Post-doc Forest Management under Climate Change
Your job
Climate change is profoundly impacting nature, ecosystems, biodiversity, and the services they provide to society. The COMBINED project – Combatting biodiversity loss and improving climate change resilience through evidence-based, integrated and adaptive landscape governance in the Netherlands – investigates these impacts and explores strategies to adapt and mitigate their effects. Within this project, forests play a central role, and we are seeking a motivated postdoctoral researcher to study how forest owners and managers make decisions in response to climate change and how these decisions can support sustainable, resilient forest management.
The postdoc will investigate how forest owners and managers perceive climate change, which measures they implement, and the factors that support or hinder adoption. By assessing the effectiveness, trade-offs, and synergies of different management strategies, the research will contribute to a set of robust, context-specific recommendations for sustainable forest management under future climate scenarios. A combination of methods will be applied, including content analysis, structured observations, surveys, in-depth walking interviews, and participatory scenario analyses.
The results of this work will generate new knowledge on how climate-smart measures can strengthen forests’ resilience while balancing climate, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. In addition, the research will identify practical and policy conditions that enable or hinder uptake, offering insights directly relevant to forest owners, practitioners, and decision-makers. This position provides, therefor, an exciting opportunity to carry out scientifically rigorous, interdisciplinary research with strong societal impact.
Your duties and responsibilities include:
This postdoctoral project will be carried out at the Forest and Nature Conservation Group (FNP). FNP is embedded in the Department of Environmental Sciences of Wageningen University, which provides fundamental research and academic education on our living environment. The chair group focuses on the political, socio-cultural and economic dimensions of forests and nature. The FNP research program includes three interrelated themes: 1 Forest and nature policy and governance; 2 Value chains and markets for ecosystem services; and Nature-society interactions. FNP is a member of the Wageningen School of Social Sciences (WASS) and of the Wageningen Centre for Sustainability Governance.
Your qualities
You are an ambitious and enthusiastic scientist with:
You will work here
The COMBINED project integrates climate, nature, and human interactions across grasslands, forests, and urban areas to promote biodiversity recovery, climate resilience, and healthy living environments in Dutch landscapes. By focusing on these ecosystems—multifunctional grasslands, climate-relevant forests, and urban nature—we aim to evaluate how biodiversity and climate interact, assess the effectiveness of current measures on ecosystems and human benefits, and identify social, political, and institutional barriers to implementation. Through harmonized methods, critical analysis of management challenges, and the development of broadly supported visions, the project seeks to enable adaptive, integrated landscape management and policy, delivering robust, actionable, and transferable solutions. Wageningen University & Research (WUR) is one of the ten knowledge partners in COMBINED, focusing specifically on research related to forests and forest management. Within the chair group Forest and Nature Conservation, research will be carried out by a PhD researcher, addressing policy-related aspects of forest management, and a postdoctoral researcher (this position), investigating decision-making from the perspective of forest owners and managers. The postdoc will work in close collaboration with the PhD researcher as well as senior researchers in the group.
We offer you
Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:
Wageningen University & Research offers plenty of opportunities for growth and development, with a strong internal recruitment policy and excellent training programmes.
You will work on the greenest and most innovative campus in the Netherlands, in an international and open working environment. For 20 consecutive years, we have been voted the " best university " in the Netherlands! A place to be proud of.
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.
Do you want more information?
For more information about the position, please contact Jelle Behagel, Associate professor, via +31317481090 or email: jelle.behagel@wur.nl.
Questions about the procedure? Get in touch with our corporate Recruiter, via jessa.rozema-stol@wur.nl.
Ready to apply?
Click on the application button next to the vacancy on our website. Only applications submitted through our website will be considered.
You can apply until 24 November 2025. The first interviews are scheduled as soon as possible.
Procedure
As part of our selection process, an assessment may be incorporated within the procedure
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’.
We pursue this mission through a synergistic approach between Wageningen University and Wageningen Research Foundation (applied research). Our research focuses on questions within the domains of food, living environment, and society. With approximately 30 locations, 7,700 staff members, 2,500 PhD candidates, and over 13,000 students, Wageningen University & Research is among the world’s leading knowledge institutions in its domain. The integral approach to challenges and the collaboration across various disciplines form the core of the unique Wageningen approach.
Read the 5 reasons why your future colleagues enjoy working at WUR.
We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves, so no employment agencies please. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.
Climate change is profoundly impacting nature, ecosystems, biodiversity, and the services they provide to society. The COMBINED project – Combatting biodiversity loss and improving climate change resilience through evidence-based, integrated and adaptive landscape governance in the Netherlands – investigates these impacts and explores strategies to adapt and mitigate their effects. Within this project, forests play a central role, and we are seeking a motivated postdoctoral researcher to study how forest owners and managers make decisions in response to climate change and how these decisions can support sustainable, resilient forest management.
