In Nederland wordt veel geëxperimenteerd met het oog op transformatieve verandering, maar het maken van systemische impact op de lange termijn blijft moeilijk. In je promotieonderzoek werk je samen met allerlei soorten change-makers en synthetiseer je bestaande kennis over hoe je ontwikkelde innovaties voor transformatieve verandering kunt mainstreamen, opschalen, verspreiden, verbreden en verdiepen. Onderstaande vacature richt zich daarbinnen specifiek op de wijze waarop leren binnen en tussen diverse experimenten is vormgegeven.
Your Job
The Knowledge, Technology and Innovation chair group at Wageningen University welcomes applications for a PhD position in the EXTRA consortium ‘From EXperiment to sustainable change. TRAnsformative methodologies for innovation and learning.’ The PhD position is in an interdisciplinary team of 3 PhD researchers, one post doc and two senior researchers.
EXTRA aims to strengthen the transformative power of physical experimentation and learning with new insights, instruments and increased human capacities, which will enable change-makers – including researchers, government entities, industry partners, NGOs and citizens – to collaboratively make sustainable change. Through transdisciplinary action research, the consortium assesses knowledge and conditions for learning and transformative change, co-designs instruments and trainings for experimentation and learning, and consolidates knowledge to support innovation and transformation.
The consortium seeks to overcome a persistent ‘pilot paradox.’ In this paradox, much experimentation takes place but making long-term systemic impact remains difficult. Researchers together with change makers will synthesize existing knowledge on how to mainstream, upscale, spread, broaden and deepen developed innovations.
Your research will focus on ‘learning infrastructures’ of living labs, field labs and other learning-oriented experimental initiatives in real-life settings. The novel concept of learning infrastructures captures flows of knowledge, the application of methodologies and tools, affective and discursive relationships and material conditions for reflection and learning in experiments working on sustainable change. You will investigate how different learning infrastructures lead to learning within and around existing experiments and contribute to mainstreaming, and how reflection, learning in and adaptivity of experiments can be enhanced.
In collaboration with the team and diverse stakeholders, you will compare learning infrastructures within and across different types of experiments and facilitate learning by drawing on action-oriented, engaged methodologies. The methodology ‘Reflexive Monitoring in Action’ will serve as a starting point. You will co-design new tools for stimulating learning.

In your PhD-research, you will:

• review literature, develop research questions and a project design drawing on relevant theoretical and methodological approaches;
• develop conceptual and methodological approaches to both study and enhance learning infrastructures in experiments for sustainability in real-life settings;
• conduct action research and stakeholder engagement;
• work collaboratively in a team across disciplines and with multiple stakeholders;
• participate in conferences, workshops and other scholarly activities;
• write and publish high-quality articles in international academic journals;
• have opportunities to supervise Master and Bachelor students and gain teaching experience in the position of tutor and guest lecturer;
• be an active member of the Knowledge, Technology and Innovation group (participating in seminars, meetings, and PhD activities).

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

• Partially paid parental leave;
• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• 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 year-end bonus of 8.3%;
• excellent pension scheme.

In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will receive a fully funded PhD position and you will be offered a course program tailored to your needs and the research team.
The gross salary for the first year is € 2.901,- per month rising to € 3.707,- in the fourth year in according to the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale P). This is based on a full-time working week of 38 hours. We offer a temporary contract for 18 months which will be extended for the duration of the project if you perform well.The intended start date of your employment is 1 September 2025 and the full-time contract (100%) lasts four years, with the option to choose a part-time contract (80%) that lasts five years.
Wageningen University & Research offers plenty of opportunities for growth and development, with a strong internal recruitment policy and excellent training programmes.
You will work on the greenest and most innovative campus in the Netherlands, in an international and open working environment. For 20 consecutive years, we have been voted the “best university” in the Netherlands! A place to be proud of.

Please refer the Job description for details