based packaging and leather. Relevant actors and their perspectives and interests will be investigated by case studies research. The research partner is the Biotechnology and Society-section in the Dept. of Biotechnology, TU Delft. The team is closely related to the BE-Basic Foundation. The research will be conducted in close collaboration with a post-doc already appointed at TU Delft, and a variety of biobased industry partners, expecting science for impact.

We are looking for an enthusiastic and self-steering social scientist (f/m), who is a team player, and is interested in participating in an international, interdisciplinary research programme to advance the biobased economy.

Applicants should have the following qualifications:

• A PhD in management, (environmental or business) economics, or related socio-technical discipline
• Good understanding of value chains and business models.
• Affinity with biobased economics, and (business) ethics
• Good communication and writing skills
• Fluency in Dutch and English
• Qualitative research skills
• Interested to work with business

We offer a challenging work environment at one of the top universities in the world of life sciences. This research provides an opportunity to work with interesting partners at the frontier of new value chains, with a direct impact on companies and farmers in the Netherlands and in the other case countries.

It concerns a contract of 0.8 fte for 1 year, starting approximately by March 2018. The gross salary is between €3475 and € 4.084 depending on experience.

In addition, we offer 8% holiday allowance, an 8,3% end-of-year allowance, and pension of the ABP Pension Fund. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

Wageningen University & Research

Wageningen University is an internationally leading education and research organization that explores the potential of nature to contribute significantly to the quality of life. Wageningen University is part of Wageningen University and Research Centre (WUR), carrying out research throughout the knowledge chain in the Life Sciences and Natural Resources from fundamental research to applied research.
Afdeling
The Management Studies Group (MST) is an ambitious group within the Department of Social Sciences of Wageningen University. MST focuses on the strategy and organization of the firm, embedded in the value chain, and influenced by the broader networks of public and private stakeholders. MST plays a pivotal role in the Bachelor program Business, Consumer and Competence studies (BBC) and the Master program Management, Governance and Economics (MME). Amongst others, MST participates in courses and MOOCs on Biobased and Circular Economy, and on Entrepreneurship. Central in our research is the quest for understanding and managing the inter-organisational innovation processes among start ups, SMEs and large multinationals, in the internationalized agrifood chains and networks. For research MST uses a mixed methodology that bring together case studies, focus group discussions, large scale field surveys, and experimental designs. MST's excellent position in research was acknowledged by the 2015 international peer review committee, that evaluated its research quality as excellent, its viability as excellent; and its societal relevance as very good. More information about the Management Studies Group can be found on www.mst.wur.nl.