Your job
Are you keen to contribute to prosperous rural-urban interactions in Dutch regions that deal with future challenges? Would you like to develop theoretical insights and inspirational, integrated long term designs that are supported by sound analyses, thoroughly tested and are co-created with societal stakeholders? Then you could be the ideal PhD candidate to join our team!
In the Fertile Soils-project, we are hiring a PhD candidate for a 4-year PhD trajectory that aims to develop a theoretical and methodological basis for defining the new concept of landscape services in regional spatial design. In Fertile Soils, we see a potential that multiple spatial challenges in urban and rural areas can be addressed simultaneously through exchange of landscape services between rural and urban areas. To fulfil this potential, spatial planning and design has to account for the spatio-temporal dynamics of landscape services: when and where services are predominantly produced and are predominantly consumed. Moreover, a multifunctional spatial organization of the landscape is needed that minimizes trade-offs and maximizes synergies between landscape services.
In this PhD project you will develop this innovative theory and combine spatial analysis with a Research Through Design approach. You first explore promising synergies in landscape services provision and analyse how to optimally align this with the demand for these services across the urban-rural region. In doing so, you will contribute to theory development and methods in support of designing with landscape services. You will subsequently design inspiring, transformative long-term designs (2100) for the metropolitan region Amsterdam and further specify the pathways towards these visions with spatial strategies on the middle-long-term (2035-2055). You will work in the Fertile Soils project with 9 other PhDs, and collaborate with stakeholders in the region as well as designers and experts from practice to ensure that the research is not only theoretically sound, but also relevant and applicable.
Your duties and responsibilities include:
Develop theory on spatio-temporal synergies and trade-offs of landscape services in the context of urban-rural interactions that can be translated into design principles;Contributing to innovative, evidence-based landscape analysis that supports spatial planning and design aimed at fruitful urban-rural interactions;Designing a long term vision and accompanying middle-long term spatial strategies for a rural-urban region in the Netherlands, using a research through design approach;Setting up and carrying out the above-mentioned research, resulting in, among other things, a PhD dissertation containing at least three international scientific publications, which will be defended in public;Presenting the research and intermediate research results in the Netherlands and at international scientific conferences;Actively participating and contributing to the PhD community of Fertile Soils and the Landscape Architecture and Spatial Planning cluster.You will work here
The research is embedded within the Landscape Architecture Chair Group, part of the cluster . You will be supervised by dr. ir. Ilse Voskamp, dr. ir. Dirk Oudes and prof. dr. Sanda Lenzholzer. Depending on the phase of the project you will also be working in the regions and at the office of project partner Arcadis, Amersfoort.Your qualities
You are:
An enthusiastic researcher who is creative, independent, perseverant and intrinsically motivated to address societal challenges;An environmental designer with proven ability to design integrated and systemic solutions for key landscape challenges on the regional and local scale;You have: Knowledge of the Dutch landscape, including physical and social landscape processes, and pressing environmental challenges in rural and urban areas in the Netherlands;A proven ability in evidence-based landscape analysis (including visual representations) on the regional scale and preferably experience with GIS to support such analyses;A keen interest in the development of methods and/or theory for research through design and innovative, long-term (2100) spatial visions;Preferably experience in working in collaborative design processes, or in trans-disciplinary settings with scientists from various disciplines as well as societal stakeholders;Strong organizational and communication skills, both oral and written;A completed MSc degree in landscape architecture or a related Environmental Design field such as landscape urbanism or urban design.For this position your command of the Dutch language is expected to be at B1 level and of the English language on C1 level. Additional information on required English language proficiency is available ;We offer you
Wageningen University & Research offers excellent . A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:
Partially paid parental leave;working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;there is a strong focus on vitality and you can make use of the sports facilities available on campus for a small fee;a fixed year-end bonus of 8.3%;excellent pension scheme.In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will receive a fully funded PhD position and you will be offered a course program tailored to your needs and the research team.
The gross salary for the first year is 3.059,- per month rising to 3.881,- in the fourth year in according to the (scale P). This is based on a full-time working week of 38 hours. We offer a temporary contract for 18 months which will be extended for the duration of the project if you perform well.
Wageningen University & Research offers plenty of opportunities for growth and development, with a strong internal recruitment policy and excellent training programmes.
You will work on the greenest and most innovative campus in the Netherlands, in an international and open working environment. For 20 consecutive years, we have been voted the "" in the Netherlands! A place to be proud of.
Coming from abroad
Wageningen University & Research is the university and research centre for life sciences. The themes we deal with are relevant to everyone around the world and Wageningen, therefore, has a large international community and a lot to offer to international employees.
Because we expect you to work and live in the Netherlands our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family.
Feeling welcome also has everything to do with being well informed. We can assist you with any additional advice and about for example helping your partner to find a job, housing, or schooling. Finally, certain categories of international staff may be eligible for a tax exemption on a part of their salary during the first five years in the Netherlands.