PhD position just transitions to climate-resilient agriculture in India (0.8 - 1.0 FTE)

The Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development at Utrecht University is offering a fully financed 4-year PhD position on just transitions to climate-resilient agriculture. We are looking for an enthusiastic and highly motivated PhD candidate with a background in Science and Technology Studies (STS), Innovation Studies, Anthropology, Rural Sociology or a related field.

You will contribute to the international project “Adaptive Rice Cultivation for a Changing ClimatE (Ad-RiCCE)”, funded jointly by NWO (Dutch Research Council) and DBT (the Indian Department of Biotechnology). Climate change will decrease the availability of water for cultivating rice – the most important food crop in the world. The overall aim of the project is to develop and disseminate rice varieties and cultivation practices in India that require less water.

In your project, you will study societal implications of climate-resilient agriculture in resource-poor environments in India. For example you will study how the introduction of water saving rice varieties affects institutions that ensure access to scarce resources and vice versa.

The objective is to understand how we can transition to climate-resilient agriculture in a fair and just way.  You will primarily use qualitative methods and conduct fieldwork in India, especially in the Kaveri river region, where water saved by farmers upriver may affect water availability for farmers downriver. You will work together with partners from UAS Bangalore, India, as well as with researchers at Wageningen University, the Netherlands, to achieve the overall project objective.

We invite applications from ambitious candidates with a relevant background and a passion for sustainable agriculture, equality, and development.

• You have a (Research) Master's degree in Science and Technology Studies, Innovation Studies, Anthropology, Rural Sociology or a related discipline.
• You have affinity with agricultural innovation and/or water management.
• You are interested in the intersection between sustainability, agriculture, and inequality.
• You have excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
• You can work in a self-propelled manner and are excited about working in interdisciplinary and international teams.
• You have experience with qualitative research methods.
• You have experience with conducting fieldwork independently, preferably in India. 

You will be offered a temporary position (0.8 - 1.0 FTE), initially for one year with an extension to a total of four years upon a successful assessment in the first year, and with the specific intent that it results in a doctorate within this period. The gross salary ranges between €2,443 in the first year and €3,111 in the fourth year of employment (scale P 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 an attractive retirement scheme, (partly paid) parental leave 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 various disciplines collaborate intensively on major societal themes. Utrecht University's sustainability research 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.

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 Copernicus Institute is part of the Faculty of Geosciences. The Copernicus Institute has been evaluated in a 2014 international review as the highest ranked research institute in environmental sciences in the Netherlands. Since then, the institute has intensified its efforts in maintaining its leading position, among other things by investing in several new international faculty arrangements and by developing new, internationally oriented teaching programmes.

Everyone deserves to feel at home at our university. We welcome employees with a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives. To apply, please send your curriculum vitae, including a letter of motivation, via the ‘apply’ button below. Please include the following in your application:

• a motivation letter explaining your interest and suitability for the position;
• a curriculum vitae (CV), including your Master’s thesis grade and the overall grade point average (or equivalent) of your Bachelor's and Master’s degree;
• the names and contact details of two references.

The project is expected to start between 1 May and 1 August 2022.

Acquisition in response to this vacancy is not appreciated.