Two Postdoctoral positions, on 'Land use, Sustainability, and Democratic Backsliding'

The Land Systems for Sustainability Lab from Earth and Life Institute at UCLouvain in Belgium seeks highly qualified & motivated candidates for

Two Postdoctoral positions on ‘Land use, Sustainability, and Democratic Backsliding’

This offer is also published on Euraxess: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/365457

Researchers will contribute to the ERC Advanced Grant project LUDEMO on ‘Land use, Sustainability, and Democratic Backsliding’ led by Prof. Patrick Meyfroidt.

The general objective of the project is to understand how societies can address sustainability issues in a context where democracy is backsliding, taking land use and land systems as a focal case of interface between sustainability and democratic backsliding. Here is a preprint discussing the scientific issues that justify the project. We will work through cross-country studies as well as three focal cases in Europe, Canada’s Northern frontiers, and Mozambique.

Postdoc position 1: Cross-country and comparative analyses Job description: This Postdoc will be in charge of the work on cross-country analyses using secondary data, comparative analyses of the three focal contexts, and synthesis. The work will include:

• Cross-country statistical analyses and systematic reviews of two-ways linkages between democratic backsliding and land system changes, using secondary statistical and geospatial data on global or regional scales.
• Comparative analyses and syntheses of the case studies.
• Contributing to supporting and coordinating the work of the PhD students working on each case. Profiles required: A researcher holding a PhD degree in geography, natural sciences, economics, business, data science, or social sciences, with a background in sustainability issues, land use and land systems, data analysis, impact evaluation, agricultural economics, development, or related; able to perform quantitative analyses and theoretical syntheses. Several skills can constitute strong assets, including outreach experience, data processing and programming skills such as in R or Python, spatial analyses and GIS, statistical analyses, in particular spatial statistics and impact evaluation. This position is initially for two years, under renewable yearly scholarships, but could be extended.

Postdoc position 2: Discourses on land use and democratic backsliding Job description: This Postdoc will be in charge of the work on analyzing discourses and representations of land use and sustainability in democratic backsliding movements and ideologies, including:

• Collection and analyses of existing documents (text documents, discourses, social media)
• Collection and analyses of primary data (qualitative exploratory surveys in each case covering various types of land managers, landowners and rural populations).
• Contributing to supporting the PhD students working on each case for this part of their work. Profiles required: A researcher holding a PhD degree in political science, sociology, anthropology, communication or related, with skills in discourses analyses and qualitative and quantitative surveys, ideally with expertise in sustainability and/or democratic backsliding domains. Several skills can constitute strong assets, including outreach experience with stakeholders, familiarity with data processing, text mining and quantitative / statistical analyses, and familiarity with some of the focal contexts of the project. This position is for two years, under renewable yearly scholarships, a short extension might be possible.

For both positions, the candidate should demonstrate a solid command of the English language, and the ability to work collaboratively in a research team and to establish a local and international networks.

Contracts will be based on Belgian regulations, depending on prior research experience, and will include the benefits of the Belgian social security such as health insurance.

You do not need to be a Belgian or EU citizen, nor have a work/residence permit in order to apply for these positions. Your visa costs will be sponsored. We value diversity, inclusivity and creativity and we encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply. Candidates should submit a CV and a cover letter detailing qualifications and research interests, to which position you apply, and names and contacts information of three referees to: Prof. Patrick Meyfroidt patrick.meyfroidt@uclouvain.be The review of applications will start on September 5, 2025, applications will close on that date. Starting date: As soon as possible.