Join our team!
We are looking for a motivated and curious PhD researcher to join the CINPHIA (Co-creation and Integration of Planetary Health Impact Assessment) consortium. You will conduct research at the heart of one of today's most pressing governance challenges: how can the Netherlands build regulatory and transformational policies capable of integrating planetary health across fragmented policy domains and government levels?
Working under the supervision of Prof. dr. Anniek de Ruijter and Dr. Katrina Perehudoff (UvA, Law) and Prof. dr. Robbert Biesbroek and Dr. Marleen Bekker (WUR, Public Administration and Policy & Health and Society), you will be embedded in an interdisciplinary consortium of legal scholars, policy scientists, public health researchers, and societal partners, including the Province of North Holland and the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport.
What are you going to do
Your PhD research will span several interconnected activities:
- Mapping the current regulatory and policy landscape for planetary health governance , including analysis of stakeholder networks across ministries, provinces, municipalities, water boards, and public health agencies
- Conducting AI-assisted evidence synthesis on integrated, cross-sectoral governance frameworks from the past decade of international literature
- Contributing to the co-design and iterative development of the Planetary Health Policy Compass, a practical tool to support integrated planetary health decision-making
- Applying and testing the Policy Compass with the Province of North Holland and other partners, and evaluating its usability and policy relevance
- Disseminating findings through academic publications and policy-facing outputs
What we are looking for
- A Master's degree in Law, Public Administration, Governance, Political Science, Environmental Policy, Sociology or a closely related within health and environment.
- Strong analytical skills and the ability to work across disciplinary boundaries
- Affinity with qualitative and participatory research methods (e.g. policy analysis, stakeholder interviews, co-design workshops)
- Interest in, or experience with, planetary health, sustainability governance, or health policy
- Enthusiasm for working in a transdisciplinary, practice-oriented research environment with societal partners
- Dedicated to translating science into social and policy impact for a healthy life sustaining plane
- Excellent written and oral communication skills in Dutch and English
- A collaborative mindset and the ability to work independently within a larger team
What we offer
- A fully funded 4-year PhD position (1.0 FTE, 38 hours/week) within a National Science Foundation funded, high-profile consortium project. The initial appointment is for one year, with a two-month trial period. Following a positive evaluation, the appointment will be extended by a further three years. The intended start date is 1 September 2026.
- A salary ranging from €3,059 (year 1) to €3,881(year 4) based on a 38-hour working week, excluding 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus. The CAO Nederlandse Universiteiten (CAO NU) applies.
- Your primary base will be the Law Center for Health and Life at UvA, within a rich interdisciplinary research environment spanning UvA and WUR.
- Tailored supervision with the main goal of supporting your academic and professional growth, and participation in the Amsterdam Law School's PhD training programme.
- CINPHIA training programme for planetary health talent development
- Integrated training, coaching, and peer consultation, with monthly meetings for PhD candidates and postdocs at one of the participating institutions.
- Direct collaboration with policy partners, offering real-world impact.
- Opportunities to contribute to training materials, policy tools, and public communication products.
- Access to an extensive network of relevant partners and an international expert network, including the Planetary Health Alliance.
Where you are going to work
How can we translate the connection between human and planetary health into policy? Over the next five years, the CINPHIA consortium, funded by the Dutch Research Agenda (NWA) — is developing a Planetary Health Impact Assessment to strengthen the impact of policy. The Compass consists of three integrated components: a Knowledge Compass, a Policy Compass, and a Community Compass. CINPHIA brings together researchers from WUR, UvA, RIVM, EUR, Erasmus MC, InHolland, KWR, and Waag Futurelab, alongside policymakers from local, regional, and national government, citizen initiatives, and societal stakeholders. Through concrete policy cases, the consortium jointly tests and refines the Compass supporting decision-making to protect and restore the health of people and planet.
Are you passionate about planetary health, governance and transformative policy? We are looking for a motivated and inquisitive PhD researcher for the CINPHIA consortium (Co-creation and Integration of Planetary Health Impact Assessment).
Join our team!
We are looking for a motivated and curious PhD researcher to join the CINPHIA (Co-creation and Integration of Planetary Health Impact Assessment) consortium. You will conduct research at the heart of one of today's most pressing governance challenges: how can the Netherlands build regulatory and transformational policies capable of integrating planetary health across fragmented policy domains and government levels?
