Project
The postdoctoral researcher will work on the project “Equity and justice in water governance in cities under climate change: a global analysis”. The project will investigate how and why inequitable or unjust water governance occurs, and how equitable water governance can be achieved. Social and political theories will be applied to develop a framework and criteria to analyse inequity patterns in cities worldwide. Moreover, the research will investigate underlying mechanisms which explain occurrence of  inequity in water governance. The study conducted follows a mixed methods, qualitative and quantitative research approach, including critical literature analysis, comparative case studies, and a follow up of a global survey that has already been done. In collaboration with urban policy-makers, recommendations for more equitable water governance will be developed.

Tasks
The successful applicant will be joining the Department of Science in the Faculty of Management, Science & Technology at the Open University. His or her responsibilities include a contribution to research through the collection and analysis of data, data management, and the lead role in dissemination of the results to an academic audience. The successful candidate will also be tasked with teaching a course and will be asked to translate findings of the research project into new course material for the Open University.

Requirements

• Ph.D.-degree in a social science discipline, including public administration and policy analysis, social environmental studies
• Knowledge of and experience in empirical research methods, for example surveys, qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), or regression analysis
• A record of relevant scientific publications including working papers
• Ability for and willingness to work in a multidisciplinary team
• Ability to teach, and willingness to think about new course material from the project
• Very good command of spoken and written English
• Excellent report writing and presentation skills.Good time management and organisational skills

Fixed-term contract: temporary, for the duration of 2 years (start around mid-2019).

The salary will be determined on the basis of your education, experience and qualifications but will be in accordance with the general salary scales 10/11 of the CLA-NU. An indication of the maximum gross salary is € 4.978,=  per month based on a full-time tenure.

The employment is temporary, for the duration of 2 years (start around mid-2019).

Open Universiteit

Studying online anywhere in the Netherlands and Belgium (Flanders)
The Open University of the Netherlands (OUNL) is the university in the Netherlands where students study part-time and follow online and activating education in bachelor and master degree programmes in seven fields of study. Characteristics of the education are openness, flexibility and quality. Enhancing the study success of students is an important point of focus. More than 14.000 students are studying at the OUNL and it has 655 employees. The OUNL has a network of regional study centres in the Netherlands and in Belgium (Flanders) (https://www.ou.nl/studiecentra). The head office is situated in Heerlen.The most modern technologies and educational insights are applied in bachelor and master programmes and courses and also in projects and programmes with partners. Nationally and internationally the OUNL plays a key role in the innovation of higher education. Education and research are closely interrelated which guarantees that the current state of science is applied. The OUNL not only invests in research in the various academic disciplines, but also in research in the field of learning, teaching and technology.

Satisfied students
For several consecutive years, the OUNL has achieved a top position among the fourteen Dutch universities in the National Students Survey, the Dutch university guide ‘Keuzegids Universiteiten’ (in which the ratings by students and experts of the bachelor studies of the fourteen universities are compared), and the Dutch university guide ‘Keuzegids Masters’. In addition all studies score high in the rankings of the universities for these studies. All ratings are available on the website (http://www.ou.nl).

http://www.ou.nl

The faculty of Management, Science & Technology (MST) is one of the three faculties of the Open University of the Netherlands (OUNL). Education, research and valorisation are the main tasks of the faculty. MST offers academic bachelor and master programmes in the fields of management, environmental science and computer science. Additionally the faculty offers a Liberal Arts & Sciences bachelor program as well as short programmes for professionals (certified professional programs), who aim at gaining more in-depth knowledge. The research program centers on Learning and Innovation in Resilient Systems and is characterized by its multidisciplinary approach. The faculty has a large number of PhD-students who conduct research on various current topics within this research program. In addition, as a faculty of the OUNL, MST is partner in the Business Intelligence & Smart Services (BISS) Institute, which is part of the Brightlands Smart Services Campus http:/www.brightlands.com/
As a result of the interdisciplinary focus on education and research, as well as the close link with practice, work at this faculty provides innovative and challenging opportunities.

Department of Science
The Department of Science at the Open University of the Netherlands is an ambitious interdisciplinary group focused on sustainability issues. The group wants to contribute to the resolution of societal problems through excellent research and teaching programs, and one of its focal areas is environmental governance (Chair prof. Dave Huitema).The educational programs of this Department have received the highest accolades in the country in this domain for years. The Department has similarly high ambitions in the realm of research, as witnessed by its research program on “Resilience, Learning and Innovation”. We are looking for candidates who can contribute to the national and international profile of the OU, and who have the qualities to contribute new energy and ideas to our teaching and research.