PhD Researcher nature inclusive forest management

at  Wageningen University Research

THE FOREST AND NATURE CONSERVATION POLICY GROUP (FNP) AT WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY IS SEEKING A PHD CANDIDATE RESEARCHER WHO IS PASSIONATE ABOUT SOCIAL SCIENCES AND INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION FOCUSSING ON THE CULTURAL AND SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF FORESTS.

Specifically, we are looking for a PhD candidate researcher who is interested in understanding how forest spirituality plays a role in forest management, governance, and related nature conservation strategies. You will need to be open and interested in doing qualitative social science research in an interdisciplinary setting involving other researchers, forest managers, nature conservationists and other forest related stakeholders. As a PhD researcher, you will be part of the new research project: Forest Spirituality in Eastern Europe (FORESEE) and supervised by Dr. Agata Konczal and Dr. Bas Verschuuren at FNP.
FORESEE investigates the role of forest spirituality in Eastern Europe. As part of this research project, you will not just contribute to the conceptualisation and theory building on forest spirituality. You will also conduct empirical social science field research in different transboundary European forest landscapes in Poland (Białowieża Forest), Slovakia (the Tatras), Lithuania, Czech Republic (Sumava Forest), Germany (Bayerischer Wald) and Romania (Maramures Mountains ) (the actual case studies will be decided after the selection of a successful candidate). Language skills that match any of the case studies are seen as an important asset as a selected PhD candidate will engage in collaboration with local research institutions as well as local stakeholders such as conservation agencies, foresters and local communities. As a FORESEE team member, a PhD researcher will conduct ethnographic fieldwork and part-take in ongoing project activities such as project communications and stakeholder engagement, for example workshops and trainings.
A successful PhD candidate will collaborate with other PhD researchers and staff at the Forest and Nature Conservation Policy Group and the Department of Environmental Sciences, as well as the Wageningen Cluster for Sustainability Governance. For this position you will become a member of the Wageningen Graduate School for Social Sciences (WASS) which offers PhD courses, training and network events.

• up-to-date curriculum vitae;
• motivation letter;
• Master’s degree grade certificate