PhD position: Governing the risk of extreme water scarcity (Day Zero)

Are you passionate about uncovering how cities across the globe deal with the risk of extreme water scarcity? What are the consequences for urban communities? Do cities respond in ways that make them better prepared for the next extreme event? This PhD position offers the opportunity to deeply engage with these urgent global challenges and contribute to meaningful, interdisciplinary research. 

‘Day Zero’ events, where cities announce they are about to run out of water, are becoming increasingly frequent due to climate change. They are magnets for societal attention, but to what extent does anything fundamentally change by declaring such a crisis, and if so, how and why? As a PhD researcher on the UnderPRESSURE project, funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO), you will contribute to exploring how different societal and political actors perceive and frame the risk of acute water crises and how their ‘risk images’ influence urban responses to challenges in the water system. 

The UnderPRESSURE project aims to analyse critical cases of extreme water scarcity from Bogotá, Mexico City, Barcelona, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Cape Town to understand how different risk images of acute water scarcity influence the way policymakers, companies, and citizens respond to these risks. A central question is whether and how impending or actual crises can work as inflection points for transformative change. 

Working with a team of PhDs and a Postdoc and local partners, the project aims to test across these six cities (i) how policy risk images are aligned or diverge throughout the crisis, (ii) how they trigger policy change, and, zooming in on two cities, (iii) how risks are perceived and managed by water consumers, and (iv) how the plurality of risk images can be harnessed for transformative governance pathways towards water security.

Your role is to examine and compare Day Zero events in the six cities, and to analyse how risks are governed in terms of immediate crisis response, policy prioritisation, and longer-term politics of water scarcity through policy document analysis and semi-structured interviews with policymakers and water authorities. In two in-depth case study sites (Bogotá and Bengaluru), you will also contribute to examining risk perception, behaviour and management among water consumers through household surveys, and support scenario workshops and deliberative approaches to explore how diverse risk images can inform transformative governance. The position also includes the opportunity to engage in teaching and thesis supervision. 

We are looking for a motivated PhD candidate eager to engage with UnderPRESSURE’s multi-method research design, which combines surveys, semi-structured interviews, and analysis of scientific, media and policy texts, as well as participatory foresight and evidence-informed deliberation processes. The goal is to facilitate societal participation in decision-making and develop practical tools for policy design. 

Your duties and responsibilities include: 

• Reviewing scientific literature and policy documents, including a large-scale inventory of cases;
• Advancing conceptual thinking by linking risk governance and transformation theory;
• Conducting stakeholder mapping, semi-structured interviews, and household surveys on risk perceptions and responses, and contributing to future scenario workshops;
• Travelling for extended fieldwork to selected case study sites;
• Examining how policymakers’ risk responses across the six cities are influenced by risk images and analysing in two cities how water consumers perceive and adapt to acute water scarcity;
• Working at the science-policy interface, including convening workshops;
• Successfully publishing results in top quality academic outlets;
• Working as a team player in the wider project and group and contributing to outreach, societal debates, and educational activities.

You will work here

The research is embedded within the Public Administration and Policy Group of Wageningen University. We are an enthusiastic and international group of scholars studying the public governance of sustainability transformations. The UnderPRESSURE project (NWO Vidi grant) is led by Dr Johanna Koehler, who is an Associate Professor of Environmental Risk Governance.

You are a highly motivated individual eager to explore novel research directions on governing extreme water scarcity. While demonstrating intellectual curiosity, critical thinking skills, independence, and creativity in developing innovative conceptual frameworks and methodological approaches, your collaborative skills enable you to work across disciplines and cultural contexts. You are familiar with one of the Day Zero case study sites and interested in extended fieldwork in different geographies.

You also possess: 

• A completed Master’s degree in a field relevant to the topics at hand, including public policy and administration, planning and (human) geography, anthropology, sociology, urban studies, or other relevant social science disciplines, demonstrating strong academic performance and research potential.
• Strong qualitative and quantitative research skills, preferably with experience in working with interviews, observations, surveys, and policy documents;
• A keen interest in pursuing mixed-methods research and extended fieldwork in geographically diverse case study sites;
• Excellent skills in academic writing. Fluency in English; ability to speak languages relevant to the case study sites can be an advantage.

For this position your command of the English language is expected to be at C1 level. Sometimes it is necessary to submit an internationally recognised Certificate of Proficiency in the English Language. More information can be found here.

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 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. 

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.

For more information about the position, please contact Dr Johanna Koehler, Associate Professor of Environmental Risk Governance, via +31317482968 or email: johanna.koehler@wur.nl

Questions about the procedure? Get in touch with Noorien Abbas, Corporate Recruiter, via recruitment.ssg@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 31 May 2026. The first interviews are scheduled for 19 June 2026; the follow-up interviews for shortlisted candidates for 26 June and/or 6 July.

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: Governing the risk of extreme water scarcity (Day Zero) – 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.

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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.

​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.

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