Do you want to use your passion for economic development to carry out research on 'Innovative housing programmes for social integration' ? Are you willing to help our researchers find answers for better understanding the impacts of urban housing for migrants in the Netherlands and China? The Development Economics Group is, in cooperation with the Urban Economics Group, looking for a Postdoc researcher.

Wageningen University & Research, together with Utrecht University (The Netherlands), three Chinese universities and societal partners, will carry out a research programme on 'Urban Housing of Migrants in the Netherlands and China'. The aim of the project is to improve the social integration of migrants in China and the Netherlands by obtaining a better understanding of the impacts of social housing programmes and market forces on the urban housing of different migrant groups, and by assessing the impact of innovative social housing programs on the social integration of migrants.
Funding for this project is provided by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). The duration of the appointment is four years from 2020-2024, you will be based in Wageningen.
Your main tasks will be:

1. to examine existing housing policy innovations focusing on social integration of different migrant groups in China and the Netherlands using information provided by other researchers in the project;
2. to interview refugees in different types of social rental dwellings in The Netherlands and draw lessons from their experiences;
3. to organise a randomized controlled trial (RCT) in different types of communities in Shenzhen City (China), in close cooperation with the local government, in order to examine the impact of one or two policy interventions on the social integration of migrants.

In your research, you will closely collaborate with PhD researchers and staff at Nanjing Agricultural University (China) and at the Department of Human Geography at Utrecht University. You are expected to present your research at international conferences and to societal partners in China and The Netherlands.

We are looking for a researcher with the following key qualifications:

• a PhD degree in (development) economics, sociology, human geography or related field;
• research experience with randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and qualitative methods (e.g. in-depth interviews);
• knowledge of, and affinity with, migration and/or housing issues;
• affinity with working in a multidisciplinary group in an international context;
• creativity, being innovative, taking initiatives;
• fluency in written and spoken Dutch is preferable;
• excellent command of written and spoken English (a minimum of CEFR C1 level) and Chinese. For more information about this proficiency level, please visit our special language page.

As Postdoc you will be part of an ambitious team working on a wide range of issues with plenty of scope for initiative. Personal input and responsibility are an integral part of our culture. Depending on your experience, we offer a competitive salary from a minimum of €2.709,- to a maximum of €4274,- for a full working week of 38 hours in accordance with the Collective Labor Agreement Wageningen University (scale 10). This position is for 4 years, starting with a one year contract. In addition, we offer:

• 8% holiday allowance;
• a structural end-of year bonus of 8.3%;
• excellent training opportunities and secondary employment conditions;
• flexible working hours that we determine together in good consultation;
• excellent pension plan through ABP;
• 232 vacation hours, the option to purchase extra and good supplementary leave schemes, e.g. the possibility to work a maximum of 2 hours per week extra for extra leave;
• a flexible model to put together part of your employment conditions yourself, such as a bicycle plan;
• a lively workplace on the Wageningen Campus;
• make use of the sports facilities on campus for a small fee.

Wageningen University & Research stimulates internal career opportunities and mobility with our internal recruitment policy. There are ample opportunities for personal initiative in a learning environment. With us you get a versatile job in an international environment with a pleasant and open working atmosphere, with students and staff from over 100 countries around the world.

You are going to work at the greenest and most innovative campus in Holland, and at a university that has been chosen as the "Best University" in the Netherlands for the 15th consecutive time.

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, 6.500 employees, and 12.000 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. We have been named Best Employer in Education category 2019-2020.

The vision of the Development Economics Group (DEC) is to become a leading group in the domain of development economics - one of the intellectual centres of our field within Europe. We collaborate with strong academic and societal partners (NGOs, governmental organisations) to study how to reduce poverty, and promote economic growth and food and nutrition security in developing countries.
Our mission is to contribute to an improved understanding of processes of economic growth, sustainable development and poverty alleviation. Together with our partners we design and implement innovative and relevant research, share and discuss our findings, and train new generations of researchers and practitioners. In terms of content, we focus on the complex inter-relationships between economic development and institutional change.

Click here for more information about working at Wageningen University & Research. More information about Wageningen Campus you can find here.

We do the recruiting for this vacancy ourselves. Please do not contact us for sales purposes.