Working under the supervision of Prof. dr. Anniek de Ruijter and Dr. Katrina Perehudoff (UvA, Law) and Prof. dr. Robbert Biesbroek and Dr. Marleen Bekker (WUR, Public Administration and Policy & Health and Society), you will be embedded in an interdisciplinary consortium of legal scholars, policy scientists, public health researchers, and societal partners, including the Province of North Holland and the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport.
What are you going to do
Your PhD research will span several interconnected activities:
- Mapping the current regulatory and policy landscape for planetary health governance , including analysis of stakeholder networks across ministries, provinces, municipalities, water boards, and public health agencies
- Conducting AI-assisted evidence synthesis on integrated, cross-sectoral governance frameworks from the past decade of international literature
- Contributing to the co-design and iterative development of the Planetary Health Policy Compass, a practical tool to support integrated planetary health decision-making
- Applying and testing the Policy Compass with the Province of North Holland and other partners, and evaluating its usability and policy relevance
- Disseminating findings through academic publications and policy-facing outputs
What we are looking for
- A Master's degree in Law, Public Administration, Governance, Political Science, Environmental Policy, Sociology or a closely related within health and environment.
- Strong analytical skills and the ability to work across disciplinary boundaries
- Affinity with qualitative and participatory research methods (e.g. policy analysis, stakeholder interviews, co-design workshops)
- Interest in, or experience with, planetary health, sustainability governance, or health policy
- Enthusiasm for working in a transdisciplinary, practice-oriented research environment with societal partners
- Dedicated to translating science into social and policy impact for a healthy life sustaining plane
- Excellent written and oral communication skills in Dutch and English
- A collaborative mindset and the ability to work independently within a larger team
What we offer
- A fully funded 4-year PhD position (1.0 FTE, 38 hours/week) within a National Science Foundation funded, high-profile consortium project. The initial appointment is for one year, with a two-month trial period. Following a positive evaluation, the appointment will be extended by a further three years. The intended start date is 1 September 2026.
- A salary ranging from €3,059 (year 1) to €3,881(year 4) based on a 38-hour working week, excluding 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus. The CAO Nederlandse Universiteiten (CAO NU) applies.
- Your primary base will be the Law Center for Health and Life at UvA, within a rich interdisciplinary research environment spanning UvA and WUR.
- Tailored supervision with the main goal of supporting your academic and professional growth, and participation in the Amsterdam Law School's PhD training programme.
- CINPHIA training programme for planetary health talent development
- Integrated training, coaching, and peer consultation, with monthly meetings for PhD candidates and postdocs at one of the participating institutions.
- Direct collaboration with policy partners, offering real-world impact.
- Opportunities to contribute to training materials, policy tools, and public communication products.
- Access to an extensive network of relevant partners and an international expert network, including the Planetary Health Alliance.
Where you are going to work
How can we translate the connection between human and planetary health into policy? Over the next five years, the CINPHIA consortium, funded by the Dutch Research Agenda (NWA) — is developing a Planetary Health Impact Assessment to strengthen the impact of policy. The Compass consists of three integrated components: a Knowledge Compass, a Policy Compass, and a Community Compass. CINPHIA brings together researchers from WUR, UvA, RIVM, EUR, Erasmus MC, InHolland, KWR, and Waag Futurelab, alongside policymakers from local, regional, and national government, citizen initiatives, and societal stakeholders. Through concrete policy cases, the consortium jointly tests and refines the Compass supporting decision-making to protect and restore the health of people and planet.
If this profile fits you and you are interested in the role, we look forward to receiving your application via the apply button. We will accept applications until 30 May 2026. Online interviews with shortlisted candidates are planned for June 2026, and we aim to inform candidates of the outcome as soon as possible thereafter. We hope the successful candidate will start on 1 September 2026.
Please note that only two documents can be uploaded, please combine the required files accordingly.
File 1: motivation letter; CV (max. 3 pages); initial reflection on the PhD topic (max. 800 words, excluding references); a writing sample of a recently written, single-authored piece in English (max. 30 pages); contact details of two academic referees.
File 2: copies of your Bachelor's and Master's degree certificates, including information on programme length, content, courses taken, and grades.
For questions about the position, please contact us by email, a.deruijter@uva.nl
