Postdoctoral researcher position in spatial food system analysis using regional input-output tables

 

This vacancy is part of the Urban Economics Group (UEC)  at Wageningen University. UEC consists of 15 enthusiastic research staff and PhD students who are dedicated to help solving sustainability challenges at the urban and regional (urban-rural) level. The mission of the Urban Economics group is to contribute to more resilient cities in terms of social equality, economic advantages and environmental quality. Therefore, UEC focusses on two main themes: sustainable consumption and spatial interactions in the global resource system. In food, UEC works on innovative methods to support an optimal interaction between cities and rural areas from an interdisciplinary perspective. An important challenge in this context is the development and analysis of urban and regional food systems in relation to global climate change mitigation and nature conservation.

As a researcher, you will work with urban stakeholders on the collection and generation of relevant databases that allows a high level of detail in spatially explicit food consumption, production and trade patterns. You have experience with quantitative methods, in particular global and regional input-output modeling, and are motivated to develop such models for changing structures in urban food supply (incl. household production, urban food plants, food waste valuation strategies), food trade and distribution (short supply chains, low carbon energy grids, urban distribution hubs) and food consumption (heterogeneity and dietary shifts). You are able to develop and implement environmental and socio-economic extensions at a spatially explicit level and analyse, interpret and report the global footprint impacts of current and future food strategies to a wide range of urban stakeholders. Depending on your experience, you will integrate the quantitative perspective with methods and results from behavioural economics and agent-based approaches. You are able to connect and translate your knowledge questions into interdisciplinary research and project proposals.

We ask

• doctoral degree in regional economics, spatial economics, environmental economics, ecological economics, industrial ecology or related fields with a strong sustainability component;
• experience with regional input-output modelling, preferably also with global Environmentally Extended Multi-Region Input-Output models (e.g. EORA, EXIOBASE);
• computing and analysis skills in big data, for example with R, Matlab, or Python;
• willingness to engage in collaboration across scientific disciplines;
• willingness and ability to cooperate with a wide range of urban food stakeholders;
• strong verbal, written and presentation skills in English;
• proven skills in graphical representation of quantitative results.

We offer

Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:

• sabbatical leave, study leave, and paid parental leave;
• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• the option to accrue additional holiday hours by working more, up to 40 hours per week;
• there is a strong focus on vitality and you can make use of the sports facilities available on campus for a small fee;
• a fixed December bonus of 8.3%;
• excellent pension scheme.

In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will of course receive a good salary. Depending on your experience, we offer a competitive gross salary of between €3.408,- and €4.474 for a working week of 38 hours, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale 10). We offer a temporary contract for 1 year which will be extended for the remaining period of the project if you perform well. The total duration of this project is 2 years.
Additionally, a contract for 0.8 FTE can be discussed.

Wageningen University & Research encourages internal advancement opportunities and mobility with an internal recruitment policy. There are plenty of options for personal initiative in a learning environment, and we provide excellent training opportunities. We are offering a unique position in an international environment with a pleasant and open working atmosphere.

You are going to work at the greenest and most innovative campus in Holland, and at a university that has been chosen as the “Best University” in the Netherlands for the 16th consecutive time.

Coming from abroad
Wageningen University & Research is the university and research centre for life sciences. The themes we deal with are relevant to everyone around the world and Wageningen, therefore, has a large international community and a lot to offer to international employees. Applicants from abroad moving to the Netherlands may qualify for a special tax relief, known as the 30% ruling. Our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family.
Feeling welcome also has everything to do with being well informed. Wageningen University & Research's International Community page contains practical information about what we can do to support international employees and students coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, we can assist you with any additional advice and information about helping your partner to find a job, housing, schooling, and other issues.

More information

For more information about this position, please contact Prof.dr.ir Eveline van Leeuwen via eveline.vanleeuwen@wur.nl.

For more information about the procedure, please contact Sandra Willemsen, Corporate recruiter or Bianca Aversteeg, Recruitment support via recruitment.ssg@wur.nl.

Do you want to apply?
You can apply directly using the apply button on the vacancy page on our website which will allow us to process your personal information with your approval.

This vacancy will be listed up to and including the 1^st of November, 2021. We hope to schedule the first job interviews in week 44-45.

The preferred starting date for this position is  the 1^st of January 2022 at the latest.

Equal opportunities
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) employs a large number of people with very different backgrounds and qualities, who inspire and motivate each other. We want every talent to feel at home in our organisation and be offered the same career opportunities. We therefore especially welcome applications from people who are underrepresented at WUR. For more information please go to our inclusivity page. A good example of how WUR deals with inclusiveness can be read on the page working at WUR with a functional impairment.

We are

The mission of Wageningen University and Research is “To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life”. Under the banner Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen University and the specialised research institutes of the Wageningen Research Foundation have joined forces in contributing to finding solutions to important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment.

With its roughly 30 branches, 6.800 employees and 12.900 students, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. An integrated approach to problems and the cooperation between various disciplines are at the heart of Wageningen’s unique approach. WUR has been named Best Employer in the Education category for 2019-2020.

Read the 5 reasons why your future collaegues enjoy working at WUR and watch this video to get an idea of our green campus!

We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves, so no employment agencies please. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.

Apply now