Are you passionate about tackling environmental challenges and making a tangible societal impact? The interdisciplinary project ‘Wad gaat om’ aims to address the pressing issue of plastic pollution in the Wadden region, a problem often overlooked despite its local importance. We are looking for a PhD candidate who will develop innovative, evidence-based behavior change interventions in collaboration with diverse partners and stakeholders, contributing not only to academic output but also to visible societal change.
The PhD project is part of the “Wad Gaat Om” program, which aims to sustainably reduce plastic waste and usage in the Wadden Sea area through a systems approach. The program addresses the plastic issue holistically by focusing on prevention such as reducing plastic use, waste introduction, promoting biobased alternatives, mitigation including proper disposal, collection, and upcycling of plastic. To achieve these goals, it is crucial that, among other things, individuals, such as tourists, the local population, and key decision-makers, become aware of the plastic problem in the Wadden region and change their behavior accordingly. In this project, you will conduct problem analyses through a literature review, surveys and interviews, develop effective behavior change interventions for the prevention and mitigation of plastic waste, and evaluate the impact of these interventions.
Your tasks as a PhD candidate are
- Developing and conducting three or four different research projects.
- Presenting and discussing research results through papers in various national and international meetings and conferences.
- Actively collaborating with partners and stakeholders within and outside the project.
- Writing and defending a PhD thesis within four years.
- Possibility to carry out a (limited) number of teaching tasks as part of the program.
In the context of this project, the theme of sustainable behavior change is central. The following questions provide an indication of the directions in which the PhD project can develop and of the potential sub-projects within this research. These are suggestions; you do not need to limit yourself to this research direction. What motivates tourists and the local population to engage in plastic-reducing behaviors? How can these behaviors and the adoption of sustainable alternatives be promoted? What barriers do decision-makers perceive in implementing policies to reduce plastic in the Wadden region? This PhD project offers a unique opportunity (if desired) to employ a creative and innovative approach, exploring out-of-the-box behavior change strategies in cooperation with project partners. The successful candidate will work within an inter- and transdisciplinary team, collaborating with partners and stakeholders inside and outside the project, including but not limited to Rijkswaterstaat, MerkFryslân, and organizations in the tourism and hospitality sector.
Dr Josefine Geiger en Dr Elena Cavagnaro will be the supervisors of this project, situated in Leeuwarden (Faculty Campus Fryslân).
Organisation
The University of Groningen has an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative centre of higher education offering high-quality teaching and research. Balanced study and career paths in a wide variety of disciplines encourage the 34,000 students and researchers to develop their own individual talents. Belonging to the best research universities in Europe and joining forces with prestigious partner universities and networks, we are truly an international place of knowledge.
Campus Fryslân is the ambitious eleventh and newest faculty of the University of Groningen, located in Leeuwarden. Campus Fryslân is an interdisciplinary faculty that works closely together with regional, national and international partners on worldwide (sustainability) challenges and local solutions. The sustainable development goals of the United Nations thus serve as an important guideline.