The postdoc will investigate how forest owners and managers perceive climate change, which measures they implement, and the factors that support or hinder adoption. By assessing the effectiveness, trade-offs, and synergies of different management strategies, the research will contribute to a set of robust, context-specific recommendations for sustainable forest management under future climate scenarios. A combination of methods will be applied, including content analysis, structured observations, surveys, in-depth walking interviews, and participatory scenario analyses.
The results of this work will generate new knowledge on how climate-smart measures can strengthen forests’ resilience while balancing climate, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. In addition, the research will identify practical and policy conditions that enable or hinder uptake, offering insights directly relevant to forest owners, practitioners, and decision-makers. This position provides, therefor, an exciting opportunity to carry out scientifically rigorous, interdisciplinary research with strong societal impact.
Your duties and responsibilities include:
- Conduct independently interdisciplinary research to understand how forest owners and managers make decisions in response to climate change and implement climate-smart management strategies.
- Analyze and synthesize data from surveys, interviews, and field observations to reveal patterns, insights, and effectiveness of different forest management approaches.
- Engage with stakeholders, including forest owners, managers, and policymakers, to ensure research outcomes are relevant, actionable, and widely disseminated.
- Disseminate research findings through high-quality publications, presentations at conferences, and contributions to workshops and stakeholder meetings.
- Support knowledge transfer and project development, including providing evidence-based recommendations, contributing to Project C deliverables, and participating in outreach activities to enhance the societal impact of the research.
This postdoctoral project will be carried out at the Forest and Nature Conservation Group (FNP). FNP is embedded in the Department of Environmental Sciences of Wageningen University, which provides fundamental research and academic education on our living environment. The chair group focuses on the political, socio-cultural and economic dimensions of forests and nature. The FNP research program includes three interrelated themes: 1 Forest and nature policy and governance; 2 Value chains and markets for ecosystem services; and Nature-society interactions. FNP is a member of the Wageningen School of Social Sciences (WASS) and of the Wageningen Centre for Sustainability Governance.
Your qualities
You are an ambitious and enthusiastic scientist with:
- a strong academic record (PhD) in a relevant field, such as environmental sciences, forestry, environmental psychology, behavioural sciences, or related disciplines, with a clear focus/interest on human decision-making and behaviour.
- strong analytical and research skills, with the ability to design and conduct independent, high-quality research on forest management, decision-making, and climate adaptation.
- excellent communication skills in English and Dutch, to engage effectively with landowners, forest managers, and other professional and academic audiences.
- interdisciplinary mindset and openness to integrate insights from social sciences, ecology, and climate studies to understand complex human–nature interactions.
- ability to work independently while contributing positively to a collaborative research environment.
You will work here
The COMBINED project integrates climate, nature, and human interactions across grasslands, forests, and urban areas to promote biodiversity recovery, climate resilience, and healthy living environments in Dutch landscapes. By focusing on these ecosystems—multifunctional grasslands, climate-relevant forests, and urban nature—we aim to evaluate how biodiversity and climate interact, assess the effectiveness of current measures on ecosystems and human benefits, and identify social, political, and institutional barriers to implementation. Through harmonized methods, critical analysis of management challenges, and the development of broadly supported visions, the project seeks to enable adaptive, integrated landscape management and policy, delivering robust, actionable, and transferable solutions. Wageningen University & Research (WUR) is one of the ten knowledge partners in COMBINED, focusing specifically on research related to forests and forest management. Within the chair group Forest and Nature Conservation, research will be carried out by a PhD researcher, addressing policy-related aspects of forest management, and a postdoctoral researcher (this position), investigating decision-making from the perspective of forest owners and managers. The postdoc will work in close collaboration with the PhD researcher as well as senior researchers in the group.
We offer you
Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:
- sabbatical leave, study leave, and 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.
Wageningen University & Research offers plenty of opportunities for growth and development, with a strong internal recruitment policy and excellent training programmes.
You will work on the greenest and most innovative campus in the Netherlands, in an international and open working environment. For 20 consecutive years, we have been voted the " best university " in the Netherlands! A place to be proud of.
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.
Do you want more information?
For more information about the position, please contact Jelle Behagel, Associate professor, via +31317481090 or email: jelle.behagel@wur.nl.
Questions about the procedure? Get in touch with our corporate Recruiter, via jessa.rozema-stol@wur.nl.
Ready to apply?
Click on the application button next to the vacancy on our website. Only applications submitted through our website will be considered.
You can apply until 24 November 2025. The first interviews are scheduled as soon as possible.
Procedure
As part of our selection process, an assessment may be incorporated within the procedure
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’.
We pursue this mission through a synergistic approach between Wageningen University and Wageningen Research Foundation (applied research). Our research focuses on questions within the domains of food, living environment, and society. With approximately 30 locations, 7,700 staff members, 2,500 PhD candidates, and over 13,000 students, Wageningen University & Research is among the world’s leading knowledge institutions in its domain. The integral approach to challenges and the collaboration across various disciplines form the core of the unique Wageningen approach.
Read the 5 reasons why your future colleagues enjoy working at WUR.
We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves, so no employment agencies please. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.