Full Professor, Director Centre for World Food Studies

Full Professor, Director Centre for World Food Studies (f/m)

For 1.0 fte

Vacancy number: 13343.

The Faculty of Economics and Business Administration of the VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and the Centre for World Food Studies (Dutch acronym SOW-VU) invite applications for the position of Full Professor, Director SOW-VU.

The Faculty of Economics and Business Administration

The Faculty of Economics and Business Administration seeks to combine quality education with excellent research. The Faculty is the largest faculty of VU University Amsterdam.  FEWEB accommodates approximately 4000 students, 1450 postgraduate students and 600 employees. The scientific staff consists of professors, lecturers, researchers and PhD’s, and is connected to the various departments.

The Centre for World Food Studies

The Centre for World Food Studies (SOW-VU) was established as successor of the MOIRA (Model of International Relations in Agriculture)-project that had been commissioned in 1972 by the Club of Rome. In 1977, it became a formal research center at the VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, supported by a dedicated foundation. The Centre provides scientific support, at both national and international levels, to the formulation of food and agricultural policies and policies aiming at poverty reduction. It prefers to cooperate with scientists and policy makers from developing countries so as to ensure that policy formulation and capacity building evolve together. In addition, research-based advice is provided to national and international stakeholders on challenges for world food supply, at global, regional, national and local level.

To do justice to the variety of factors that influence food supply, sustainable agricultural development and poverty, research at the Centre rests on two main pillars. The first pillar is welfare economic analysis. The perceived need to combine insights from different fields, including agronomy, hydrology, nutritional science, system analysis and statistics has led to spatially explicit modeling of natural processes and commodity flows within a welfare economic framework, as well as to the representation of institutions, social norms and values.

The second pillar is the development of appropriate methodology for applied research, including methods for integrated statistical analysis, and calibration and estimation of applied economic models. The development of dedicated software for integrated statistical analysis of different types of data is one response to the challenge posed by the use of different types of data in various research fields. Major challenges for the future include the full exploitation of surveys repeated over time and the identification of the effects of policy interventions over time and across locations.

The emphasis on theoretical rigor and transparency while accounting for local specificities has been a major asset that has enabled the Centre to provide support for long term planning in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Thailand, Nigeria, and China; to conduct and analyze household surveys in countries and regions as diverse as Syria, Lebanon, Mozambique, Ghana, Francophone West Africa, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and the emerging economies in Eastern Europe; to contribute to various climate change research projects in West Africa and for Africa at continental scale; to lead a project on nomadic pastoralism in East Africa; to lead a research consortium in the Middle East on concerted sharing of water resources and to participate in international research partnerships.

Following the termination of institutional subsidies in 2012/2013, the institute has made a major change in course from a largely core funded organization to one with only very modest core funding and an active acquisition policy. Currently, the scientific staff of the Centre consists of 9 persons, but the portfolio of projects for the coming years is sufficient to warrant additional recruitment of staff, and to guarantee its continued scientific independence. The Director of SOW-VU is Full Professor at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration (FEWEB).

Profile

Methodological development is essential to maintain SOW-VU’s niche in successfully acquiring externally funded projects and to conduct advisory tasks. Hence, the candidate holds a PhD - preferably in economics - has a strong track record in research, which is supported by recent publications in leading international scientific journals, professional publications, and in authored or edited books with established academic publishers. The candidate is able to develop a research agenda for the future, to lead independent original research and to supervise junior staff and PhD students.

Educational activities are projected to become more important in the coming years, as capacity building in projects with foreign partners, but also as ways to strengthen the ties with Departments within FEWEB, and with other Faculties at VU University. Hence, the candidate has proven experience in teaching basic and advanced courses at academic level.

Thirdly, the candidate has extensive experience with project acquisition in the area of poverty reduction, sustainable development, and/or capacity building for policy support. In this respect, there is a clear preference for a candidate that has proven capability to develop and maintain long-term international partnerships.

Fourthly, the candidate has a strong international network in the areas where the Centre’s research, acquisition and advisory tasks are concentrated: poverty, hunger and food security, food supply at global, regional, national or local level, and sustainable use of natural resources.

Finally, the candidate has a proven affinity with interdisciplinary research.

Information and application

For information about the position, please contact Dr C.F.A. van Wesenbeeck, secretary of the recruitment committee (email: c.f.a.vanwesenbeeck@sow.vu.nl; phone +31 205989302). For more information about SOW-VU, see: www.sow.vu.nl. Salary is in accordance with the rules for scientific staff at the VU University.

Benefits

VU has excellent fringe benefits, please see (www.werkenbijdevu.nl) .

More information

The Structure Report for the position can be obtained from Mrs M. Maletic, managing director of FEWEB. Candidates who wish to apply for this position are requested to send a detailed letter with their motivation, personal resume and other information that may be relevant for the position to:

Mrs. M. Maletic,

Managing Director,

Faculty of Economics and Business  Administration,

De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV Amsterdam (Room 4A-22).

Application via email is also possible (vacature@feweb.nl).

All applications must include the vacancy number in the letter – and on the envelop when applicable - and must be received on or before November 23.