PhD: Socio-economic and policy impacts and responses to salinity

Are you interested in the socio-economic impacts of soil salinization in Europe? Keen to explore its governance landscape and farmers’ willingness to adapt? Then apply for our PhD position.

Your function

In this PhD, you will examine the socio-economic, behavioural, and governance dimensions of soil salinization in Europe, combining quantitative analysis with stakeholder engagement and policy evaluation. You will assess the direct and indirect economic impacts of salinization across vulnerable regions and future climate scenarios. Your research will map multilevel governance structures and you will co-create mitigation strategies through participatory workshops. You will model farmers’ adaptation behaviour using agent-based simulations that integrate physical and social drivers. Finally, you will evaluate financial and institutional support mechanisms and develop policy pathways to strengthen resilience to salinization.

Your duties

• You actively contribute to the Salinova consortium community through participation in and organization of stakeholder workshops, socio-economic and policy analysis, and writing policy briefs.
• You write a doctoral thesis that complies with the VU Doctorate Regulations and IVM guidelines.
• You engage with societal partners, e.g. by supporting collaborative knowledge exchange as well as educational and dissemination activities.
• You present your research in academic and societal context (e.g. conferences, exhibitions, workshops, community gatherings) and publish at least three peer-reviewed article or book chapter, and contribute to other writing projects as required.
• Due to the collaborative nature of the project, regular physical presence is expected.

Your profile

• You hold a relevant second-cycle degree (MSc or equivalent) from a university, specialising in environmental policy or governance.
• You can work independently and collaboratively in an interdisciplinary and intercultural research environment, including fieldwork.
• You are familiar with social science methods such as interviews, surveys, meta-analyses, and cost-benefit analysis.
• You have some experience with a coding language, such as R or Python.
• You are enthusiastic about communicating research to academic and non-academic audiences.
• You have excellent writing and speaking skills in English.
• It is an advantage if you speak Dutch.

We realise that each individual brings a unique set of skills, expertise and mindset. Therefore we are happy to invite anyone who recognises themselves in the profile to apply, even if you do not (fully) meet all the requirements.

What do we offer?

An interesting position in a socially engaged organisation. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable.

About us

Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM)

IVM is a leading environmental research institute that is internationally recognised for its high-quality research output in a range of environmental disciplines, as well as for its interdisciplinary work. A unique strength of our research is to understand sustainability problems in their social and economic context. IVM’s research community works within four departments: Environmental Economics; Environmental Geography, Environmental Policy Analysis; and Water and Climate Risk. IVM is part of the Faculty of Science at VU Amsterdam (legal name Stichting VU).

The department of Environmental Policy Analysis (EPA) at IVM is a team of more than 25 researchers that was evaluated in the most recent international research quality review as “world leading” and as being “one of the highest profile academic research groups involved with sustainability governance from around the world”. We address questions related to institutional effectiveness and change, governance innovation and complexity as well as learning and adaptation. Empirically, we have a strong focus on water, climate change and biodiversity.

Faculty of Science

Working at the Faculty of Science means collaborating with students, lecturers and researchers who are focused on their field, yet have a broad view of the world. We are proud of a positive and inclusive workplace culture within the faculty, where we work together with great energy and a pragmatic attitude to tackle social challenges.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam stands for values-driven education and research. We are open-minded experts with the ability to think freely - a broader mind. Maintaining an entrepreneurial perspective and concentrating on diversity, significance and humanity, we work on sustainable solutions with social impact. Together we create a safe and respectful working and study climate, and an inspiring environment for education and research.