Assistant Professor in Geo-Computation and Natural Hazards (1.0 FTE)
Job description
The Land Degradation and Geo-Computation Group within the Department of Physical Geography aims at understanding terrestrial ecosystem functioning with an emphasis on natural hazards, land degradation and hydrological processes. Advanced and innovative earth observation techniques and field-/laboratory experiments are combined with spatio-temporal modelling techniques to improve our knowledge of land surface processes, landscape composition and the relation between these processes, vegetation, soil and geology. We address the interaction between the natural environment and human activities, such as land management and nature restoration.
We seek a highly motivated individual to strengthen our research and teaching in earth observation, image interpretation and analysis, geoinformatics, modelling land-surface processes and fieldwork. As the new Assistant Professor you will develop a rigorous research program in the field of earth observation and land surface processes and significantly contribute to our (under)graduate teaching program in earth sciences, mainly in the field of remote sensing, natural hazards, hydrology and field work. You are expected to take full responsibility for some courses and to contribute to others. You will supervise bachelor and master thesis projects, as well as PhD students. The teaching load will be approximately 60%.
Qualifications
The ideal candidate will strengthen research and teaching at the Department of Physical Geography, develop an internationally recognized research program in natural hazards and geo-computation and have a track record or high potential for generating research funds.
The candidate:
- holds a PhD degree in Physical Geography, Environmental Sciences, Ecology or another closely related research field;
- has profound knowledge of natural hazards and/or land degradation;
- has profound knowledge of and well-developed skills in earth observation, spatio-temporal numerical modelling and/or GIS;
- has experience with fieldwork and field experiments;
- is an inspiring lecturer to both BSc and MSc students;
- has, or is willing to obtain in the near future, a basic teaching qualification;
- has an outstanding record of academic research, reflected in high-quality publications and participation in international networks and research projects;
- is strongly motivated to actively obtain research grants;
- has strong communication, networking and organizational skills;
- is willing to perform administrative duties.
The candidate is expected to have an excellent level of English, both spoken and written. Candidates who do not speak or understand Dutch are expected to be able to communicate in Dutch within two years of the appointment.
Offer
The successful candidate will be offered a full-time position at the level of Assistant Professor for three years, which might lead to a permanent employment contract. Employment conditions are based on the Collective Labour Agreement of the Dutch Universities. Based on the experience and qualifications of the candidate, the gross monthly salary is between € 3,324.00 and € 4,551.00 (salary scales 11) on a full-time basis. The salary is supplemented by a holiday allowance of 8% per year and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.
We offer a pension scheme, collective insurance schemes and flexible employment conditions.
About the organisation
Utrecht University has great ambitions for its teaching quality and study success rates. This also applies to its clear research profiles which are centred around four themes: Sustainability, Life Sciences, Dynamics of Youth, and Institutions. Utrecht University plays a prominent role in our society and contributes to finding the answers to topical and societal issues.
The Faculty of Geosciences offers education and research concerning the geosphere, biosphere, atmosphere and anthroposphere. With a population of 2,600 students (BSc and MSc) and 600 staff, the Faculty is a strong and stimulating organization. The Faculty is organized in four Departments: Innovation, Environmental and Energy Sciences, Earth Sciences, Physical Geography, and Human Geography and Urban and Regional Planning.
The Department of Physical Geography conducts research and teaching and is partly responsible for the BSc and MSc programs Earth Sciences. Within the department of Physical Geography, the research group Landscape functioning, Geo-Computation and Hydrology (LGH) carries out top-quality fundamental research that focuses on natural hazards and hydrology and the interaction of these processes with climate, vegetation, soil and geomorphology.
Additional information
For more information please contact: Prof. dr. Steven M. de Jong, s.m.dejong@uu.nl or +31 (0) 30 2532749.
Apply
Go to the UU pages with vacancies:
http://www.uu.nl/en/organisation/working-at-utrecht-university/jobs
Select the position from the list and below the description is a button for on-line applications. Only online applications are considered.
Provide a 1-page motivation letter, your CV including a list of publications, a 1-page statement of research interests, and the names and contact details of three references with your application.
The application deadline is: 10/09/2015
Last Updated: 26th July 2019 by Gemma
Two internship opportunities at the International Land Coalition!
