PhD Candidate- Citizen Science

Published on by for UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education

PhD Candidate- Citizen Science

Description of the project and the role of the PhD candidates:

IHE Delft Institute for Water Education seeks a PhD research candidate to conduct research on the institutionalization of citizen science, as part of the CitiObs and more4nature projects.

The PhD candidate will be hosted by the Hydroinformatics and Socio-Technical Innovation Department of IHE Delft.

The PhD candidate will be supervised by Prof. Uta Wehn (Professor of Citizen Science and Sustainability) and Dr. Neha Mungekar (Researcher of Participatory Environmental Governance) at IHE Delft and by Dr. Thomas Franssen at CWTS Leiden University. The PhD candidate will be registered at Leiden University where Professor Wehn is appointed for supervision.

Both CitiObs and more4nature are Horizon Europe funded projects and explore how to advance the institutionalization of citizen science at different governance levels. In the context of these projects, citizen science includes a variety of practices that span from data and knowledge co-production with members of the public in scientific fields, to community-based environmental monitoring schemes or citizen observatories as a means for authorities to collaborate with scientists, citizens and communities on place-based environmental issues. As such, citizen science is understood as providing opportunities for open, inclusive and participatory processes of knowledge co-creation and application.

The PhD candidate will contribute to the science of Citizen Science by investigating key topics related to the institutionalization of Citizen Science in environmental governance and management via transformative change processes (through social learning and socio-technical experimentation). They offer a unique opportunity to develop a creative and innovative approach for evaluating real-life changes in environmental compliance assurance practices, focusing on justice dynamics.

Justice: investigate how different forms of justice (procedural, recognitional and epistemic) influence and can be activated through transformative changes in environmental compliance assurance. Drawing on selected more4nature case studies, the research will trace how justice is operationalised (or sidelined) in such transformations.

The successful candidate will work within inter- and transdisciplinary teams, collaborating with project partners and stakeholders inside and outside the projects.

Responsibilities

·        The PhD candidate’s research will contribute to the science of citizen science, with a focus on the institutionalisation of citizen science in environmental governance processes.

·        The PhD candidate will contribute to the preparation and developing of a number of deliverables of the CitiObs and more4nature projects related to their PhD research.

·        The PhD candidate will support the preparation and implementation of project meetings.

·        The PhD candidate will publish the obtained results in peer reviewed journals which will contribute to their PhD thesis.

·        The PhD candidate will present the project results at national and international conferences and symposia.

·        The PhD candidate may mentor MSc theses which are linked to their PhD research.

·        The PhD candidate will write and defend a PhD thesis

Requirements

·        A Master’s or corresponding degree in a relevant social science discipline, innovation studies, science & technology studies, sociology,         social psychology, anthropology, geography or political science with excellent grades and with demonstrable training in diverse qualitative research skills

·        Practical experience and/or Action Research with at least one of the following: citizen science and/or policy & political processes and/or environmental compliance assurance

·        Excellent writing skills and written and spoken command of English, as demonstrated by previous course work or publications in English

·        Strong analytical skills and ability to identify key issues; meticulous information processing

·        Willingness to mentor master theses

·        Willingness to travel

·        Collaborative attitude, values a multi-cultural work environment, strong team spirit, ability to work independently, while respecting responsibilities

Terms of employment

This is a position for 48 months (4 years), (38 hours per week), with the expectation that the candidates will submit and successfully defend their PhD thesis within this period. The candidate will be stationed in Delft, the Netherlands. Employment at IHE Delft is according to the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities (scale P). The appointment implies entry into the Netherlands' Civil Service Pension Fund (ABP).

The initial contract is for 18 months. Within the first year a go/no-go decision will be made based on a detailed PhD research proposal to be developed by the candidate, which will determine whether or not the contract will be extended.

The expected start date of the position is 1 September 2025.

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