Are you interested in participatory greening and health? Do you want to be part of a multi-disciplinary team involved in investigating how greening the living environment can stimulate contact with and use of the urban green infrastructure by especially more vulnerable citizens? And how that might improve their health and well-being and at the same time reduce socioeconomic health disparities?

The Chair-group Health and Society (HSO) coordinates the ZonMw-project "PARTIGAN: participatory greening of Arnhem en Nijmegen". This three year project is executed by a consortium of renowned research organisations (Wageningen University & Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Radboud University), the cities of Arnhem and Nijmegen, nature, landscape and societal organisations, citizens with low SES and green citizen initiatives. Within the consortium, there is expertise in the fields of nature-health interactions, participation of citizens with low SES, landscape architecture, health promotion, diversity and participatory action research. The project is carried out in Arnhem en Nijmegen, two cities that are already working on citizen participation and on incorporating the green environment in health and environmental policies. Activities of the 3 year Postdoc position include (1) Assess use and appreciation of parks in Arnhem and Nijmegen (2) Sharing and analyzing experiences of citizen initiatives in Arnhem and Nijmegen on greening (3) Redesigning and greening of neighbourhoods and monitoring health and wellbeing of the citizens.

The post-doc will work closely together with the coordination team and the consortium. Tasks include:

• Design of the monitoring and evaluation tools
• Data collection through mixed methods
• Analysis of data, data integration and reporting of the data
• Further development of the project's theoretical rationale
• Participation in consortium meetings and conferences;
• Internal and external project communication through reports, scientific publications, newsletters and conference contributions
• Participation in HSO-education through supervision of Bachelor and Master thesis students and providing lectures, both related to the PARTIGAN project

• A completed PhD in the social sciences with focus on nature and health OR a PhD in social geography with focus on social aspects of health
• Eagerness to contribute to health-related issues and the urban environment
• Skilled in mixed methods research
• A passion for bridging scientific and professional practices through interdisciplinary efforts
• A clear and concise writing style
• Excellent knowledge of Dutch, in reading & writing, but also orally
• Good communication and collaboration skills

CAO WU
A challenging position of 0.75 fte (28.5 hours) for 3 years with, depending on your experience, a competitive salary from a minimum of € 3.255 to a maximum of € 3.637 for a full working week of 38 hours in accordance with the Collective Labor Agreement Dutch Universities (scale 10).

In addition, we offer:

• 8% holiday allowance;
• a structural year-end bonus of 8.3%;
• excellent training opportunities and secondary employment conditions;
• flexible working hours and holidays can possibly be determined in consultation so that an optimal balance between work and private life is possible;
• excellent pension plan through ABP;
• 232 vacation hours (on fulltime basis), the option to purchase extra and good supplementary leave schemes;
• a flexible working time: the possibility to work a maximum of 2 hours per week extra and thereby to build up extra leave;
• a choice model to put together part of your employment conditions yourself, such as a bicycle plan;
• a lively workplace where you can easily make contacts and where many activities take place on the Wageningen Campus. A place where education, research and business are represented;
• use the sports facilities on campus

Wageningen University & Research stimulates internal career opportunities and mobility with an internal recruitment policy. There are ample opportunities for own initiative in a learning environment.

We offer a versatile job in an international environment with varied activities in a pleasant and open working atmosphere.

Wageningen University & Research

The mission of our University is to explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life. Within Wageningen University & Research, nine specialised research institutes from the Wageningen Research Foundation and Wageningen University have joined forces to help answer the most important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment. With approximately 30 locations, 5,000 employees, and 10,000 students, it is one of the leading organisations in its domain worldwide. An integrated approach to problems and the cooperation between various disciplines are at the heart of the unique approach of Wageningen.

HSO
The Health and Society Group is part of the Center for Space, Place and Society of the department of Social Sciences of Wageningen University and is a dynamic and quickly growing group, both in terms of research and teaching. Our mission is to advance the understanding of factors, processes and mechanisms that underlie the development of health and well-being during the life course. We are particularly interested in health development as a function of the interaction between people and their socio-ecological context. We apply a combination of research methods and techniques: quantitative research, qualitative research, mixed methodology, and both traditional and (participatory) action research.

Equal opportunities employer
We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age.