PhD in Geographies of agricultural land use, with a focus on sustainability transitions and stakeholder decision making

The Department of People and Technology at Roskilde University invites applications for a position as PhD in Geographies of agricultural land use, with a focus on sustainability transitions and stakeholder decision making from August 15, 2024 or as soon as possible thereafter. The position as PhD is limited to a period of 3 years.

Do you want to research land use change, become a member of an innovative research team and be part of a large European multi-disciplinary and multi-actor project bringing together scientists and local practice actors, then this may be the job for you.

Landscapes managed by humans are complex socio-ecological systems, in which land use trajectories are influenced by composite arrays of anthropogenic and natural factors. Farmland, rangelands, and managed forests are the most widespread types of human dominated landscapes and take up more than half of the terrestrial surface area. Patterns and processes in such landscapes are influenced directly by land use practices performed by human agents. These are mostly farmers and foresters who, through their daily practices, realize the decision making patterns of society as patterns of land use, materializing the combined impacts of policy, markets, culture, visions, needs, and other aspects of the social world as biophysical landscape change. Gradually but directly, this is what changes the state of the terrestrial environment. This PhD project aims to further develop modelling and analysis concepts to improve understandings of farmer agency and decision making as a driver of landscape change and persistence. The PhD project will focus on understanding farmer agency regarding land use decisions, including crop selection, specifically with respect to choices involving legume crops as an element in achieving increasingly sustainable crop rotations. In this context the PhD project will investigate criteria, barriers and explanatory factors of land use and crop selection choices analysed in the context of long term landscape management trajectories.

PhD project description
The PhD project should include the following aspects:

• How agricultural land users (farmers) arrive at decisions about land use and crop selection, and how this can be explained and modelled temporally and spatially, in the context of longitudinal empirical material collected in Danish agricultural landscapes.
• How decisions about land use and crop selection, including legume crops, constitute and are co-constituted by social, cultural, historical, economic and biophysical factors in the context of landscapes.
• How land use and crop decisions form part of value chains for agricultural products and other ecosystem services, and how transition to more sustainable crop and land use choices, specifically including legume crops, can be analysed.
• Establishing an improved understanding of the decision making competences and functional roles inhabited by farmers within modern society, within the landscape setting in which they operate, and in the context of historical trajectories of technological and social-ecological change and development.

The above elements should be reflected in the proposal including its theoretical grounding and methodological design.

To apply for the position a full PhD project proposal must be submitted. The proposal should be 5-6 pages, including references. The description must outline the project’s 1) scientific purpose, relevance and novelty, 2) research question(s), 3) theories and methods, 4) envisioned empirical work, and 5) project plan. It should address the elements outlined above, as well as further research objectives envisaged by the applicant. The project will be based on empirical case studies in Denmark and Greece, with a larger share of activity allocated to the Danish case studies.

Responsibilities and tasks
The PhD position is an educational position, and the main tasks are in accordance with Chapter 3 in the Ministerial Order on the PhD Program at the Universities and Certain Higher Artistic Educational Institutions (https://ufm.dk/en/legislation/prevailing-laws- and-regulations/education/files/engelsk-ph-d-bekendtgorelse.pdf). These tasks include writing a thesis, taking PhD courses, teaching in the department, and having a research stay at another (normally foreign) university or other institution.

The PhD position forms part of the EU-Horizon funded project “Legendary” which aims to investigate how sustainable transitions in European Agriculture can be initiated and further advanced through improved crop choices involving increased growing of legume crops. The empirical material collected in the PhD project will be designed to address this aim while providing an empirical basis for asking further research questions decided by the PhD. The PhD will be responsible for collecting and analysing empirical material in the form of spatially explicit interview surveys with farmers and other stakeholders, supported by the research team led by the supervisor. Choice of cases, sampling of respondents and empirical methods etc. will be decided in collaboration between the supervisor and the PhD, and implemented by the PhD, to ensure that the empirical material is suited to resolving research questions posed by the wider research framework of the EU-horizon project as well as research questions decided by the PhD.

Qualifications
Candidates must hold a master’s degree or equivalent within geography, agroecology, environmental planning, nature management, landscape research, environmental studies or natural resource management.

