2 PhD Vacancies for ERC Project VITALGREENHOUSE – Please Spread the Word

[Rebeca Ibáñez]

Dear Colleagues,

I hope this message finds you well. I'm excited to announce that the vacancies for two PhD positions to work on my ERC Starting Grant VITALGREENHOUSE have just been published!

I would greatly appreciate it if you could help spread the word about these 2 positions among your colleagues, networks, and any students who may be interested. 

Feel free to pass along the details (below) or direct anyone interested to the official posting:
https://vacatures.knaw.nl/job/Amsterdam-2-PhD-Positions-to-Investigate-Sustainability-Experimentations-in-European-Horticultural-Greenhouses/991298555/ 

Thank you so much for your help.

Warm regards,
Rebeca

 

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2 PhD Positions to Investigate Sustainability Experimentations in European Horticultural Greenhouses 

Apply until: October 16, 2024

  

The Ethnology department at the KNAW is currently seeking 2 PhD candidates for the project “Greenhouses as Vital Landscapes: Sustainability, Relationality, and the Future of Food” (VITALGREENHOUSE)  led by Dr. Rebeca Ibáñez Martín. This project is funded by a European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant.

 

Job description

Each PhD candidate will conduct a detailed ethnographic study in both the Netherlands and Spain. The PhDs will be based in the Netherlands and will conduct fieldwork in both countries to fully compare and contrast the sites and findings. The focus areas will be:

• PhD1: Multispecies Relations – studying the interactions between growers, pickers, researchers, plants, and non-human laborers, such as pollinator bees.
• PhD2: Greenhouse Digitalization – investigating how growers, researchers, and workers are adapting to or resisting ‘climate-intelligent agriculture,’ a recent iteration of sustainability.

Briefly, the VITALGREENHOUSE project aims to investigate greenhouses in both countries as sites embedded within a long history of human-environment relations, integrating questions of landscape exploitation, digitalization, mobilities, and human and non-human labor. The project seeks to generate new critical perspectives on planetary transformations and advance theoretical debates in critical infrastructure studies, multispecies relations, and decolonial thought.

 

Your Tasks

• Conduct ethnographic research on one of the following topics: multispecies relations (PhD1) or greenhouse digitalization (PhD2).
• Participate in a research team consisting of two PhD candidates, one postdoctoral researcher, and the Principal Investigator (PI). Your primary responsibility will be to develop and complete your PhD within the framework of the overall project, resulting in a doctoral dissertation to be defended at the Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Amsterdam.
• Contribute to collaborative aspects of the project, including data collection for jointly written publications.
• Provide organizational support for team activities, such as workshops, meetings, and other project events, gaining valuable professional experience while working toward your PhD.
• Reside in Amsterdam (or within commuting distance) when not on fieldwork and actively participate in team meetings and the research environment at the Institute.

 

Requirements

The following are essential:

• A Master’s degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field within the social sciences or humanities, such as Social and Cultural Anthropology, Human Geography, Political Ecology, or Environmental Humanities. The degree must be obtained by the time of application.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English.
• Familiarity with ethnographic research methods.
• Independent thinking and strong analytical skills.
• Strong collaboration skills and the ability to integrate into interdisciplinary academic communities.
• A commitment to academic integrity and transparency.
• The ability to complete the PhD thesis within four years; this includes strong planning, initiative, and academic writing skills.
• Availability to travel to Spain for fieldwork, preferably in the last quarter of 2025.

 

The following are desirable:

• Affinity with the field of Science and Technology Studies (STS).
• Previous practical experience in ethnographic research.
• Oral and written communication skills in Dutch and Spanish.
• A good understanding of AI (for PhD2).
• Commitment to or previous engagement with topics related to agricultural transitions, sustainability, political ecology, and multispecies ethnographies.

 

Selection Process

If this opportunity resonates with you, but you’re unsure if you meet all the requirements, we encourage you to apply. In line with the Institute’s commitment to diversity, we strongly encourage applications from all qualified candidates, particularly those from migration backgrounds or other groups underrepresented in academia. We look forward to receiving your application by October 16, 2024.  You may apply online using the link below.

 

Application Requirements

Applications should include the following (all files, except your CV, should be submitted as a single PDF):

• Your Curriculum Vitae (max. 2 pages), including a list of publications, if applicable.
• A cover letter (max. 2 pages) describing your qualifications and motivation for the position. Please specify the aspects of the project that interest you and explain what has led you to your current intellectual and scholarly focus.
• A link to your Master’s thesis (if available online) or an abstract and conclusion if not.
• A research statement on how you would approach the PhD project (max. 2 pages).
• Contact information for two academic references (no letters of recommendation at this stage).

 

Additional materials, such as recommendation letters and longer writing samples, will be requested only from shortlisted candidates. Please do not send these materials with your initial application. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview, expected to take place, preferably in person, in the first week of November.
 

Additional Information

For any questions or further information, please contact:
Dr. Rebeca Ibáñez Martín, Principal Investigator of VITALGREENHOUSE
rebeca.ib...@meertens.knaw.nl

 

  

Please apply here: https://vacatures.knaw.nl/job/Amsterdam-2-PhD-Positions-to-Investigate-Sustainability-Experimentations-in-European-Horticultural-Greenhouses/991298555/