Are you a university student or recent grad? Are you interested in women’s land rights issues and/or the governance of a global, multi-stakeholder network? If so, ILC has just opened up two opportunities in its internship programme and we are looking for motivated candidates ready to join the ILC family!
ILC’s internship programme is geared to orient recent university graduates or students to the real work environment and equip them with better knowledge of the United Nations, IFAD and land issues, as a focus of the ILC.
For more information on the available positions and how to apply, see:
Internship opportunity #1 Administration and governance
Internship opportunity #2 Women’s Land Rights Initiative
Last Updated: 28th June 2019 by Gemma
New vacancy Utrecht University: Assistant Professor in Geo-Computation and Natural Hazards (1.0 FTE)
Assistant Professor in Geo-Computation and Natural Hazards (1.0 FTE)
Job description
The Land Degradation and Geo-Computation Group within the Department of Physical Geography aims at understanding terrestrial ecosystem functioning with an emphasis on natural hazards, land degradation and hydrological processes. Advanced and innovative earth observation techniques and field-/laboratory experiments are combined with spatio-temporal modelling techniques to improve our knowledge of land surface processes, landscape composition and the relation between these processes, vegetation, soil and geology. We address the interaction between the natural environment and human activities, such as land management and nature restoration.
We seek a highly motivated individual to strengthen our research and teaching in earth observation, image interpretation and analysis, geoinformatics, modelling land-surface processes and fieldwork. As the new Assistant Professor you will develop a rigorous research program in the field of earth observation and land surface processes and significantly contribute to our (under)graduate teaching program in earth sciences, mainly in the field of remote sensing, natural hazards, hydrology and field work. You are expected to take full responsibility for some courses and to contribute to others. You will supervise bachelor and master thesis projects, as well as PhD students. The teaching load will be approximately 60%.
Qualifications
The ideal candidate will strengthen research and teaching at the Department of Physical Geography, develop an internationally recognized research program in natural hazards and geo-computation and have a track record or high potential for generating research funds.
The candidate:
The candidate is expected to have an excellent level of English, both spoken and written. Candidates who do not speak or understand Dutch are expected to be able to communicate in Dutch within two years of the appointment.
Offer
The successful candidate will be offered a full-time position at the level of Assistant Professor for three years, which might lead to a permanent employment contract. Employment conditions are based on the Collective Labour Agreement of the Dutch Universities. Based on the experience and qualifications of the candidate, the gross monthly salary is between € 3,324.00 and € 4,551.00 (salary scales 11) on a full-time basis. The salary is supplemented by a holiday allowance of 8% per year and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.
We offer a pension scheme, collective insurance schemes and flexible employment conditions.
About the organisation
Utrecht University has great ambitions for its teaching quality and study success rates. This also applies to its clear research profiles which are centred around four themes: Sustainability, Life Sciences, Dynamics of Youth, and Institutions. Utrecht University plays a prominent role in our society and contributes to finding the answers to topical and societal issues.
The Faculty of Geosciences offers education and research concerning the geosphere, biosphere, atmosphere and anthroposphere. With a population of 2,600 students (BSc and MSc) and 600 staff, the Faculty is a strong and stimulating organization. The Faculty is organized in four Departments: Innovation, Environmental and Energy Sciences, Earth Sciences, Physical Geography, and Human Geography and Urban and Regional Planning.
The Department of Physical Geography conducts research and teaching and is partly responsible for the BSc and MSc programs Earth Sciences. Within the department of Physical Geography, the research group Landscape functioning, Geo-Computation and Hydrology (LGH) carries out top-quality fundamental research that focuses on natural hazards and hydrology and the interaction of these processes with climate, vegetation, soil and geomorphology.
Additional information
For more information please contact: Prof. dr. Steven M. de Jong, s.m.dejong@uu.nl or +31 (0) 30 2532749.
Apply
Go to the UU pages with vacancies:
http://www.uu.nl/en/organisation/working-at-utrecht-university/jobs
Select the position from the list and below the description is a button for on-line applications. Only online applications are considered.
Provide a 1-page motivation letter, your CV including a list of publications, a 1-page statement of research interests, and the names and contact details of three references with your application.
