PhD in NWO Project CERRADO
Join an interdisciplinary PhD project investigating environmental justice and sustainable agriculture in Brazil’s Cerrado.
Best for:Best for social or environmental scientists with strong qualitative research experience, Portuguese fluency, and a background in rural Brazil.
Overview
The University of Amsterdam offers a four‑year PhD position within the NWO‑funded CERRADO project, hosted by the ARTES Research School and the Centre for Latin American Research and Documentation (CEDLA). The research focuses on sociobiodiversity economies, land‑use governance and environmental justice in Brazil’s rapidly changing MATOPIBA region. The candidate will conduct qualitative fieldwork with small‑scale farmers, co‑produce knowledge with local stakeholders, and integrate ecological and social analyses. Expected outputs include a doctoral thesis, three peer‑reviewed articles, teaching contributions and policy‑relevant recommendations. Supervision is provided by senior lecturer Fabio de Castro and the broader interdisciplinary team.
What you'll do
- Submit a PhD thesis within the 48‑month appointment.
- Publish three peer‑reviewed journal articles during the doctoral programme.
- Present intermediate results at workshops and international conferences.
- Participate in the ARTES Research School and Faculty of Humanities PhD training programmes.
- Co‑teach undergraduate courses (up to 0.2 FTE) in years two and three.
- Contribute to project meetings, develop a shared database and support project activities.
- Co‑supervise two Master theses related to the research area.
- Organise knowledge‑dissemination events and engage with local stakeholders.
Requirements
Degree required: Master’s degree in Social Sciences or Environmental Sciences (or related field)
Degree offered: PhD
Language: English (proficient) and Portuguese (fluent)
Instruction: English (supervision) and Portuguese for fieldwork
Publications: Evidence of research ability through a master thesis and/or published articles
- Strong research skills demonstrated by a master thesis or published articles
- Solid knowledge of qualitative research methods
- Understanding of theoretical perspectives on environmental and agrarian justice
- Experience working with rural communities in Brazil
- Fluent spoken Portuguese
- Proficiency in English (written and spoken)
- Willingness to undertake extended fieldwork in remote areas
- Applicants must not already hold a PhD or be enrolled in another doctoral programme
- Open to candidates of any nationality
Funding & terms
How to apply
Deadline: 2026-10-29
Prepare a CV, a motivation letter, the names and contact details of two references, and a sample of academic writing. Submit these documents by email to the contact person. The selection committee will review applications and invite shortlisted candidates to an online interview in November.
- CV
- Motivation letter
- Two reference contacts
- Sample of academic writing
Contact
Fabio de Castro· Senior Lecturer
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