PhD in Biodiversity Perceptions, Environmental Politics, and Survey Research Wageningen University & Research in Netherlands

PhD position at Wageningen University & Research on biodiversity perceptions, environmental politics, and survey research.

This PhD is part of the Horizon Europe project BIOLOGUE and focuses on how European citizens and stakeholders perceive nature and biodiversity, how these perceptions shape attitudes and behaviour, and how they connect to identity, polarisation, and backlash in environmental politics.

The project involves large-scale European, national, and regional questionnaires, collaboration with major European universities and NGOs, and translation of findings into communication approaches and policy recommendations. The research is embedded in the Forest and Nature Conservation Policy Group at WUR.

Supervision: Dr. Arjen Buijs and Dr. Marko Lovric.

What you will do: co-develop a conceptual framework; develop, coordinate, and analyse survey instruments; collaborate with scientific partners across Europe; link survey work to social media analysis; write scientific papers; and engage with stakeholders, NGOs, and policymakers.

Ideal profile: MSc in social or environmental sciences with a quantitative focus; strong experience with multivariate and preferably multilevel analysis; skills in R, SPSS, Python or similar; knowledge of values, attitudes, and behaviour theories; excellent English (C1); and strong organisational and communication skills. Experience with questionnaire design and analysis is highly relevant.

Funding: fully funded PhD position with salary according to Dutch university scales (€3,059 to €3,881 per month, full-time 38 hours/week), plus a tailored course programme. The contract is initially for 18 months and may be extended to 48 months in total.

Application: apply via the WUR vacancy page only. Submit a CV (max 2 pages) and motivation letter (max 1 page), total max 3 pages. A mandatory additional form must also be completed. Deadline: 28 June 2026.