The application deadline is: 10/09/2015
Last Updated: 26th July 2019 by Gemma
19/02/2015 Land governance and food security – new knowledge agenda launched
The Food & Business Knowledge Platform (F&BKP) and the Netherlands Academy on Land Governance (LANDac) have developed a knowledge agenda on land governance and food security. Two activities have been taken up: a scoping study on the linkages between land governance and food security, and the development of a capacity building trajectory on the same issues.
Scoping study
LANDac has conducted a scoping study to gain insight into the complex linkages between land governance and food security. By focusing on the Dutch floriculture sector in four East African countries, the study provides insights into land governance – policies and regulations governing the access to and use of land – and how this relates to food security, both directly and indirectly. While research has been carried out to evaluate the socio-economic and environmental impacts of these investments, there is a significant knowledge gap in the land governance arrangements around the investments and how the investments impact local food security. The assignment has been executed by Evans Kirigia (an external regional consultant) and LANDac researchers. Results are expected this summer and interested actors are invited to work on the follow-up of these results.
Capacity building trajectory
LANDac has started the development of a capacity building trajectory on land governance and food security. The main component of this activity is the curriculum development of three country-specific trajectories for policy makers, development practitioners and private sector stakeholders in Ethiopia, Rwanda and Uganda. The aim of these four-day capacity building trajectories is to provide participants and their organizations with the knowledge to deal with issues of land governance and food security in their countries. Four issues central to this objective include an increased understanding of the complex linkages between land governance and food security; offering practical tools for improvement; linking up experts in countries; and scaling up of individual capacities to organizational and societal level. A related output of the capacity building trajectory is the updating and expansion of the existing LANDac country factsheets on land governance and food security (2012). Actors active in this field in the four countries are welcome to contact LANDac about this trajectory.
Follow-up
Various activities of the Knowledge Agenda will be linked. Findings and outcomes of the scoping study will feed into the capacity building trajectory. The study and the trajectory will also be linked to ongoing LANDac activities, including the annual two-week summer course Land Governance for Development, knowledge dissemination activities and the upcoming LANDac International Conference in July 2015.
If you are interested in receiving more information about the scoping study or the capacity building trajectory, please contact the F&BKP Office: vanessa.nigten@knowledge4food.net or the LANDac coordinator: g.betsema@uu.nl.
Last Updated: 26th July 2019 by Gemma
New article: Impacts of large-scale farming on local communities’ food security and income levels – Empirical evidence from Oromia Region, Ethiopia
LANDac PhD researcher Maru Shete has published in co-authorship with Dr. Marcel Rutten of the African Studies Centre a new article based on his PhD research in Oromia Region, Ethiopia. The new publication in Land Use Policy looks at the impacts of large-scale farming on local communities’ food security and income levels.
Abstract
This article investigates the impact of large-scale agricultural investment on household incomes and food security in Oromia Regional State in Ethiopia. It considers an agricultural investment project that has leased an area of about 12,000 ha for 45 years and was operational from 2008 to 2012. Primary data were collected from 300 households selected using systematic random sampling techniques from communities that had lost access to the de facto customarily owned grazing and farmland as a result of the project and a control sample that was not affected by the investment. Data were analyzed using the propensity scores matching technique. Our results in Bako show that in situations of long-standing competing claims to land resources and relatively high population densities, putting land into large-scale farming reduces local communities’ food-security status and results in a loss of income among local people. Before leasing out farmlands for large-scale farming, local people’s previous livelihood patterns and their de facto customary property rights should be taken into consideration.
URL: article
Last Updated: 26th July 2019 by Gemma
Report VGGT Masterclass
On 15 April, partners organized a Masterclass on the ‘Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security’ (VGGT). The Masterclass was hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and chaired by LANDac.
A report of this event is available here.
Last Updated: 26th July 2019 by Gemma
New article: Natural resource privatisation in Sub-Saharan Africa and the challenges for inclusive green growth
LANDac PhD alumnus George Schoneveld and LANDac Chair Annelies Zoomers have published an article entitled ‘Natural resource privatisation in Sub-Saharan Africa and the challenges for inclusive green growth’ in the International Development Planning Review (IDPR).
