To make the Dutch water systems climate robust and able to deal with future droughts and floods, we need to make significant changes in the water system. These changes have to be made both in the physical water system and in the water governance system. Achieving this water transition requires coordination, dialogue and making hard decisions.

Your job
In this postdoc position, you will be at the forefront of discussions with Dutch practitioners who are currently working on the transformation of the water system in the Netherlands. You will specifically contribute to integrating knowledge from different domains (the physical system and the governance system) in a holistic approach of developing visual storylines that contribute to collaborative learning of the stakeholders involved. The storylines can be seen as joint imaginaries resulting from stakeholder discussions, informed by the analysis of the physical- and governance systems. The central aim of this position is to investigate how to combine the knowledge of different disciplines in an integrated spatial perspective on climate-robust water systems, and to propose methodologies that support stakeholder engagement and policy interventions (e.g., maps, narratives, digital knowledge technologies, etc.). The main tasks include:

1. developing tailored storylines at different stages of the project;
2. developing roundtable protocols that support inconvenient dialogues among stakeholders;
3. articulating desired and possible future visions within the living labs; and
4. visualising WaterScape storylines (through e.g. digital/GIS-based planning support tools).

As part of the NWO-KIC WaterScape project you will work in a larger team with PhDs and researchers who are based at different universities within the Netherlands. You will also interact with stakeholders and our other partners who will use your results for their future policy making, with the goal to create a more climate-robust water system in the Netherlands.

We look forward to your application if you have the following qualifications:

• a PhD degree in spatial planning, human geography, governance, public administration, or a closely related social scientific discipline;
• experience with qualitative stakeholder research (in-depth interviews, focus groups, participatory observation, game-like interactions, etc.);
• knowledge of innovative planning methodologies (scenario approaches, futuring-, visual- or narrative approaches, etc.);
• a strong interest in interdisciplinary scientific challenges and interactions, in this case related to water from a physical/hydrological and governance/legal perspective;
• knowledge of the Dutch water- and planning/governance system and having collaborations with stakeholders in the Netherlands;
• experience in conducting academic research leading to high-quality publications;
• good at working in a team;
• fluent in Dutch (to allow for stakeholder engagement in the Dutch professional context) and excellent English skills.

We offer:

• a position for three years;
• a working week of 38 hours and a monthly salary between €3,378 and €5,331 in the case of full-time employment (salary scale 10 under the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU));
• 8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible terms of employment based on the CAO NU.

In addition to the terms of employment laid down in the CAO NU, Utrecht University has a number of schemes and facilities of its own for employees. This includes schemes facilitating professional development, leave schemes and schemes for sports and cultural activities, as well as discounts on software and other IT products. We also offer access to additional employee benefits through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, we encourage our employees to continue to invest in their growth. For more information, please visit Working at Utrecht University.

Universiteit Utrecht

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 strategic themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Pathways to Sustainability. Sharing science, shaping tomorrow.

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 Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning investigates sustainability challenges in the context of an ongoing worldwide trend of increasing urbanisation. The department’s ‘Urban Futures’ research programme focusses on urban inequalities, geographies of digital transitions, and urban environmental change. It develops novel theoretical and empirical approaches that are not solely at the forefront of academic debates but also create new perspectives on successful policies and interventions to address urban challenges. Unique characteristics of the department are a special team focusing on innovations within teaching methods, its strong involvement in the transdisciplinary sustainability research theme and professional consultancy for public partners.

The NWO-KIC WaterScape project aims to supports a transition to climate robust landscapes, by developing innovative storylines for waterscapes. Waterscapes are climate robust and adaptive water systems at landscape scale. WaterScape will enable waterscapes by treating governance and physical design as equally important parts of the required water transition and, hence, storylines. As part of the storylines, WaterScape will develop transformation pathways for both the physical and the water governance system, that are based on rethinking climate impacts, desired future scenarios and existing system functions, organising inconvenient dialogues with stakeholders, and exploring required changes within the governance context.

For more information, please contact Dr Patrick Witte (associate professor, supervisor of the postdoc position) at p.a.witte@uu.nl or Dr Ir. Niko Wanders (associate professor, project leader of WaterScape), at n.wanders@uu.nl.

Candidates for this vacancy will be recruited by Utrecht University.