PhD Toward local resilient food systems in developed economies (1.0 FTE)

Since its foundation in 1614, the University of Groningen has enjoyed an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative center of higher education offering high-quality teaching and research. Belonging to the best research universities of Europe and joining forces with prestigious partner universities and networks, the University of Groningen is truly an international place of knowledge.

Faculty of Economics and Business
The Faculty of Economics and Business offers an inspiring study and working environment for students and employees. International accreditation enables the Faculty to assess performance against the highest international standards. It also creates an exciting environment of continuous improvement. FEB's programmes, academic staff and research do well on various excellence ranking lists.

FEBRI, the graduate school and research institute of the Faculty of Economics and Business has one PhD position in the field of Toward local resilient food systems in developed economies available.

Project description
Research in food supply chains have focused on the challenges faced by farmers and actors upstream the supply chain in developing economies. In this project, the focus is on investigating local food supply chains based in developed economies, such as the Netherlands. As The Netherlands is one of the largest food producers in the world, it provides an interesting empirical context to study food supply chains. There are several forces that impact farmers and the resilience of the food systems here such as the impact of climate change, various environmental policies and stakeholder pressure for more sustainable products and processes. The purpose of this project is to study how different external drivers influence the resilience of local food supply chains in advanced economies and how do farmers respond to these challenges.

The PhD position is embedded in the research programme OPERA of FEB’s Research Institute. The project will be supervised by Dr Eugenia Rosca, Dr Stefania Boscari and Prof. Dirk Pieter van Donk.

The ideal candidate is ambitious, highly motivated and wishes to make a career in research. You have a thorough training in research skills, speaks and writes English fluently and has obtained excellent results in the Master phase.
The PhD candidate should have a background (MSc, Research Master) in supply chain and operations, environmental or sustainability management, or general management and business administration. Ideally, the candidate should have a strong interest and passion for the food sector.

We offer you in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities:

• a gross monthly salary from a minimum of € 2,770 which increases yearly to a maximum of € 3,539
• an additional 8% holiday allowance each year in May, and an additional 8.3 % end of year bonus in December
• a temporary full-time appointment for a period of four years, under the condition of a positive assessment at the end of the first year. PhD candidates contribute 20% of their time to teaching in years 2-4.

Starting date: Preferably per 1 September 2024

The application package consists of the following separate documents:

• a motivation letter (1A4 max) combined with a short study proposal for the PhD project (2 A4 max)
• your cv
• a scan of your diploma including transcripts
• proof of English proficiency
• other relevant documents.

The documents 1-4 are compulsory and please note that incomplete application packages will not be taken into account.

You may apply for this position until 15 May 11:59pm / before 16 May 2024 Dutch local time (CEST) by means of the application form (click on "Apply" below on the advertisement on the university website).

An assessment may be part of the procedure, consisting of psychological tests and an interview.