PhD Position: Transforming Governance through Non-Human Animal Representation

PhD Position: Transforming Governance through Non-Human Animal Representation

While attention to animal health, welfare and rights is growing, little is known on how non-human animals can be represented in decision-making processes. Do you want to contribute to developing post-human democratic practices, and enhance our understanding of how to represent non-human animals? Then you have a part to play as a PhD candidate!

The Chair Group of Environmental Governance and Politics (EGP) at the Nijmegen School of Management, Radboud University, is looking for a PhD candidate. You will be part of an international transdisciplinary network called Animals in the Room. Animals in the Room develops and tests new models of representation – challenging the barriers that prevent humans from recognising the intelligence, agency and interests of non-human life. As part of this network, you will experiment with approaches to represent non-human animals in decision-making processes. Case studies can include wolves, bears and ocean-related issues such as corals, fisheries, aquaculture or the deep sea.

The PhD project will focus on how to govern these new models of representation – in other words how to design the ‘rooms’ and which dynamics of the rooms make decisions and policy better and equitable. The research will include comparative analyses, with a focus on power dynamics and agency. The research will be positioned in animal welfare and rights, environmental justice, environmental and transformative governance, and political philosophy debates. We are looking for a colleague who is passionate about non-human animal and sustainability issues – a researcher who wants to make a difference. We are looking for someone with the ability to make connections across disciplines and among a variety of societal actors.

Your teaching load may be up to 5% of your working time.

Profile

• You have a Master's degree in a relevant social science field (e.g. political science, environmental studies), the humanities, or an interdisciplinary degree (e.g. combining the social and natural sciences).
• You have experience with both quantitative and qualitative research methods.
• You have excellent coordination and organisation skills.
• You have excellent English language and academic writing skills.
• You are a team player.
• You preferably have a working knowledge of multiple languages is preferred.

We offer

• We will give you a temporary employment contract (1.0 FTE) of 1.5 years, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, your contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4-year contract).
• You will receive a starting salary of €2,901 gross per month based on a 38-hour working week, which will increase to €3,707 in the fourth year.
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus.
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20.

Additional employment conditions

Work and science require good employment practices. Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions reflect this. You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself. For example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports membership. In addition, you receive a 34% discount on the sports and cultural activities at Radboud University as an employee. And, of course, we offer a good pension plan. We also give you plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.

We are

The EGP chair group is part of the Geography, Planning and Environment Department, and is a growing, inclusive and collaborative social science team of engaged researchers who aim to critically reflect on and contribute to just and equitable sustainability transformations. We develop useful insights into the why and how of such processes, which can serve to enable, accelerate, deepen and broaden the transformation towards a global sustainable and just society. To this end, we engage in research, teaching and collaboration with societal partners. We are specialised in such fields as agriculture, animal, biodiversity, circular economy, climate change, energy, ocean, and freshwater governance. We focus on transdisciplinary research, incorporate futures studies, and mostly apply qualitative methods and comparative analyses. Theoretically, we mainly use discursive, institutional and practice-based perspectives.

Nijmegen School of Management
At Nijmegen School of Management, one of the seven faculties within Radboud University in the Netherlands, we have a clear aim: we enable students, institutions and companies, social actors, and governments to play their part in the transformations towards a sustainable society through high-quality scientific research and education. With more than 4,500 curious students and more than 450 dedicated employees, we form a dynamic community. Our mission ‘Responsible governance for sustainable societies’ is driven by the ambition to make a difference in the world. At Nijmegen School of Management, we understand management as a broad concept referring to the collective and organised pursuit (responsible governance) of a better world (sustainable societies). We study and teach management at the level of public and private organisations. In this context, we examine how to balance economic, ecological, and social values in a sustainable way. This aim is in line with Radboud University's mission to contribute through teaching and research to a ‘free, healthy world with equal opportunities for all’. At Nijmegen School of Management, academic research and teaching are carried out in following areas: Business Administration, Economics and Business Economics, Political Science, Public Administration, Human Geography, Spatial Planning, and Environment. Our approach to teaching and research is evolving from multidisciplinarity, where we study societal challenges from different disciplinary backgrounds, to interdisciplinarity (integrating disciplinary perspectives for synergy) and transdisciplinarity (involving non-academic stakeholders). The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an important source of inspiration for our work. Our work focuses on the themes Social economy, Resilient society and Sustainable environment. At Nijmegen School of Management, we have our eyes on the world of the future, in which sustainability and responsibility are central values. Together we are creating a better world for everyone. Radboud University
At Radboud University, we aim to make an impact through our work. We achieve this by conducting groundbreaking research, providing high-quality education, offering excellent support, and fostering collaborations within and outside the university. In doing so, we contribute indispensably to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. To accomplish this, we need even more colleagues who, based on their expertise, are willing to search for answers. We advocate for an inclusive community and welcome employees with diverse backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives. Will you also contribute to making the world a little better? You have a part to play.

ingrid.visseren [at] ru.nl