PhD Researcher Forest Spirituality in Eastern Europe

Your job

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.

You will work here
The Forest and Nature Conservation Policy Group is embedded in the Department of Environmental Sciences of Wageningen University, which provides fundamental research and academic education on our living environment. The chair group focuses on the political, socio-cultural and economic dimensions of forests and nature.

The FNP research program includes three interrelated themes:

1. Political sphere: Forest and nature conservation policy and governance,
2. Market sphere: Value chains and markets for ecosystem services,
3. Society sphere:  Interconnections between human and non-human nature. FNP is a member of the Wageningen School of Social Sciences (WASS) and the Wageningen Centre for Sustainability Governance.

Your qualities

The ideal candidate will have the following qualities:

• An MSc in the field of forest and nature conservation/management, social anthropology, rural sociology, religious studies, cultural geography or similar
• Knowledge of, and experience with, qualitative social science methods (including interviews)
• Excellent English language proficiency
• Ability to work in international collaborative environments
• Capability to work well independently and as part of a team
• Creative and innovative mindset and attitude
• In addition, the following qualities will be perceived as assets:
• Ability to communicate in one or more of the following languages: Polish, Czech, Slovak, German, Lithuanian, Romanian
• Experience with organising workshops and project communication
• Familiarity with the field of forest conservation, and/or the cultural and spiritual significance of nature
• Experience with writing texts; scientific articles, book chapters, blogs, reports, stories etc.

For this position your command of the English language is expected to be at C1 level. Sometimes it is necessary to submit an internationally recognised Certificate of Proficiency in the English Language. More information can be found here.

We offer you

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;
• the option to accrue additional compensation / 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 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 € 2.770 - per month rising to € 3.539,-  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.

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 19th 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.

Because we expect you to work and live in the Netherlands 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. We can assist you with any additional advice and information about for example helping your partner to find a job, housing, or schooling. Finally, certain categories of international staff may be eligible for a tax exemption on a part of their salary during the first five years in the Netherlands.

Do you want more information?

For more information about this position, please contact the FORESEE Principal Investigators: Bas Verschuuren bas.verschuuren@wur.nl +31 649393904 or Agata Konzcal, agata.konczal@wur.nl   +31 643448667.

For more information about the procedure, please contact Noorien Abbas, corporate recruiter, by email: noorien.abbas@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. Please upload the following documents with your application :

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

This vacancy will be listed up to and including 2 September 2024. We hope to schedule the first job interviews on 9 and 10 September 2024.

Additional information form
For this position, you must fill in a mandatory form which will allow us to have a comprehensive view of your qualifications and better assess your fit for it. You can access the form using the link below:

https://forms.office.com/Pages/DesignPageV2.aspx?subpage=design&FormId=5TfRJx92wU2viNJkMKuxj--gKLzdyqRKg9uJ6mheZVhUQzZaRjk4WDM5TEtXWlBZV1hCOTYySDU1TS4u&Token=341ef5b6f1d94835ac36e775c6de3b49

Your prompt response will ensure that your application continues to move forward in the evaluation process. We assure you that the information provided will be kept confidential and used solely for this application process

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. 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 & 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, 7,600 employees (6,700 fte) and 13,100 students and over 150,000 participants to WUR’s Life Long Learning, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. The unique Wageningen approach lies in its integrated approach to issues and the collaboration between different disciplines.

Read the 5 reasons why your future colleagues enjoy working at WUR and watch the video below 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.