Abstract
In response to recent accumulation crises, the development community has begun to call for greater focus on ‘inclusive green growth’ (IGG). African governments have accordingly been encouraged to develop mechanisms to leverage private sector investments that are both inclusive of the poor and that contribute to the development of the green economy. Since natural resource endowment has long been the primary source of comparative advantage for most African economies, natural resource-based industries are typically prioritised for IGG. This article examines the structural institutional challenges of aligning existing natural resource management regimes with emergent IGG objectives. By showing how and why governments struggle to leverage the potential of investments in extractive industries and agriculture to contribute to IGG, this paper highlights that realising meaningful IGG in Africa requires strong developmental states willing to deviate from existing development trajectories. It is currently under-acknowledged by international development actors that this necessitates disruptive and transformative legal, institutional and economic reform.
The full article can be accessed here:
IDPR – Natural resource privatisation in Sub-Saharan Africa
Last Updated: 26th July 2019 by Gemma
NOW OPEN: Registration LANDac course ‘Land governance for development’
Large-scale acquisition of land in the global South has received a great deal of interest in the last few years. Especially following the food crisis (2003-08), and stimulated by the growing demand for biofuels, pressure on land continues to increase. This course provides a multidisciplinary analysis of the ‘land rush’ within the more general context of land governance in Africa, Asia and Latin America: the history and drivers, the diversity of stakeholders and networks involved, the urgency and current challenges, and innovative governance solutions.
The large-scale acquisition of land in the global South – often referred to as land grabbing – has received much attention from academics, policy-makers and media in the last years. Especially following the food crisis (2003-08), and stimulated by the growing demand for bio-energy, pressure on land in developing countries has increased quickly. Besides the demand for agricultural land, current land acquisitions are also related to tourism development, the rush for minerals and oil, industrial development, urbanization and nature conservation. Local populations often seem defenceless in this ‘rush for land’ and governments lack capacity to address the challenges. As a result, access to and use of natural resources, particularly in the developing world, is being transformed irreversibly.
Land governance in developing countries has to deal with the multiple pressures and competing claims in balancing economic growth, environmental protection and social justice. This course provides a multidisciplinary analysis of the ‘land rush’ within the more general context of land governance in Africa, Asia and Latin America: the history and drivers of the processes, the diversity of stakeholders and networks involved, the urgency and current challenges, and innovative governance solutions.
The course is organized by the Netherlands Academy for Land Governance (LANDac), a network of organizations interested in how land governance may contribute to sustainable and inclusive development. MSc students, PhD students and professionals from development organizations and related projects will acquire up-to-date knowledge on new land pressures and learn how to place these in broader theoretical contexts and policy debates. Participants learn about best practices in land governance from different perspectives and on multiple levels, from local to international. Topics are discussed in interactive mini-courses, lectures and solution-oriented workshops. The design of the course allows for participants to closely work together with professionals, experts and fellow students from a variety of backgrounds. This year’s LANDac summer school offers a unique opportunity to simultaneously attend the LANDac International Conference that will be held in Utrecht on 8, 9 and 10 July. Students will participate in the two-day international conference, allowing them to get a complete overview of current discussions as well as the opportunity to listen to and meet expert scholars working on these topics worldwide. Conference participants whose abstracts have been accepted for presentation during the conference can join the 2-week course with a discount: € 900 € 700 (course + course materials + conference participation + housing)/ € 560 € 360 (course + course materials + conference participation).
The tutorials in the two-week course provide a general overview of important themes such as the global land rush, land governance, land administration and land issues in post-conflict situations. This overview is complemented by a mix of case studies that illustrate issues and trends in specific contexts, cases highlighted in previous LANDac summer schools include (trans)national land investments in Indonesia and the Philippines, government-led land acquisition and resettlement policies in India, and World Bank policies on land. The course also investigates the trend of foreigners buying real estate for residential tourism in Costa Rica, land governance solutions in countries with weak institutions such as Burkina Faso, challenges for participatory land governance in Mozambique, and coping with urban pressures on agricultural land in Vietnam. Topics are discussed from a range of perspectives, blending insights from Dutch and international academics with those of development practitioners, representatives of farmers’ organizations and government policy advisors.
