Fully-funded PhD in Environmental Heritage of the Afsluitdijk Area of the Netherlands (1.0 FTE) (V25.0394)

The University of Groningen (https://www.rug.nl/) offers a 4-year M20 Program (https://uef.nl/en/projects/m20-en) funded PhD position for a project to develop a “sustainable seascape heritage science and policy program in the Afsluitdijk Area of the Netherlands”. The project is an interdisciplinary collaboration between the Groningen Institute of Archaeology of the Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Spatial Sciences and GELIFES of the Faculty of Science and Engineering. The project is supervised by Canan Çakırlar, Laura Govers, Daniella Vos, Federica Marulo, and Willemien de Kock as part of the Environmental Heritage Research Group of the Rudolf Agricola School for Sustainable Development (RAS - https://www.rug.nl/rudolf-agricola-school/research/sustainable-landscapes-and-regions/environmental-heritage-research-group?lang=en).

The Dutch government transformed the dynamic Zuiderzee into a controlled freshwater lake, erasing intertidal landscapes and island cultures through top-down engineering in the early 20th century. Today, with climate change demanding difficult choices, there is an urgent need for inclusive, bottom-up dialogues that respect local voices and ecosystems, and work towards interconnected futures of all communities, human and non-human. The PhD candidate will study the impact of the Afsluitdijk on the ‘natural’ sea ecosystem of the Zuiderzee, as well as the landscape and sustainability perceptions of largely disconnected stakeholder communities, including scientists and local fisherpeople. The former will be achieved through a biomolecular-archaeological analysis, and the latter will be examined through archival research and interviews. The tension in between the reconstructed human and more-than-human experiences will be spatially and temporally analysed through an interactive map co-created by governmental and non-governmental stakeholders.

The candidate will participate in PhD/i - learning community for interfaculty PhDs (https://www.rug.nl/education/phd-programmes/during/phd-i/phd-i?lang=en).

Tasks and responsibilities:
Carry out original interdisciplinary research combining fields of marine (historical) ecology, heritage, and spatial policy design in consultation with the supervisors.
Write and submit a PhD consisting of 2 co-authored peer-reviewed articles, an annotated digital interactive map, and a science-based policy document within the period of the 4-year appointment.
Present preliminary research results at scientific workshops and conferences.
Organise at least 2 collaborative knowledge dissemination activities with the academic community, NGOs, policy makers and other stakeholders.
Teach courses at bachelor’s and/or assist at Master’s level.

The University of Groningen
Founded in 1614, the University of Groningen enjoys an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative institution of higher education offering high-quality teaching and research. Flexible study programmes and academic career opportunities in a wide variety of disciplines encourage the 33,000 students and researchers alike to develop their own individual talents. As one of the best research universities in Europe, the University of Groningen has joined forces with other top universities and networks worldwide to become a truly global centre of knowledge.

• Creative and proactive approach to interdisciplinary empirical research, multi-proxy analysis, and writing.
• Ability to conduct research accurately (lab, digital and archival work) and communicate articulately (interviews).
• Enthusiasm for communicating academic research to non-academic audiences, especially in collaboration with policy makers, nature managers and communities.
• A completed (or nearly completed) Master's degree in a related field (such as archaeology, ecology, marine biology, geography, history, anthropology, heritage, historical ecology, environmental history). We especially encourage people with an interdisciplinary background to apply.
• You may apply if you have not yet completed your Master's degree only if you provide a signed letter from your supervisor stating that you will graduate before 1 December 2025.
• Excellent command of English, meeting the university’s English language requirements (https://www.rug.nl/education/phd-programmes/prospective/phd-positions/english-language-requirements?lang=en).
• Good command of Dutch.
• Strong digital and quantitative skills (e.g. GIS and statistical skills).

We offer in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement for Dutch universities:

• A salary, depending on qualifications and work experience, with a minimum of € 2,901 to a maximum of € 3,707 (salary scale P) gross per month for a full-time position.
• 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% end-of-year bonus.
• Participation in a pension scheme for employees.
• Favourable tax agreements for non-Dutch applicants may be applicable.
• The PhD candidate is expected to conduct 0.4 FTE teaching spread over the second, third and fourth year of their appointment.
• Willingness to move and reside in The Netherlands.
• A temporary 1.0 FTE appointment for a specified period of four years. The candidate will first be appointed for twelve months. After 11 months, an assessment will take place of the candidate’s results and the progress of the PhD project, in order to decide whether employment will be continued.

The preferred starting date is and 1 December 2025

Do you want to become a member of our team? Please send your application to us, by submitting the following documents in English:

• A letter of motivation to apply for this position.
• A curriculum vitae.
• A one-page research proposal for the PhD project.
• Contact details of two academic references.
• Transcripts indicating GPA from Bachelor’s and Master’s degree.

You may apply for this position until 14 September 11:59 PM / before 15 September 2025, Dutch local time (CEST) by means of the application form (click on "Apply" below on the advertisement on the university website).

Please send in your application as two PDF files (one for the (Re)Master thesis, and one for all other documents). Please submit the merged application under the ‘Letter of motivation’ and the thesis under ‘Extra attachment’.

The selection interviews will take place in the last week of month/year. We allow 3 months from selection in case of VISA applications.

The University of Groningen strives to be a university in which students and staff are respected and feel at home, regardless of differences in background, experiences, perspectives, and identities. We believe that working on our core values of inclusion and equality are a joint responsibility and we are constructively working on creating a socially safe environment. Diversity among students and staff members enriches academic debate and contributes to the quality of our teaching and research. We therefore invite applicants from underrepresented groups in particular to apply. For more information, see also our diversity policy webpage: https://www.rug.nl/about-ug/policy-and-strategy/diversity-and-inclusion/

Our selection procedure follows the guidelines of the Recruitment code (NVP): https://www.nvp-hrnetwerk.nl/nl/sollicitatiecode and European Commission's European Code of Conduct for recruitment of researchers: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/charter/code

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