Recruitment

Recruitment of 15 Marie Sklodowska-Curie ESR Fellows

RECOMS is a Marie Sklodowska Curie (MSCA) Innovative Training Network funded by the European Commission (2018-2022). RECOMS is comprised of a transdisciplinary consortium of scientists, practitioners and change agents from eleven public, private and non-profit organisations, located in six European Union countries: Austria, Belgium, England, Finland, Germany and The Netherlands. 

The purpose of RECOMS is to train 15 Early Stage Research (ESR) Fellows in innovative, transdisciplinary and transformative approaches to promoting and facilitating resourceful and resilient community environmental practice.

The 15 Early Stage Research Fellow vacancies are now CLOSED for applications.

In addition to engaging in a series of collaborative research and training activities, recruited ESRs will be supported in pursuing a doctoral study project. If you are highly motivated; inspired by learning and undertaking innovative research, thinking and knowledge exchange across disciplines, institutional boundaries and wider society; and wish to be part of an advanced, international, network of creative change agents specialising in resourceful and resilient community environmental practice; then one of these ESR vacancies could be the ideal appointment for you.

Co-supervised by academic and non-academic partners, the RECOMS ESRs will be encouraged to critically, practically, and creatively explore the contribution and relationships between their individual doctoral study projects across three interconnecting research themes: Unlocking and Empowering; Adapting and Transforming; Collaborating and Connecting. That is:

• Empowering and unlocking the potential of vulnerable communities to become more resourceful
• Strengthening the adaptive and transformative capacity of local groups through resourceful environmental practice as critical to building community resilience
• Encouraging a more just and inclusive approach to stimulating community resourcefulness by nurturing broader participation in resourceful environmental practices.

A core feature of the RECOMS programme - both with respect to informing the design and delivery of all the training, as well as enabling and maximising opportunities for knowledge exchange through research and associated outputs - will be the incorporation of a broad range of visual and creative research methods and modes of communication.

Research theme cluster 1: Unlocking and Empowering

ESR2: Urban Agroecology for Health and Wellbeing	Country: England. Host: Coventry University, Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience	Apply here for ESR 2
ESR3: Co-creating Urban Waterways as Socially Diverse Spaces	Country: England. Host: Coventry University, Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience	Apply here for ESR 3
ESR5: Perceptions of Risk: Adaptive Community Strategies	Country: The Netherlands. Host: University of Groningen, Department of Spatial Planning and Environment	Apply here for ESR 5
ESR6: Citizenship and Responsive Governance	Country: The Netherlands. Host: University of Groningen, Department of Spatial Planning and Environment	Apply here for ESR 6
ESR14: Environmental Justice through Resourceful Engagement	Country: Belgium. Host: Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. (ILVO)	Apply here for ESR 14

Research theme cluster 2: Adapting and Transforming

ESR1: Transforming Urban Environments: a Collaborative Approach	Country: England. Host: Coventry University, Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience	Apply here for ESR 1
ESR8: Nature Based Cultures in Vulnerable Communities	Country: Finland. Host: Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE)	Apply here for ESR 8
ESR10: Transforming the Bavarian Forest: Historical Perspective	Country: Germany. Host: LMU Munich, Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society	Apply here for ESR 10
ESR11: Transformation and Restoration: Portland and Munich	Country: Germany. Host: LMU Munich, Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society	Apply here for ESR 11
ESR12: Farms as Coupled Social-Ecological Systems	Country: Austria. Host: University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU)	Apply here for ESR 12

Research theme cluster 3: Connecting and Collaborating

ESR4: Building Coalitions: Socio-Spatial Planning	Country: The Netherlands. Host: University of Groningen, Department of Spatial Planning and Environment	Apply here for ESR 4
ESR7: Climate Adaptation and Socio-Spatial Planning: Waterways	Country: The Netherlands. Host: Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, Netherlands	Apply here for ESR 7
ESR9: Green Economies and Ecosystem Services	Country: Finland. Host: Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE)	Apply here for ESR 9
ESR13: Managing Social-Ecological Systems for Resilience	Country: Austria. Host: University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU)	Apply here for ESR 13
ESR15: Participatory GIS: Community Management of Open Space	Country: Belgium. Host: Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. (ILVO)	Apply here for ESR 15

Eligibility criteria

The ESR Fellow positions are fixed term for 36-months (beginning September 1^st 2018). The ESR Fellows will be employed with normal social security coverage by the host institutions and will have all benefits provided for in the MSCA-ITN early career fellowship regulations, including a highly competitive remuneration, living allowances and mobility expenses.

As part of their employment contract individual ESR Fellows will be registered (subject to eligibility) as a doctoral student. In the case of ESRs hosted by non-academic institutions, they will be registered for doctoral study at either another academic institution participating in the RECOMS programme, or at another University within their host country of study. 

In accordance with the aims of MSCA-ITNS, the opportunity to undertake a short secondment at two of the other (public, private and third sector) institutions participating in RECOMS forms an integral part of the programme. In addition the ESR fellows will also have regular opportunities to visit the participating institutions as part of the schedule of research and training events.

In accordance with the rules of the MSCA-ITN, as specified by the European Commission, in order to be eligible for an ESR fellowship position:

-          Applicants must NOT have resided in the country of the (host) recruiting institution* for more than twelve months in the three years immediately before the recruitment date (and not have carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in that country) – unless as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention [*for (host) recruiting institution per individual ESR position, see above]

-          Applicants MUST – at the start date of the employment contract [1^st September 2018] – be an ‘early stage researcher’: they must be in the first four years of their research career and NOT have a doctoral degree.

For further information on full eligibility requirements please see individual application pages.

Requirements

-          We are seeking candidates who have a strong affinity with the RECOMS topic, are motivated by practicing multi- and transdisciplinary forms of research inquiry and who wish to gain a broad and advanced range of scientific and professional skills. Candidates should be willing to engage in participatory and action-learning based forms of research, training and knowledge exchange. Working collaboratively with the other RECOMS ESR fellows, and individually through their doctoral research projects, they should be enthusiastic towards exploring and experimenting with visual and creative methods and modes of communication.

-          The candidates should have proven skills in written and oral communication, be fluent in English and understand the aims, rules and procedures of MSCA Innovative Training Networks.

-          In accordance with the aims of MSCA-ITNs, and the research, secondment and training schedule of RECOMS, ESR Fellows should be prepared and available to travel to other countries (primarily within the EU) at regular intervals during their contract of employment.

-          Preferred qualifications for candidates include excellent grades, research talent (as proven by the master thesis, publications, participation in research projects) and personal ambition.

-          An IELTS English language test may be required.

-          Short-listed candidates will be invited for interview during April/May 2018.Where candidates are short-listed for an interview they will be required to submit a personal statement of motivation and short plan for their doctoral research, together with documentary evidence of their eligibility in conformity with the above listed regulations of MSCA-ITNs. Further information will be provided on these requirements at the point of announcement of short-listing.

-          Candidates should be available to start from September 1^st 2018.

If you are shortlisted for interview, please note the interview panel will consist of the host and non-host institution RECOMS partners. Your application will be available to all panel members from submission for the purpose of assessing your suitability for the post.

 

For general enquiries and further information on the RECOMS programme please contact Dr Alex Franklin alex.franklin@coventry.ac.uk