PhD Position on Resilient Landscapes and the Values of Restoration

Are you passionate about researching how nature restoration can strengthen resilience, and human wellbeing across landscapes and time? Apply now for this PhD position at the Institute for Environmental Studies (VU).

PhD position in spatial modelling of nature restoration impacts

Existing land-use and socio-economic simulation models to inform land use planning and policy still inadequately capture many of the benefits of nature restoration, especially those that emerge through spatial and temporal feedbacks between biophysical and socio-economic processes. As a result, restoration of nature is often undervalued, and its wider societal benefits remain insufficiently visible in policy and decision-making.

In this PhD, you will contribute to a new generation of spatially explicit models and assessments that capture these feedbacks across spatial and temporal scales. The research will take a multi-scale approach from case-study level to the European scale to assess how restoration changes ecological and socio-economic dynamics in specific landscapes over time, and use these insights to improve regional- and EU-level modelling of restoration impacts. A central focus of the PhD is understanding the societal demand for ecosystem services and the assessment of restoration benefits through human wellbeing, health, livelihoods, and plural valuation perspectives. In doing so, the PhD will help bridge fine-grained spatial processes and behaviour at local level with broader assessments of land use, ecosystem services, and socio-economic outcomes across Europe.

This research is part of the Horizon Europe project NatuRISE. NatuRISE develops new EU- and local-scale modelling approaches to capture the full socio-economic and ecological benefits and costs of nature restoration. The project is coordinated at VU Amsterdam and brings together 17 partners from institutes across Europe. The work will be carried out at the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), in close collaboration with consortium partners across disciplines.

The PhD position focuses on:

• developing and testing approaches to assess ecosystem services and their plural values across spatial and temporal scales
• quantifying how the proximity, accessibility, and characteristics of restored nature affect human wellbeing and physical and mental health, and translating these relationships into spatially explicit indicators
• integrating plural valuation, wellbeing, health, ecosystem-service, and land-system indicators into dynamic spatial assessments of freshwater restoration, including ecological–societal feedbacks over time
• assessing the distribution of restoration benefits, costs, and trade-offs across places and stakeholder groups, and translating these insights into regional- and EU-level scenario analysis

Your duties

• you develop and apply approaches to assess ecosystem services and their plural values across spatial and temporal scales, from case-study to European level
• you assess how restoration benefits and costs are experienced, valued, and distributed across places, sectors, and societal groups
• you contribute to the development of spatially explicit indicators and models of wellbeing, health, and plural values that can be integrated into socio-economic and land-system assessments

Your profile

• you have a master degree in geography, environmental or ecological economics, environmental science, sustainability science or a related field
• you have demonstrable experience with quantitative spatial research approaches and land use change
• you have experience with spatial analysis and data processing, preferably ArcGIS or QGIS
• you have affinity with interdisciplinary research and willingness to engage with both natural and social science perspectives on topics related to ecosystem service values, human well-being and socio-ecological systems
• you have good communication skills in English (spoken and written); Dutch-language is desirable

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?

A challenging position in a socially engaged organisation. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable. So in return for your efforts, we offer you:

• an employment contract of initially 1 year, with the possibility of an extension to a total of 4 years. The dissertation at the end of the fourth year forms the end of the employment contract
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• solid pension scheme (ABP)
• discount on, and occasionally exclusive access to, theater performances and courses at the Griffioen Cultural Center
• contribution to commuting expenses
• holiday leave entitlement

About us

Institute for Environmental Studies

The work will be carried out at the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM). IVM is a leading environmental research institute that is internationally recognized for its high quality research output in a range of environmental disciplines, as well as for its interdisciplinary work. The mission of the institute is to contribute to sustainable development and care for the environment through scientific research and teaching. IVM aims to do excellent problem-oriented research that is useful to a wide range of stakeholders in the Netherlands and internationally. A unique strength of our research is to understand sustainability problems in their social and economic context. IVM research community works within four departments: Environmental Economics; Environmental Policy Analysis; Environmental Geography; and Water and Climate Risk. IVM is part of the Faculty of Science at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. This position is based within the Environmental Geography department in collaboration with the Environmental Economics department. The Environmental Geography department conducts interdisciplinary research on the spatial aspects of environmental and social challenges and the solutions sustainable land use can provide to these.

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. At the Faculty of Science, scientists and students work on fundamental and complex societal issues for a sustainable, healthy and just future.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam stands for values-driven education and research. We are open-minded experts with the ability to think freely. Maintaining an entrepreneurial perspective and concentrating on significance and humanity, we work on sustainable solutions with social impact. By joining forces across the boundaries of disciplines, we work towards a better world for people and planet. Together we create a safe and respectful working and study climate, and an inspiring environment for education and research.

The intended starting date is September 15th, 2026.