Research Assistant (m/f/d), EG 13 TV-H
Application deadline:
01.10.2024
Date of hire:
01.01.2025
vacancy number:37685
for a Transdisciplinary transformative case study with a focus on sustainability initiatives as actors of transformative change (Romania as case study country)
Part time position with 75,00 percent of the working hours of a full-time employee. The position is limited first to 3,5 years as part of the project ‘LEVER: “Our sustainabLe futurE, the ValuEs that dRive it, and how to get there” in accordance with Section 2 (1) WissZeitVG. fixed term. The possibility of doctoral studies is given.
The Kassel Institute for Sustainability is a new interdisciplinary center in the field of sustainability transformation with a unique four-fold focus on nature, technology, culture, and society. The center aims to become a significant player in developing options to inspire and enable social transformations as per the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), through scholarly research, effective networking, and dedicated teaching.
The Faculty of Humanities and Cultural Studies of the University of Kassel is a broad-based, diverse teaching, research, and educational unit that is characterized by a richness of conventional and unconventional topics. It welcomes inter- and transdisciplinarity within its doctoral programs, lectures, research projects, and science-society partnerships.
This PhD position is linked to the ERC funded project LEVER (Our sustainabLe futurE, the ValuEs that dRive it, and how to get there) led by Prof. Horcea-Milcu. The vision of the project is to reframe knowledge production for sustainability transformation, and to bridge knowledge, people, and action. It seeks to develop and apply the theory and practice of how to conduct research that purposefully supports sustainability transformation, with a special focus on how to activate sustainability-aligned values for sustainability transformation(s). This PhD position is starting together with a team of new PhD candidates, each focusing on different case studies. We are therefore a growing team exchanging with a large network including, for example, research groups at the Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science, Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (Karlsruhe), Institute of Environmental Planning (Hannover), Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development (Utrecht).
TasksScientific collaboration in the above-mentioned project with a focus on:
The role of sustainability initiatives in sustainability transformation
Place-based assessment of sustainability initiatives
Implementation of transformative methods within the frame of a transdisciplinary transformative case study in a municipality in Romania, with a special focus on the role of values as leverage points for sustainability transformation and the inner dimensions of sustainability transformations
Completed academic university degree with good to very good results in sustainability sciences or in sustainability-oriented social sciences, human geography or cultural sciences. The required degree must be available by the recruitment date at the latest
Oral and written proficiency in English
Romanian language competency is a requirement for this position
Previous experience in working with grassroots movements, community-based initiative or non-governmental organizations
Published work
Willingness to work in an international and transdisciplinary team
Please attach the following documents (as a single merged pdf file) to the application:
Curriculum vitae with publication(s)
Letter of application describing your research interests and your motivation for this position
The successful applicant will be supported to develop academic qualifications.
The research will be led by Prof. Dr. Andra-Ioana Horcea-Milcu at the University of Kassel in Germany.