A fully funded PhD position is now open at Wageningen University & Research (WUR) to investigate how European citizens and stakeholders perceive biodiversity and how these perceptions influence behaviour, public discourse, and policy implementation.
The project is part of the Horizon Europe initiative BIOLOGUE, bringing together leading universities and NGOs across Europe. It aims to better understand how values, identities, and emotions shape attitudes towards nature and conservation, including polarisation and conflicts between stakeholder groups such as farmers, landowners, and environmental advocates.
The successful candidate will design and analyse large-scale surveys at European, national and regional levels, contributing to a comparative understanding of biodiversity perceptions across different contexts. The research will also explore links between survey data and social media analysis, providing insights into how narratives around biodiversity evolve and spread.
A key objective is to translate findings into practical communication strategies and policy recommendations, supporting more effective and socially inclusive approaches to biodiversity conservation and the implementation of the EU Nature Restoration Regulation.
The PhD will be embedded within the Forest and Nature Conservation Policy Group at WUR and supervised by Dr Arjen Buijs and Dr Marko Lovric. The position offers an international and interdisciplinary working environment, with strong collaboration across a European research consortium.
Candidates should hold an MSc in social or environmental sciences with a focus on quantitative research methods and demonstrate strong skills in statistical analysis of large survey datasets. Experience with tools such as R, SPSS or Python will be an asset.
Applications are open until 28 June 2026, with interviews scheduled for early July.
