PhD Position in Groundwater Care and Transformative Politics (India)
Explore how communities in India sustain groundwater through participatory initiatives and rethink aquifer governance.
Best for:Best for anthropologists, geographers, or development scholars with ethnographic experience, strong interdisciplinary curiosity, and proficiency in Hindi (or willingness to learn).
Overview
This PhD position at the University of Amsterdam focuses on the practices of groundwater care in India, examining how local communities manage, protect, and recharge aquifers for sustainable agriculture. Embedded in the ERC-funded *Aquiverse* project, the research bridges political ecology, development studies, and environmental humanities to analyze transformative governance models. The successful candidate will conduct ethnographic fieldwork in rural India, documenting institutional, hydrogeological, and socio-political dynamics. The project aims to contribute novel insights into collective action, human-environment relations, and equitable water governance. Collaborative work with a multidisciplinary team—including postdocs and another PhD—will shape the research agenda.
What you'll do
- Conduct ethnographic fieldwork to document daily practices of groundwater care in Indian communities.
- Analyze institutional and hydrogeological frameworks of selected Participatory Groundwater Management initiatives.
- Investigate historical and political-ecological links between groundwater depletion and agrarian intensification.
- Assess how irrigators navigate pressures to over-exploit aquifers in study sites.
- Collaborate with the Aquiverse team to integrate findings into comparative cross-case analyses.
- Present research at academic conferences and publish in peer-reviewed journals.
- Attend PhD training programs at Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR).
Requirements
Degree required: Master’s degree in Human Geography, Development Studies, Anthropology, or a closely related field.
Degree offered: PhD
Language: English proficiency at a level suitable for academic research; Hindi fluency required; proficiency in one additional Indian language is preferred.
Instruction: English
- Proven experience with ethnographic research methods (e.g., participant observation, interviews).
- Basic understanding of hydrogeology or willingness to learn.
- Strong academic writing and communication skills in English.
- Fluency in Hindi; proficiency in at least one additional Indian language is advantageous.
- Ability to work in remote rural areas of India.
- Familiarity with feminist theories or political ecology.
- Experience with interdisciplinary collaboration.
- No nationality restrictions.
- Open to applicants with prior experience in rural or field-based research.
- No age restrictions.
Funding & terms
How to apply
Deadline: 2026-11-02
Submit a single PDF document containing: (1) a 2-page application letter outlining motivation and qualifications; (2) your CV; (3) a writing sample (max 25 pages or an excerpt from a longer text); and (4) contact details for two academic references. Apply via the university’s online portal by the deadline.
- Cover letter (max 2 pages)
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Writing sample (max 25 pages or excerpt)
- Contact information for two academic references
Contact
Margreet Zwarteveen· Supervisor
Create a free profile to unlock your personal match score, the full requirements, funding details and how to apply — in English or Persian.