Four Assistant Professors (tenure track) of Human Geography & Spatial Planning (0.8 - 1.0 FTE)

The Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning at the Faculty of Geosciences of Utrecht University has vacancies for four early-career academics. Our ambition with these tenure-track Assistant Professorships is to further develop our teaching and research activities across the department.

Your research will be embedded in our Urban Futures research programme focusing on transitions to socially, economically, and ecologically sustainable cities. Preferably, your research connects with (one of) Utrecht University’s strategic themes: Pathways to Sustainability, Dynamics of Youth, or Institutions for Open Societies. An additional task is to contribute to the acquisition and execution of externally funded projects.

You will teach in our undergraduate programme in Human Geography & Spatial Planning and, depending on your expertise, in our Master's programmes in Urban and Economic Geography, Spatial Planning, Geographical Information Management and Application, and Geography: Education and Communication. Furthermore, you will supervise students working on their Bachelor's and Master's theses.

The new colleagues will be based in one section of the department but are asked to explicitly indicate at least one other section, to establish linkages and cooperation. The sections recruiting candidates are: Urban Geography, Economic Geography, Spatial Planning and Geography & Education. The department’s section of International Development Studies has already recruited, but is open for suggestions for crosslinks.

The position in the Spatial Planning Section focuses on research and teaching on the governance and planning of sustainable urban futures, and the changing role of urban and regional planning in sustainability transformations. In the field of teaching, the department particularly seeks to strengthen its expertise in Dutch and European spatial planning, planning design studios, and planning methods.

The position in the Urban Geography Section focuses on research and teaching on housing, migration, consumption, tourism, health and mobility in urban regions worldwide, with an emphasis on inequalities and sustainability transformations. Teaching is envisioned to take place in general introductory Bachelor's courses and in more specialized topical courses.

The position in the Economic Geography Section focuses on research and teaching on the spatial distribution of economic activities and in the Evolutionary Economic Geography programme. Current research projects cover topics like the geography of innovation, regional inequality, regional innovation policies, resilience of regions to crises like COVID, institutions and regional development.

The position in the Geography and Education Section focuses on research on the role of (in)formal teaching and learning in transitions to socially, economically, and ecologically sustainable cities and societies. This may include topics such as young people’s perspectives on transitions in their living environment, pedagogical strategies and beliefs of teachers, and questions related to a curriculum for the Anthropocene. Teaching is envisioned to take place in general introductory Bachelor's courses and in specialized courses in the educational Master's programmes.

The position involves 60% teaching and 40% research time. Activities include:

• teaching in our core Bachelor’s and Master’s courses;
• teaching in our research methods courses, including mixed methods;
• Bachelor’s and Master’s thesis supervision;
• research and publishing;
• creating societal impact and engagement with societal stakeholders, and
• proposal writing and project acquisition.