The candidate must have educational qualifications and/or professional experience in:

• Landscape management processes and methods in Denmark and/or Northern Europe.
• Public regulation and planning of rural land use.
• Methods for landscape analysis using GIS and other quantitative spatial analysis methods.
• Methods in nature management and/or landscape and restoration ecology
• Basic proficiency in Danish is required, as the research role involves frequent interaction with Danish speaking actors.

We also value experience with respect to:

• Interview methods and/or methods for participatory facilitation of dialogue with land users.
• Analysis of land use and land cover change and persistence.
• A high degree of proficiency in writing academic English.
• Knowledge about the environmental history of Northern European rural landscapes.
• The role of public authorities in regulation and planning for rural land use.
• Cultural, ideological and social contexts for decision making in agriculture.
• Paradigms and theoretical formations within natural resource management and nature conservation.
• International cooperation about research and policy development.

Finally, we seek candidates who take initiative, have good interpersonal skills, are confident in conducting fieldwork out of the office and are passionate about academic writing. We expect you to participate in the day to day activities of the institute and that you are interested in participating with colleagues to form a lively and inspiring academic work environment. The position will involve considerable travel activities to meetings and fieldwork in Europe and Denmark .

Assessment
In the assessment regarding employment consideration will be given to:

• Relevant Master’s degree or equivalent (according to Danish Qualifications Framework for Higher Education: https://ufm.dk/en/education/recognition-and-transparency/transparency-tools/qualifications-frameworks/other- qualifications-frameworks/danish-qf-for-higher-education?set_language=en&cl=en).
• Additional academic requirements stated in the job advertisement.

In the assessment regarding enrolment consideration will be given to the following criteria:

• Educational skills and any further professional qualifications.
• Grades at Master’s program or equivalent.
• Quality and relevance of the project description.
• Quality and relevance of the methodical and theoretical choices.
• Consistency and coherence between the problem and methodological and theoretical choices.
• If the PhD project seems realistic and feasible.
• Ability to complete the PhD project.
• Relevance of the project to the profile of the Doctoral School.

The Doctoral School
You will be enrolled as a PhD student at the Society, Space and Technology program in the Doctoral School of People and Technology. The program is based on a multidisciplinary approach to research and spans technology, natural science, social sciences and the arts. The program connects the various disciplinary aspects of the research, for example, in relation to technology, resources and culture as the basis for the social production and reproduction of various research objects. This PhD is embedded within the TRANSITIONS research group focusing on the interaction between social development and the natural environment with a strong focus on sustainable development strategies and public involvement.

Read more here [https://ruc.dk/en/phd-programme-society-space-and-technology].

Questions
For further information about the position, please contact Associate Professor, project leader Andreas Aagaard Christensen ([email protected]), the head of the SST PhD program Jonas Egmose (+45 46743341 or mail [email protected] ), or PhD coordinator Anne Ebdrup ([email protected]).

Terms of employment
The employment is on full time, 37 hours per week and you will refer to the dean Bjarke Oxlund. The position will be filled according to the Agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC) and Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities.

Application procedure
After the deadline for applications the Dean will shortlist applicants for assessment with assistance from the recruitment committee including the chairperson of the assessment committee.

Shortly after the application deadline all applicants will be notified whether or not their application has been selected for assessment.

The shortlisted applicants will be informed about the composition of the assessment committee, and each applicant will be given the opportunity to comment on the composition of the committee and - later on - their assessment.

Once the recruitment process is completed, all applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application.

Application
To apply for the position go to www.ruc.dk/en/job/

Only applications in English are accepted.

Applications must include:

1. Cover letter

2. CV

3. Documentation of education including grades from Master’s programme or equivalent

4. Masters thesis

5. Full PhD project proposal

6. Time schedule of the PhD project

7. If applicable: Documentation for any research experience, work experience or publications

Please submit your application no later than May 1, 2024.

Material received after this date will not be taken into consideration.

Roskilde University wishes to reflect the diversity of society and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

Department: Universitetsvej 1, Roskilde

Location: Roskilde Universitet

Application deadline: 01 May 2024