Postdoc: Integrated Spatial Perspective on Climate-Robust Water Systems

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:

• developing tailored storylines at different stages of the project;
• developing roundtable protocols that support inconvenient dialogues among stakeholders;
• articulating desired and possible future visions within the living labs; and
• 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.Your qualities

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.

Our offer

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.