Are you passionate about researching social science dimensions of climate change and water scarcity? Do you want to explore how diverse communities and governance actors perceive and respond to the risks posed by hydroclimatic extremes? Then this PhD opportunity might be for you! The Wageningen Centre for Sustainability Governance at Wageningen University is looking for a motivated PhD candidate to join our research team. Our focus is on understanding and managing the disruptions caused by extreme weather events, like severe droughts, which lead to water scarcity. This PhD project is part of a larger effort to learn how these extreme events affect different aspects of society, from government policies and services to everyday life.
As climate change intensifies, many parts of the world are facing severe water shortages, with some areas even approaching "Day Zero" scenarios where the water supply is nearly depleted. This issue varies widely depending on historical, political, and community contexts, affecting how different societies manage and respond to water scarcity. Despite the importance of this problem, we still have much to learn about how different communities and governing bodies perceive and tackle these challenges. This project aims to fill that gap by studying water scarcity across three cases with distinct development contexts and systems of governance (e.g. USA, South Africa, Kenya, Colombia, Mexico, Nepal, India). We aim to understand how different regions manage water risks and how provisioning systems and everyday practices are evolving in response.
Our study combines risk governance with social practice theories to explore how communities and institutions respond to water scarcity over time. By examining past, present, and future practices, we aim to uncover the meanings, arrangements, and actions that shape how societies deal with water shortages. This research will provide valuable insights into how different regions handle water scarcity, helping to identify challenges and potential solutions.
As a PhD candidate, you will conduct fieldwork across three sites that are facing the risk of water scarcity and running out of water supplies.
Please note there is scope for choosing the specific case study sites based on research gaps in collaboration with the supervisors during the first year of the PhD.
- Reviewing scientific literature and policy documents, including a large-scale inventory of cases;
- Advancing conceptual thinking by linking risk governance and social practice theory;
- Travelling for fieldwork to selected case studies;
- Conducting stakeholder mapping, interviews, and surveys on risk perceptions, practices, and responses;
- Examining how water risk governance practices are evolving across selected case studies and conducting comparative social scientific analysis of factors influencing this;
- Working at the science-policy interface, including convening workshops;
- Working in a dedicated team of social and environmental scientists;
- Producing 3-4 academic publications and a PhD thesis.