Assistant Professor Spatial and Institutional Design (0.8-1.0 FTE)

Updated: about 1 year ago
Deadline: 06 Mar 2023

The Faculty of Spatial Sciences of the University of Groningen will appoint an Assistant Professor Spatial and Institutional Design. As Assistant Professor you will contribute to teaching, research and management tasks at the Department of Planning and Environment. Your main teaching tasks will be in design-related courses for the bachelor programmes of Spatial Planning & Design and of Human Geography & Planning, the master programmes of Society, Sustainability & Planning, and of Environmental & Infrastructure Planning, as well as in supervising master and/or bachelor theses. The ambition is to enhance our teaching programmes with elements of experiential learning, the development of a design-track, and a strong relationship with society and other academic (spatial) design education programmes. Next to teaching existing studio-based courses in both the Bachelor and Master programmes, as well as to associated theoretical and methodological oriented courses, candidates will contribute to the operationalisation and implementation of these ambitions. The position includes the allocation of dedicated research time.

To strengthen our team, we are looking for an assistant professor with an interest in both ‘spatial’ and ‘institutional’ aspects of landscape transformations and regional design. The University of Groningen aims to enhance its regional impact and relevance. Your research is focused on impact, and builds on collaborations with other design research groups in the Netherlands and abroad. Preferably, you have specialized in one or more of the following topics: climate adaptation, water management, mobility, (transport) infrastructure, community engagement, co-creation.

Organisation
The Faculty of Spatial Sciences consists of over 110 members of staff, 120 PhD students, and 1100 undergraduate students. The Faculty offers a vibrant academic environment with an international staff and extensive experience in working within international research projects. We focus on high quality teaching and research in the fields of social and economic geography, demography, and spatial planning. With a Faculty slogan of ‘making places better together’ and an overarching research theme 'Towards Wellbeing, Innovation and Spatial Transformation' (tWIST), it is our mission to produce research which is world-leading, distinctive, and policy-relevant. Design research is combined with spatial analysis expertise in our Centre for Advanced Studies in Urban Science and Design (CASUS). With two bachelor and seven master programmes, we provide a wide range of courses within the wider field of spatial sciences.

The Faculty consists of four departments: Cultural Geography, Demography, Economic Geography, and Planning & Environment. The Assistant Professor you will be positioned within the department Planning and Environment. This Department is involved in the master programmes Society, Sustainability & Planning and Environmental & Infrastructure Planning, and both bachelor programmes of the Faculty entitled ‘Spatial Planning & Design’ and ‘Human Geography & Planning’. Research at the Department of Planning & Environment focuses on issues of institutional design for purposeful interventions within the human environment.


  • an institutionally oriented spatial design Master, and PhD degree in urban design, landscape architecture, urbanism (or a related spatial design field), or

a design-oriented planning/social science Master, and PhD in (regional) planning, public administration, policy science (or related social science field)


  • particular experience or eagerness to engage in research (and teaching) with a regional focus (including regions in the Netherlands)
  • good networking and collaboration skills for the development of an (inter)national network, collaboration with stakeholders, and the development of joint research and education projects
  • publications in international peer-reviewed academic journals
  • evidence of a research agenda consistent with Faculty research and a willingness to supervise PhD students
  • possession of a University Teaching Qualification (or similar), or preparedness to acquire this qualification within a reasonable timeframe
  • experience with various teaching approaches; awareness of and a willingness to apply the latest innovations in teaching
  • an ability to develop and maintain university–industry/practice networks in the fields listed above, including a willingness to participate in external projects, events and presentations
  • a willingness to participate in appropriate Faculty committees and/or other management tasks
  • fluency in English and in Dutch, or a willingness to learn Dutch (to at least CEFR B2 level within 2 years – for reading and listening).

We offer you in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities:

  • a salary, depending on qualifications and work experience, with a minimum of € 3,974 to a maximum of € 5,439 (scale 11) gross per month for a full-time position
  • a holiday allowance of 8% gross annual income
  • an 8.3% annual bonus
  • minimum of 29 holidays and additional 12 holidays in case of full-time employment.

You will be appointed initially on a temporary basis for one year with an outlook to a permanent position when you meet the criteria.

The conditions are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU).

For more detailed information about working conditions and working for the University of Groningen, please check: https://www.rug.nl/about-us/work-with-us/

Preferred starting date: 1 May 2023.



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