PhD position "Sensing Place together

Are you interested in participatory planning, community development, and creating tools that empower local communities to shape sustainable futures? In that case this PhD position at the Department of Spatial Planning and Environment at the University of Groningen might just be what you are looking for. This PhD position is embedded in the national NWO-NWA project ECCO: Empower citizen Collectives in Societal Transitions:

How can citizen collectives collaborate with stakeholders based on their sense of place, to foster place-based sustainability transitions? You will investigate personal values, sense of place, and community perceptions to help citizen collectives develop joint narratives. Such narratives can foster inclusive partnerships and agendas for sustainable development in urban-rural settings.

As a PhD candidate, you will have the opportunity to develop your own research questions, collect data, and share your findings with both scientific colleagues and partners from professional practice worldwide. Under the supervision and guidance of prof. Ina Horlings, dr. Gwenda van der Vaart and dr. Geertje Slingerland, and in collaboration with a motivated team of multidisciplinary researchers and societal partners within the ECCO project, you will develop a tool to map Sense of Place. This innovative tool integrates personal values with perceived place assets, helping communities to visualize what they care about and build shared visions for their future.

Faculty of Spatial Sciences

Closing date: 15 februari 2026

1 FTE

€ €3.881

PhD position "Sensing Place together - building shared narratives for sustainable futures"

What are you going to do?

What we expect from you:

• Design and implement qualitative research
• Develop and facilitate living labs with multiple stakeholders
• Create the Sense of Place Mapper tool inspired by community mapping methods
• Document effective co-creative methods through participatory observation
• Engage diverse community members, especially less-engaged groups
• Work across municipalities to test and refine participatory approaches
• Collaborate with other PhD researchers within the ECCO consortium
• Produce academic articles and practical guidance for place-based Development
• Present your research at scientific conferences and to the wider public.
• Engage in teaching activities at the bachelor or master level within the Faculty of Spatial Science.

If you are interested in more than one position within the ECCO project, you can apply for up to 3 positions. Please indicate in each of your motivation letters which (other) positions you have applied for and, if applicable, which position you prefer. This helps the matching process within the ECCO project. You can find it all here:

Faculty of Spatial Sciences

Closing date: 15 februari 2026

€ €3.881

Who are you?

We are looking for an enthusiastic candidate who meets the following requirements:

• A MSc-degree in Spatial Planning, Human Geography, Design, Environmental or Social Psychology, Policy Sciences, or related Social Science discipline
• Knowledge and skills in qualitative research methods and ideally, participatory methods
• Experience with theory-driven research with a clear eye for practical implications and the development of policy recommendations, showcased through MSc thesis research or student projects
• Experience or affinity with working in an interdisciplinary setting
• Enthusiasm about writing international publications and a dissertation
• Good academic writing, social and communication skills and is willing to collaborate with other team members
• Dutch language proficiency is an absolute plus (or ability to achieve this within a year)

What can you expect from us?

• In accordance with the collective labor agreement for Dutch universities, we offer a salary of at least € 3.059 up to a maximum of € Promovendus) gross per month for a full-time employment contract.
• 232 vacation hours per year, based on a 38-hour workweek (1.0 FTE). You can also work more or fewer hours in exchange for more or fewer free hours. For example, with a 40-hour workweek, you save 96 extra free hours, and with a 36-hour workweek, you lose 96 hours.
• End-of-year bonus of 8.3% and 8% holiday allowance.
• Extensive opportunities for personal and professional development.
• Contract duration: A temporary employment of 1.0 FTE for a period of four years. You will first be employed for a period of one year. After a positive result and development interview, the contract will be extended for the remaining period of three years.

Where will you be working?

At the University of Groningen (RUG), researchers across all branches of science and technology work on scientific challenges and societal issues. Lecturers train their students for meaningful careers in science or beyond. Interdisciplinary research and education, knowledge sharing, and collaboration with companies, government institutions, and societal organizations are highly valued at this top 100 university. RUG aims to be an open academic community with an inclusive and safe working environment that invites you to contribute your value.

The Faculty of Spatial Sciences (FRW) is an interdisciplinary faculty that makes a significant impact on societal issues such as climate, broad prosperity, population decline, healthy ageing, and sustainable energy. With approximately 100 staff and over 100 PhD students, we engage daily in up-to-date and relevant teaching and research in the fields of planning, demography, and geography. Through our research programme TRACE (Transformations, Communities, and Environments), we are committed to internationally oriented, interdisciplinary research. With two Bachelor's and seven Master's programmes, the Faculty offers broad educational opportunities to about 1,100 students from around the world. The Faculty of Spatial Sciences plays a crucial role in understanding and shaping the living environment of the future. We work for and with society. Our motto is: we are making places better together. If you would like to learn more, visit

Since its foundation in 1614, the University of Groningen has established an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative university, offering high-quality teaching and research. The University of Groningen is an international center of knowledge: it belongs to the best research universities in Europe and is allied with prestigious partner universities and networks worldwide.

Our Faculty is the only independent Faculty of Spatial Sciences in the Netherlands. The Faculty consists of approximately 110 members of staff, 120 PhD researchers, and around 1,100 students. We focus on high quality teaching and research in the fields of social and economic geography, demography, and spatial planning. With a faculty slogan of 'making places better together' and an overarching research program TRACE (TRansformation, Community and Environment) it is our mission to produce research which is world- leading, distinctive, and policy-relevant. With two Bachelor and eight Master programs, we provide a wide range of courses within the fields of geography and the spatial sciences.

Application procedure

Step 1:

Your application

After submitting your application, you will receive a confirmation by email.

Step 2:

Selection

The selection committee assesses your application and you will receive a response at the latest two weeks after the closing date.

Step 3:

First interview

We would like to get to know each other better in a first interview, which can take place either online or on location.

Step 4:

Second interview and possible assessment or guest lecture

We may schedule a second interview with you. Depending on the position, this interview can be complemented with an assessment or guest lecture.

Step 5:

Terms of employment meeting

After a positive interview, we will discuss the terms of employment together. When everything is completed, we are happy to welcome you at the University of Groningen

Interested?

Does this sound like a challenge that suits you? Then apply immediately

Do you meet our qualification criteria? If yes, you're requested to upload the following documents:

• Motivation letter (1 A4 max.) including the names of two referees

• Your CV

• Scan of your Master diploma including transcripts

• Proof of English proficiency and/or Dutch proficiency

• Other relevant documents

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

Job interviews will take place in the week of 10th and 17th of March 2026.

Do you have any questions or need more information?

Questions about the content of the job?

Ina Horlings

Full Professor

Questions about your application process?

Ina Horlings

Full Professor

Information about applying

When scheduling meetings, we will take your schedule into account as much as possible.

The University of Groningen considers social safety important. We strive to be a university where staff and students feel respected and at home, regardless of differences in background, experiences, perspectives, and identity. For more information, see also our page about our diversity policy.

Acquisition is not appreciated.

Our selection procedure follows the guidelines of the NVP application code

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