PhD position Motivating people to contribute to societal transitions
Are you interested in just and sustainable transitions, group processes and collective action? Are you looking for a PhD position with both scientific and societal impact? In that case this PhD position at the Environmental Psychology research group at the University of Groningen might just be what you are looking for. This PhD position is embedded in the national NWO-NWA project ECCO: Empower citizen Collectives in Societal Transitions: https://www.collectievekracht.eu/ecco/default.aspx),
Can citizen collectives such as community energy or climate initiatives drive just and sustainable transitions by motivating not only participants but also non-participants? Your research will investigate how citizen collectives (CCs) influence motivations, shared identities, and behaviours of both involved and uninvolved individuals, examining whether these initiatives inadvertently create polarisation or successfully foster inclusive engagement.
As a PhD candidate, you will have the opportunity to develop your own research questions, collect data, and share your findings with both scientific colleagues and partners from professional practice worldwide. Under the supervision and guidance of Prof. Lise Jans and Prof. Ellen van der Werff, and in collaboration with a motivated team of multidisciplinary researchers and societal partners within the ECCO project, you will work on furthering understanding on the motivational influence of citizen collectives in advancing sustainable transitions.
You will conduct a groundbreaking longitudinal field experiment with a network of CCs, tracking 40+ communities where new CCs will be initiated. Using surveys and experimental methods, you will assess changes in motivations, shared identity, and polarization over time among people who participate in these CCs and those who do not. You will compare different CC setups and their effects on diverse populations. You will develop the “Motivation Mapper” tool for CCs to assess and track their motivational impact.
