PhD position: Biodiversity Perceptions of European Citizens and Stakeholders

Your job

Are you interested in how European citizens and stakeholders perceive nature and biodiversity, how this influences attitudes and behaviour, and how this relates to identity, polarisation, and backlash of environmental politics? Do you want to investigate this using large scale European, national and regional questionnaires and translate outcomes into communication approaches and policy recommendations? We have an exciting PhD position as part of the Horizon Europe project BIOLOGUE, where you will collaborate with major European Universities and NGO’s.

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• Co-develop a conceptual framework to understand biodiversity perceptions and its behavioural consequences.
• Develop, coordinate, and analyse survey instruments at European, National and regional levels.
• Collaborate with scientific partners across Europe to contextualise the survey instrument you developed.
• Contribute to linking survey approaches to social media analysis.
• Write scientific papers about results.
• Translate and discuss outcomes with stakeholder groups, NGOs and policy makers.

What we are looking for: a candidate who is highly motivated to study the plural values of nature and conservation attitudes across European countries and local communities. Your ambition is to use social science research to advance sustainability transformations and the successful and equitable implementation of the Nature Restoration Regulation in Member States. You are interested to conduct large-scale quantitative survey research among citizens and stakeholders across European countries as well as in case-study areas to understand how values, attitudes, emotions and identities inform discussion over conservation policies and management, including polarisation and conflicts between local actors (e.g., landowners, farmers) and conservation advocates. You are keen to collaborate with stakeholders, NGOs and policymakers to translate results into actionable strategies to improve biodiversity communication and implication. You are skilled and experienced in multivariate statistical analysis of empirical (social science) data.

You will work here

The research is embedded within the chair Forest and Nature Conservation Policy Group. You will be supervised by Dr. Arjen Buijs and co-supervised by Dr Marko Lovric.

Your qualities

• Proven knowledge of and experience with multivariate and preferable multilevel analysis of large scale survey data.
• Proven knowledge of and experience with data processing in relevant software (R, SPSS, Python or equivalent).
• Knowledge of social science theories related to values, attitudes, and behaviours.
• Excellent English language skills (C1), Kindly check English language requirements.
• Good organisational and communication skills.
• Collaborative working style.

You also possess:

• A successfully completed MSc degree in social or environmental sciences, with a clear focus on quantitative research methodologies.
• Experience with developing and analysing social science-based questionnaires.
• Ability to work independently while seamlessly integrating into a large, transdisciplinary, multi-country EU consortium.
• Language skills in one other major foreign language is a plus.

We offer

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

• Partially paid parental leave;
• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• 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 year-end bonus of 8.3%;
• excellent pension scheme.

In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will receive a fully funded PhD position and you will be offered a course program tailored to your needs and the research team.
The gross salary for the first year is € 3.059,- per month rising to € 3.881,- in the fourth year in according to the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale P). This is based on a full-time working week of 38 hours. We offer a temporary contract for 18 months which will be extended for the duration of the project (48 months in total) if you perform well.

We encourage development and internal mobility within our organisation. Our recruitment and selection policy sets out the conditions that apply specifically to you as a (former) employee. If you have any questions, we are happy to help.

You will work on the greenest and most innovative campus in the Netherlands, in an international and open working environment.

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.

Because we expect you to work and live in the Netherlands 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 coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, our Welcome Center can assist you with any additional advice and information about for example housing, opening a bank account, dual career programs or schooling. Finally, certain categories of international staff may be eligible for a tax exemption on a part of their salary during the first five years in the Netherlands.

Important information

For more information about the position, please contact Marko Lovric, Assistant Professor, via +31 6 25 52 67 30 or email: marko.lovric@wur.nl.
Questions about the procedure? Get in touch with Jessa Rozema, Corporate Recruiter, via jessa.rozema-stol@wur.nl.

Ready to apply?
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. Only applications submitted through our website will be considered.

To apply, please send the following documents (max. 3 pages in total for both documents):

• Complete and up-to-date curriculum vitae (max 2 pages);
• Motivation letter (max 1 page).

The maximum length of the documents must not exceed 3 pages. If it exceeds, applications will not be considered. Additional files such as grades and transcripts are not required during this stage and will not be considered.

You can apply up to and including Sunday 28 June 2026. The first interviews are scheduled for Thursday 2 July 2026 and Monday 6 July 2026.

Applications are reviewed regularly. Therefore, the position may be filled before the stated closing date.

Additional information form
For this position, you must fill in a mandatory form which will allow us to have a comprehensive view of your qualifications and better assess your fit for it. You can access the form using the link below:

PhD position: Biodiversity Perceptions of European Citizens and Stakeholders – Fill out form

Your prompt response will ensure that your application continues to move forward in the evaluation process. We assure you that the information provided will be kept confidential and used solely for this application process.

Welcome, safe, and valued
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) highly values diversity and inclusion because we believe that different insights lead to innovative solutions. We create a work environment where everyone feels welcome, safe, and appreciated, regardless of background, identity, or experience. Together, we are building a culture where everyone's unique contribution adds to the success of our organization.

We are

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, 7,600 employees (6,700 fte) and 13,100 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 the video below 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.