PhD Position JUST FUTURES: ReStor(y)ing (Un)just Land-Water Relationships Through Art-activism

You will develop a ‘rurban’ lens that examines past, present, and future rural-urban (dis)connections in the context of different cases of land-water relationships, including areas with recent (Twente region) and longer (Aruba) histories of experiencing water scarcity. By engaging with environmental art-activism, the project will "re-story" land-water relationships and potential rurban futures through the development of situated narratives that bring to the fore different more-than-human voices, including those often marginalised. To this end, you will develop an approach to engage humans and more-than-humans as actors, participants, stake- and knowledge holders (e.g., rivers, animals, microorganisms, fish, future generations, technology), and collaborate with artists and artistic residencies. Moreover, you will explore ways of harnessing the potential of art-activism for climate justice. Within the JUST ART project, collaborations are envisioned with diverse societal and cultural partners to support creative dissemination and public engagement strategies adapted to context. These may include an event (e.g., exhibition, performance, installation) at Rijksmuseum Twente and pop-up events at specific case study locations or in cultural / community centres to connect with local stakeholders, in Twente and Aruba.

While these are the overall objectives for the PhD position, the exact scope of the research is open and can be refined by the PhD candidate together with the supervisory team and in collaboration with the wider JUST ART community. This includes academic partners as well as a network of artists, cultural institutions and societal partners across the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

This PhD position is part of JUST ART. Creating Common Grounds for Climate Justice Through Artistic Research - a six-year project on climate justice and artistic research in the Caribbean and European parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The project is funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) and led by the University of Groningen. It offers 10 fully funded PhD Positions at six universities in collaboration with Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) and four universities of applied sciences. More information and links to all 10 PhD positions: www.justart.info

The complexity and scale of the climate crisis are overwhelming. Artistic practice and artistic research can open up new ways of understanding the intersectional dimensions of this crisis and empower people to act. Bringing together artists, researchers, campaigners and communities in rural and urban regions, JUST ART aims to cultivate diverse strategies of climate justice through artistic research and creative practice.

JUST ART PhD candidates will generate new knowledge and critically assess approaches that integrate scientific insights with artistic research to address climate justice. JUST ART PhDs will study and develop concrete cases to learn how art and artistic research can be embedded in ongoing and emerging work on climate justice. They will enhance expertise and skills to take artistic and art-based transformative action on climate justice and will contribute to theoretical frameworks, common methods, educational toolkits and knowledge sharing platforms in co-creation with project partners.

You demonstrate excellent research skills through an outstanding Master’s thesis related to the PhD topic, can work independently and collaboratively in an interdisciplinary and intercultural research environment and are enthusiastic about communicating research to academic and non-academic audiences.

You will publish at least one peer-reviewed article or book chapter and contribute to other writing projects as required, and present research in academic, artistic, and societal context (e.g., conferences, exhibitions, workshops, community gatherings).

Due to the collaborative nature of the project, your regular physical presence at UT in Enschede is expected, as well as availability to conduct periods of fieldwork in and outside the Netherlands (i.e. Aruba).

Some prior knowledge of climate justice frameworks is desirable, as well as experience with participatory, transdisciplinary and/or art-based research methods is desirable, such as: experimental ethnography and fieldnote practice, participatory action research with bottom-up and art-activist initiatives, multi-sensory arts-based methods to address multi-species agencies, reflexive co-creation methods to address how artistic approaches can support the emergence of new ‘stories’ that re-affirm context specificity and complexity to counter universal narratives.

You have good command of English (Dutch is desirable; knowledge of other languages would be an asset) and good presentation skills (in writing and other formats).

You have or will shortly acquire a Master’s degree in, or including Science and Technology Studies, Sustainability Transitions, Political Ecology, Anthropology, Design, Futures Studies or another relevant field.

As the PhD project is embedded in JUST ART, you are expected to: 1) actively contribute to the JUST ART Consortium community through participation in and organization of workshops with project partners and participate in the JUST ART School’s writing retreats and other activities and 2) actively engage with societal partners (e.g., organise collaborative knowledge exchange as well as educational and dissemination activities).

The PhD position is also affiliated with the RUrban Futures Collective in the TPS Department - an interdisciplinary research platform that takes a critical and creative approach to sustainability transformations by addressing rural-urban relations (e.g., spatial, cultural, political, economic) - and ArtEZ, University of the Arts, Enschede. As a PhD student in the TPS department, you will engage with a team of supervisors including Dr. Corelia Baibarac Duignan, Dr. Steven McGreevy and Prof. Esther Turnhout. You will work in a vibrant environment with diverse research projects and opportunities for collaboration and exchange, and benefit from artistic research expertise provided by ArtEZ.

We encourage high responsibility and independence, while collaborating with colleagues, researchers, other university staff and partners. We follow the terms of employment by the Dutch Collective Labour Agreement for Universities (CAO). Our offer includes: a full-time, 4-year PhD position with a qualifying evaluation in the first year; excellent mentorship in a stimulating research environment with excellent facilities; and a personal development program within the Twente Graduate School. It also includes:

• Gross monthly salary of €3,059 in the first year, increasing each year up to €3,881 in the fourth year;
• Excellent benefits including a holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary, an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%, and a solid pension scheme;
• 29 holidays per year in case of full-time employment;
• A training programme as part of the Twente Graduate School where you and your supervisors will determine a plan for a suitable education and supervision;
• A green campus with free access to sports facilities and an international scientific community;
• A family-friendly institution that offers parental leave (both paid and unpaid);
• A full employee status at the University of Twente (UT), including pension, healthcare benefits, and favourable secondary conditions as outlined in the CAO-NU collective labour agreement for Dutch universities.

You will join the Knowledge, Transformation & Society (KITES) section within the Technology, Policy & Society department. KiTeS is dedicated to analysing and improving the contribution of Knowledge to Transformations in Society to address intersecting societal and environmental challenges, including growing disparities and inequities, climate change, and biodiversity loss. Our group works across diverse disciplines and scholarly fields and draws on critical, historical, participatory, design-oriented, and arts-based methods and approaches. We work in different domains such as science and innovation policy, higher education, and environmental governance and we collaborate closely with policy makers, social movements and grassroots organisations, cultural institutions, scientists and engineers, and business and financial institutions. Guided by values of justice, pluralism, sustainability, and care, our work is aimed at creating spaces for collaboration, critical analysis, reflection, and learning.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our university. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

Please apply by 27 March 2026. The application should include:

• A Curriculum Vitae;
• A cover letter (maximum 2 pages A4), emphasizing your specific interest in the topic, relevance of qualifications, experience, and motivations to apply for this position. In case you apply for more than one JUST ART position, we appreciate you mentioning it;
• A writing sample of 1500 to 5000 words (e.g., published article, thesis chapter, curatorial text).
• If available, please include a short portfolio of artistic work, which may include links to online resources;
• The names and contact details of two references who may be approached by the selection committee (please note we will only do this upon consent and after the first interview round and we do not require reference letters with the application);
• Official copies of relevant diplomas and transcripts of grades.

Please note that there will be two rounds of interviews to be held on the following dates:

• First round (online): 11 and 13 May
• Second round (in person): 26 and 27 May

For the candidates selected for the second round of interviews, we will ask for a research proposal of no more than 500 words explaining how you would approach the PhD project theme, including information on at least one potential case study / collaboration.

The desired start date is 1 September 2026.