Day-to-day programme: Day-to-day Land governance for development 2015
More information and registration: Utrecht Summer School – LANDac
Last Updated: 26th July 2019 by Gemma
New E-publication: JARAK the short history of Jatropha projects in Indonesia
JARAK, the short history of Jatropha projects in Indonesia
The E-publication of JARAK presents the main results of the studies conducted for the research program “JARAK: The Commoditization of an Alternative Biofuel Crop in Indonesia” at Leiden University (Van Vollenhoven Institute for Law, Governance and Development) with partner institutions in Indonesia and the Netherlands. At the center of this site is the article “Jatropha: From an iconic biofuel crop to a green-policy parasite” which is the synthesis of the research program’s findings. While reading this article you will find links to 26 mini-articles that provide the background for the core article’s arguments, elaborate some case studies, point the reader’s attention to academic articles that have already been published by JARAK researchers, and position the parts of the central article in academic debates. The mini-articles demonstrate the variety of perspectives included in an interdisciplinary research program.
The E-publication is available on: http://jarak.iias.asia/
Last Updated: 26th July 2019 by Gemma
2015 LANDac Conference (8-9-10 July) – Register now!
The deadline for our call for abstracts is now closed. For opportunities for collaboration during the conference, or to register as a conference participant, please send an e-mail to the LANDac secretariat at landac.geo@uu.nl.
The LANDac International Conference on Land Governance for Equitable and Sustainable Development will take place on 8, 9 and 10 July 2015 in Utrecht, the Netherlands. The Conference is organized by the Netherlands Academy on Land Governance (LANDac) and its partners and aims to present state-of-the-art knowledge on how land governance may contribute to equitable and sustainable development, as well as setting the agenda for future research and fostering new collaborations for research, policy and practice. The Conference coincides with the 6th LANDac Summer School ‘Land Governance for Development’.
Participants of the Conference can also register for the annual LANDac summer school ‘Land Governance for Development’ that will take place from 6 – 17 July in Utrecht. Participants of the LANDac summer school will attend this conference as part of their course. The two-week LANDac summer school provides a multidisciplinary analysis of the various dimensions of land governance in Africa, Asia, Latin America and beyond. Participants acquire up-to-date knowledge on new land pressures and learn how to place these in broader theoretical contexts and policy debates. Participants also learn about best practices in land governance from different perspectives and initiatives at local, national and international levels. Topics are discussed in interactive mini-courses, lectures, and solution-oriented workshops. The discount price for the 2-week course is € 900 € 700 (course + course materials + conference participation + housing)/ € 560 € 360 (course + course materials + conference participation). More information about the course is available at:
http://www.utrechtsummerschool.nl/courses/social-sciences/land-governance-for-development
The deadline for abstracts has now been closed. The organizing committee will decide on the selection of abstracts. Following this process, selected authors are invited to submit their full papers, posters or (preparations of) other contributions by 1 June 2015.
In case you are interested in promoting new publications (books, journals, working papers) at the conference, please feel free to contact us. There will be space available to display publications.
If you have any additional questions, please contact the conference organizers through: g.betsema@uu.nl. We very much look forward to your contributions to make this Conference an inspiring event!
Call for papers LANDac Conference 2015 (now closed)
Last Updated: 26th July 2019 by Gemma
Secure and equitable land rights in the Post-2015 agenda
Secure and equitable land rights in the Post-2015 agenda. A key issue in the future we want
This technical briefing authored by a number of international organizations working on food security, natural resources management and poverty eradication and endorsed by many local civil society organizations around the world strongly encourages governments to keep the profile of land and natural resources high in the document on sustainable development goals to be endorsed in September 2015.
The Post-2015 Agenda must address the structural factors that undermine sustainable development. It is widely recognized that secure and equitable rights to land and natural resources are central to this effort.
Land rights empower people and provide a sense of dignity. They enhance food security and are fundamental to achieve the right to food and increase the productivity of small-scale food producers. They provide an incentive for ecosystem stewardship, and they promote inclusive and equitable societies whilst underpinning cultures and value systems. In most countries of the world, land rights make the difference for girls and women that need education, income and voice.
Secure and equitable land rights, particularly for those living in poverty and using and managing ecosystems, are an essential element of a Post-2015 Agenda that has the ambition to be people-centered and planet-sensitive.
To realize its transformative potential, the Post-2015 Agenda should ensure that all women, men, indigenous peoples and local communities have secure rights to land, property, and natural resources necessary for their livelihoods and well-being, and should devise a monitoring framework accordingly.
The briefing can be accessed through Oxfam’s website:
http://www.oxfam.org/en/research/secure-and-equitable-land-rights-post-2015-agenda-key-issue-future-we-want?utm_source=oxf.am&utm_medium=Z5pE&utm_content=redirect