Research Position: Serious game design to support citizen engagement in food sharing (CULTIVATE)

Job description

The Rural Sociology Group of Wageningen University is looking for a colleague who will conduct community-based research, facilitate the co-design of serious games that support citizen engagement in food sharing, and develop a library of citizen engagement strategies. This research is part of a four- year EU-funded project.

The position is for 24 months at 0.8 FTE and will be based in the Rural Sociology Group in Wageningen University.

The start date is 1 May 2023, and the position will end on 30 April 2025.

In this exciting position:

You will translate academic findings on the social norms, cultures, local conditions that affect citizen engagement in food sharing innovation into user-facing tools.

You will conduct qualitative, community-based research on food sharing in Utrecht.

You will collaborate with academic, public policy, and civil society stakeholders to develop, test, and refine citizen engagement strategies.

You will lead workshops with food sharing stakeholders to co-design, test and refine at least 3 game prototypes.

You will lead and contribute to academic and non-academic publications.

You will have the opportunity to co-supervise student research that supports the project.

You will work as part of a dynamic and transdisciplinary team.

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Requirements

We are looking for a candidate with:

PhD in a social science discipline, ideally with a background in participatory methods, serious game design, and citizen engagement OR 5 years of professional experience in serious game design and citizen engagement.

Experience with creative methods for research and citizen engagement.

Experience facilitating co-design workshops with diverse stakeholders

Experience working in a transdisciplinary environment and combining different forms of knowledge and expertise to co-create desired results.

Strong analytic and communication skills, ability to process complex information and translate it into accessible and usable formats.

Familiarity and interest in food sharing and social innovation.

Fluency in Dutch and English is required.

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Conditions of employment

Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:

sabbatical leave, study leave, and 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 of course receive a good salary. Depending on your experience, we offer a competitive gross salary of between € 2.960,- and € 4.670,- for a full-time working week of 38 hours, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale 10). You will initially receive a one-year contract, which will be extended to an open-ended contract upon mutual enthusiasm.

Wageningen University & Research encourages internal advancement opportunities and mobility with an internal recruitment policy. 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 18th 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. 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. Wageningen University & Research's International Community page contains practical information about what we can do to support international employees and students coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, we can assist you with any additional advice and information about helping your partner to find a job, housing, schooling. For instance under the "30% rule", certain categories of international staff can receive tax exemption on approximately 30% of their gross salary.

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Employer Wageningen University & Research

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, 7,200 employees (6,400 fte) and 13,200 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 this video 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.

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Additional information

CULTIVATE is a four-year (Jan 2023-Dec 2026) Horizon Europe project with 19 partners from across 10 European cities, including food sharing initiatives, local authorities, international networks, creative enterprises and academic institutions. The RSO team leads a project work package on citizen engagement, using co-design and serious games as key approaches. The postdoc will work closely with Oona Morrow, Lucie Sovova and Jessica Duncan and a research assistant based at RSO, as well as local partners in Utrecht.

Additional enquiries should be addressed to Dr Oona Morrow ([email protected]) with the subject CULTIVATE Researcher.

For more information about this position, please contact Han Wiskerke (Chair) by e-mail [email protected]

For more information about the procedure, please contact Jeanine van t' Veer- Drost (Recruiter), [email protected]

Do you want to apply? To apply, please upload the following:

Letter of motivation, clarifying your interest in the position, research experience, and including examples of a game (or other creative output) you have helped create to facilitate citizen engagement

A current Curriculum Vitae

Please note that only applications sent through the online application process will be taken into consideration.

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.

This vacancy will be listed up to and including 23rd of February 2023. We hope to schedule the first job interviews on 15th of March 2023.

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. For more information please go to our inclusivity page. A good example of how WUR deals with inclusiveness can be read on the page working at WUR with a functional impairment.