PhD position in Orchestrating values in transitions in regional ecosystems

Are you passionate about understanding how national missions to advance sustainability transitions gain a foothold in regional ecosystems? Do you want to study how intermediary organizations make sure that values inherent to these missions become aligned? And are you interested in helping these organizations to make their work more productive? Then this opportunity at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development is for you.

Your job
Making societies more sustainable requires a variety of national, regional and local actors to work together on various domains including energy and health. These various stakeholders act based on the values they hold. This project aims to study how value alignment takes place across governance levels and domains. How are different values understood and translated into regional contexts? And how do different regional-level, intermediary actors deal with value interactions and alignment? And how do these value alignments lead to better transition policies?

In this project, you will take an empirical approach to investigate value alignment in the built environment, which represents a field where various governance levels (local-regional-national) and their missions as well as various domains (energy-health-mobility) come together. The study will be conducted in close collaboration with societal stakeholders, ranging from policy actors (ministries, provinces) and intermediaries (e.g. network organizations). Using interviews, workshops and observations, you will uncover how they deal with multitudes of (evolving) national/regional strategies and with different transitions and underlying values.

As a PhD candidate you will become embedded in a larger project on accelerating multiple transitions in the built environment by aligning values, and collaborate with a wide range of interesting stakeholders, specifically in the field of the built environment. You will also be involved in exciting scientific communities on innovation and technology assessment.

The project will be supervised by Dr Matthijs Janssen and Prof Wouter Boon.

You are a motivated and goal-oriented researcher who would like to work in an interdisciplinary research environment. Specifically, you bring the following:

• You have a successfully completed Master’s degree. Relevant disciplines include (but are not limited to) science and technology studies (STS), transition studies, innovation studies, and philosophy of science and technology;
• You are interested in value articulation and alignment in transitions, specifically in the field of the built environment;
• You have an affinity with in-depth social research and innovative methodologies with a mixed-methods or qualitative focus;
• You have an affinity and experience with public engagement and communication of scientific research;
• You enjoy working in an interdisciplinary team, and can showcase a critical attitude, intellectual independence, and good organizational skills;
• You are interested in and preferably have experience with collaborating with societal partners as part the research project. For this, Dutch language proficiency is a plus;
• You have excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.

We offer:

• a temporary position (0.8 - 1.0 FTE), initially 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 gross monthly salary between € 3.059 and €3.881 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 also offers a range of its own schemes for employees. This includes arrangements for professional development, various types of leave, and options for sports and cultural activities. You can also tailor your employment conditions through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, we encourage you to keep investing in your personal and professional development. 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 of Sustainable Development is part of the Faculty of Geosciences. The institute investigates and develops processes and opportunities for innovative change towards sustainability.

The city of Utrecht is one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands, with a charming old centre and an internationally oriented culture that is strongly influenced by its century-old university. Utrecht has been consistently ranked as one of the most livable cities in the Netherlands.

For more information about this position, please contact Prof Wouter Boon at w.p.c.boon@uu.nl.

Candidates for this vacancy will be recruited by Utrecht University.