PhD scholarship in research project on women-led innovations in farming and rural territories

We are seeking to recruit a PhD student (m/f/x) (75%, 30 hrs/week), within the project “Supporting women-led innovations in farming and rural territories (SWIFT)”. Starting date: 01.03.2023, duration 3 years.

We are seeking to recruit a PhD student (m/f/x) (75%, 30 hrs/week), within the project “Supporting women-led innovations in farming and rural territories (SWIFT)”. Project Coordinator: Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC), Spain (Prof. Marta Rivera-Ferre); partner and coordinator at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna: Prof. Dr. Stefanie Lemke. This project is funded under Horizon Europe, Research and Innovation Action. 

Starting date: 01.03.2023, duration 3 years

 

Background and focus of the PhD study

SWIFT’s overall objective is to foster transitions towards sustainable, balanced and inclusive development of rural areas in Europe by favouring the deployment of women-led innovations (WLI) acting for change in agriculture, promoting gender equality in rural areas from an intersectional, feminist and human rights-based perspective. SWIFT pursues this by engaging in applied feminist innovation studies research better reflecting feminist and human-rights based approaches. This will enable to facilitate a change of framing in agriculture to address the social realities that perpetuate inequalities. We promote agroecological approaches in farming as these approaches effectively contribute to gender equality, resilience and sustainability.

The PhD candidate will engage in feminist and human rights-based approaches to agriculture and rural development in the European context. This includes to identify, map and analyse the structural barriers in agriculture and rural areas that WLI face and seek to address and overcome, as well as the opportunities, networks and capabilities that they represent. Through iterative feedback loops with WLI and other WPs, methodological guidelines grounded in feminist and human rights theories and approaches will be co-developed to document these barriers and opportunities, drawing on situated knowledges through the use of mixed qualitative and quantitative methods such as life histories, participant observation and inter-generational dialogues.

Your profile 

  • Master’s degree in agriculture, rural sociology, gender/women’s/feminist studies, rural development, or related fields. A social science background is advisable;

  • Experience working with qualitative and participatory methodologies; openness to critically reflect on your own role and position as a researcher;

  • Excellent oral and written communication skills in English; additional languages skills are of advantage (Spanish/Italian/French);

  • Good management and organisational skills;

  • Willingness to be located at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, as well as to conduct fieldwork in selected European partner countries;

  • Experience in writing academic publications would be of advantage.

Please send the following documents, as one PDF document, by 30.01.2023, to Stefanie.lemke@boku.ac.at.:

  • Letter of motivation outlining why you want to engage in this PhD research

  • CV with two references (contact persons who could be approached to provide a reference)

  • Certificate(s) of previous academic degrees

  • In case you have already published parts of your previous research or other work please include links to selected publications (academic and non-academic publications are equally welcome).

09.01.2023