Utrecht University has opened one new faculty position at Assistant Professor level (tenure track) in the field of environmental and sustainability governance. Successful candidates for this Assistant Professorship are expected to bring broad expertise (as evidenced by key publications and/or successful acquisition activities) on the main themes of our governance research programme, notably on different modes of governance (institutional design and effectiveness); on the normative foundations of governance (such as social justice and democratic legitimacy); and on the governance of societal transformations. The new Assistant Professor will undertake cutting-edge research on the global, regional or local level of environmental and earth system governance and develop competitive research proposals in the field. Empirically, the successful candidate will have strong affinity with governance challenges in fields such as climate change mitigation and adaptation, sustainable production, biodiversity conservation, water management or sustainable urban development. However, there is no specific empirical field or governance level linked to this recruitment. In addition, our research programme supports in all of its activities a transformative vision of change, expecting faculty members to engage in fresh thinking that goes beyond existing political institutions and governance systems, which have failed so far to address the fundamental sustainability challenges of our time.

The new Assistant Professor will teach in the newly developed BSc in Global Sustainability Science and the internationally leading MSc in Sustainable Development. In addition, the successful candidate will be expected to supervise Bachelor's and Master's thesis projects, to act as daily supervisor of doctoral students, and to contribute to the acquisition and execution of externally funded projects.

All teaching and supervision will be in English, which is also the working language of our research group and institute.

The successful candidate will:

• hold a doctoral degree (PhD) in Environmental Studies, Environmental Sciences, Sustainability Science, Political Science, Public Administration, Sociology, International Relations or a related social science discipline;
• have experience with and talent for academic teaching;
• have a strong record of international peer-reviewed publications or a promising pipeline of papers;
• have experience in successfully acquiring and carrying out externally funded projects or have good prospects in doing so;
• be well connected to relevant academic partners as well as stakeholders in society;
• have excellent communication skills, be good in interpersonal relationships and a team player;
• have affinity with working in an interdisciplinary research and teaching environment;
• have affinity with public outreach, working with societal stakeholders and transdisciplinary research.

For the tenure track we offer a temporary position (1.0 FTE) for six years in combination with a 4-year tenure track qualification programme. Your performance will be subject to annual evaluations as well as an end-term evaluation after 3.5 years. Following a positive evaluation - based on the faculty performance indicators - your employment will become permanent after four years, or sooner depending on the moment you qualify. In case the 3.5-year evaluation is not satisfactory, the contract will be terminated. A continuation after the first four years is exclusively possible for the purpose of compensation of maternity or parental leave or other recognized delays. Further career development to Associate Professor (level 2) is possible, depending on qualification. The gross salary - depending on previous qualifications and experience  - ranges between €3,746 and €5,127 (scale 11 according to the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities) per month for a full-time employment. Salaries are supplemented with a holiday bonus of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3% per year. In addition, Utrecht University offers excellent secondary conditions, including the choice for a good balance between work and private (a good arrangement for leave, among other things), possibilities for development and an excellent pension scheme and flexible employment conditions (multiple choice model). More information about working at Utrecht University can be found here.

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 societal themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Sustainability.

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 new Assistant Professorship in governance studies will be affiliated with the Environmental Governance group, one of the four sections of the university’s Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development. The Environmental Governance group is a dynamic, ambitious and internationally leading team of more than 50 Researchers with a focus on both fundamental and policy-oriented research of governance processes, from local to global levels. In the last two years, the Environmental Governance group has won four prestigious ERC grants and two NWO-VIDI grants, among other recognitions. The group is also involved in various important European research projects.  The Copernicus Institute has been evaluated in the last international review as the highest ranked research institute in environmental and sustainability sciences in the Netherlands. Since then, the institute has intensified its efforts in maintaining its leading position, among others by investing in numerous new international faculty appointments and by developing new, internationally oriented teaching programmes. 
Our university is committed to a strategic orientation on four overarching themes, which include “Pathways to Sustainability” and “Institutions for Open Societies”. The Assistant Professor we are hiring will be able to develop his/her career at the interface of these main strategic themes of the university, opening up numerous opportunities for university-wide interaction and support.
Utrecht University has been ranked in the 2020 Academic Ranking of World Universities as the best university in the Netherlands and worldwide as the third-best university in the field of Geography. Utrecht University’s sustainability research in the field of climate change and ecosystems has the greatest citation impact worldwide according to a study conducted by Times Higher Education (2016). 
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 liveable cities in the Netherlands.