Postdoc: Socio-Environmental Spatial Data Infrastructures

Are you motivated by the critical yet complex challenge of developing a spatiotemporal data infrastructure that integrates human-subject, behavioural, and environmental data to support human action-taking in complex land systems? If yes, this postdoc position at Wageningen University is just right for you! 

The Geo-information Science team within the Laboratory of Geo-information Science and Remote Sensing is an interdisciplinary research group focused on integrated approaches to geospatial systems analysis. We apply a complex adaptive systems approach that explicitly emphasizes behavioural models of human action-taking and decision-making. Relying on geo-information science as the foundation of our research, we employ participatory methods and integrate qualitative and quantitative information to analyse the dynamic interactions within complex land systems. The resulting knowledge informs the development of models to advance our understanding of land use and land cover changes in space and time. We integrate local perspectives with regional and global contexts to gain a deeper understanding of human-environment interactions. Understanding and shaping land systems is a challenging undertaking. Land systems emerge from complex interactions among human behaviour, environmental processes, and socio-economic drivers, all of which vary across spatial and temporal dimensions. Bringing together diverse data, information, and knowledge—collected from survey data, narrative accounts, and participatory insights to sensor measurements and high-resolution geospatial data—is an essential prerequisite for studying these complex interactions. 

This Postdoc position focuses on problems related to varying disciplinary perspectives, heterogeneous data formats, and mismatched spatiotemporal resolutions, which together create significant challenges for data integration. To date, Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDIs) have provided the policies, standards, and technologies to share, and reuse of conventional geospatial data. However, most existing SDIs do not adequately support the integration of behavioural or human-centred data. Such data necessitates stricter regulations for privacy protection and ethical constraints, particularly when combined with location information or other sensitive data that could identify individuals. They also pose challenges in contextualization, as human behaviour is often deeply influenced by cultural, social, psychological, and situational factors. Yet behavioural and human-centred data are crucial to understanding complex land systems. Therefore, this project aims to expand the concept of SDIs to Socio-Environmental SDIs (or SE-SDIs). We are seeking a postdoctoral researcher to develop and demonstrate a conceptual SDI model for integrating multi-sourced, multi-modal data into a coherent data infrastructure and define the appropriate policies and standards for hosting, managing, and sharing the data typically used for analyses of complex adaptive land systems. 

Your duties and responsibilities include: 

• Develop and test a conceptual SDI model for integrating heterogeneous (conventional geospatial, environmental, behavioural, and human-centred) datasets, including qualitative and quantitative data, across spatial and temporal dimensions;
• define and specify metadata standards, policies, and documentation practices that support the responsible use and reuse of behavioural and human-centred data within SE-SDIs;
• collaborate with group members to align the data infrastructure with broader research goals;
• test and evaluate the developed SE-SDI model using real-world case studies and contribute to scientific publications. 

Your team

You will collaborate with GRS colleagues who have expertise in methods and tools for spatiotemporal analysis of complex land systems (including agent-based modelling), spatial data infrastructure systems and strategies, participatory serious gaming, and immersive technologies, as well as their applications in human-space interaction. 

You are a highly motivated and independent researcher with strong methodological skills and expertise in geographic information science. You should have a genuine interest in interdisciplinary research at the interface of social, environmental, data sciences, and policy research. 

You also possess: 

• A PhD in Geo-information Science, Environmental Science, Human Geography, or a closely related field;
• demonstrated experience with spatiotemporal data infrastructures and /or analysis of human–environment systems;
• proven experience working with human-subject or behavioural data in a spatial context;
• knowledge of spatial data governance and policies (e.g., FAIR principles);
• demonstrated ability to publish scientific research and communicate results;
• experience working with interdisciplinary teams and stakeholder-engaged research;
• excellent written and spoken communication skills in English (Level C1).

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Proficiency in programming and data analysis tools (e.g., SQL, Python, R, GIS platforms);
• experience with the management and analysis of human subject data (e.g., from questionnaires, interviews, behavioural experiments, eye-tracking, or participatory methods). 

You will work here 

You will work as part of a research team within the Laboratory of Geo-Information Science and Remote Sensing (GRS), which is led by Prof. Sytze de Bruin.

Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:

• sabbatical leave, study leave, and partially paid parental leave;
• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• there is a strong focus on vitality and you can make use of the sports facilities available on campus for a small fee;
• a fixed year-end bonus of 8.3%;
• excellent pension scheme.

In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will of course receive a good salary. Depending on your experience, we offer a competitive gross salary of between € 3.546,- and € 5.538,- for a full-time working week of 38 hours, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale 10). As for your contract, we initially offer a one-year contract that can be extended - if possible within (company) organizational circumstances - on good performance. Of course, we are happy to have a conversation with you if you have any questions about this.

Wageningen University & Research offers plenty of opportunities for growth and development, with a strong internal recruitment policy and excellent training programmes.

You will work on the greenest and most innovative campus in the Netherlands, in an international and open working environment. For 20 consecutive years, we have been voted the "best university" in the Netherlands! A place to be proud of.

Wageningen University & Research is the university and research centre for life sciences. The themes we deal with are relevant to everyone around the world and Wageningen, therefore, has a large international community and a lot to offer to international employees. 

Because we expect you to work and live in the Netherlands our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family. 

Feeling welcome also has everything to do with being well informed. Wageningen University & Research's International Community page contains practical information about what we can do to support international employees coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, our Welcome Center can assist you with any additional advice and information about for example housing, opening a bank account, dual career programs or schooling. Finally, certain categories of international staff may be eligible for a tax exemption on a part of their salary during the first five years in the Netherlands.

For more information about the position, please contact Prof. Dr. Sytze de Bruin: sytze.debruin@wur.nl

Questions about the procedure? Get in touch with Jessa Rozema, Corporate Recruiter, via jessa.rozema-stol@wur.nl.

Ready to apply?
Click on the application button next to the vacancy on our website. Only applications submitted through our website will be considered.

You can apply until Friday February 13, 2026. The interviews are scheduled for the first week of March, 2026.

Procedure
As part of our selection process, an assessment may be incorporated within the procedure

Welcome, safe, and valued
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) highly values diversity and inclusion because we believe that different insights lead to innovative solutions. We create a work environment where everyone feels welcome, safe, and appreciated, regardless of background, identity, or experience. Together, we are building a culture where everyone's unique contribution adds to the success of our organization.

​The mission of Wageningen University & Research is “To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life”. Under the banner Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen University and the specialised research institutes of the Wageningen Research Foundation have joined forces in contributing to finding solutions to important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment. With its roughly 30 branches, 7,600 employees (6,700 fte) and 13,100 students and over 150,000 participants to WUR’s Life Long Learning, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. The unique Wageningen approach lies in its integrated approach to issues and the collaboration between different disciplines.

Read the 5 reasons why your future colleagues enjoy working at WUR and watch the video below to get an idea of our green campus!

We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves, so no employment agencies please. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.

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