SIRIUS Internship: Social innovation in urban food systems (fulfilled)

 
DRIFT is looking for an intern interested in supporting our work on urban food systems. Do you want to get involved in the research project SIRIUS and explore the role of social innovation in urban food system transformations? Join the SIRIUS team under supervision of our experts: apply for the SIRIUS internship!
 
The project SIRIUS explores governance of urban food system transformations in China and Europe. We are looking for someone who can support us in our research that takes place in the Rotterdam-the Hague Metropolitan area. DRIFT leads the research on social innovation and its diffusion in urban food systems and how this potentially leads to transformation.
 
Departing from a food systems approach we will map the different food system actors and activities and how they relate to each other. Based on this mapping we will choose several social innovations (ranging van grassroots and more mainstream actors) and unpack how their innovative practices deal with current and future food system challenges. Curious to learn about the wider project? Have a look at the project page!
 
Where do you fit in?
We are looking for someone who can support the SIRIUS project by:

• Establishing the current state of innovation in urban food systems, looking at both grassroots and mainstream actors through literature review and a cluster analysis;
• Supporting the SIRIUS researchers with the mapping of the urban food system and social innovation within the system;
• Contributing to the SIRIUS research by identifying how the social innovations deal with current and future food systems challenges: including interviews, desk-research and where possible site-visits.

 
The SIRIUS internship can be combined with writing a Master thesis! The duration of the internship is 3 to 6 months (upon discussion) and is to start in February 2020. The exact beginning and end date are open for discussion, but we prefer you to start as soon as possible.
 
What do we need?

•  An interest in the central themes of the SIRIUS project: urban food systems, social innovation, governance, processes of change;
• A creative mind and flexible attitude;
• Familiarity with writing and research processes;
• Excellent written/spoken English and Dutch;
• Someone who is currently based in the Netherlands.

 
Conditions for doing an internship at DRIFT

• We only offer internships to those who are either an EU-citizen or formally enrolled in a higher education program in the Netherlands. The internship should be a formal part of the educational program. Interns are entitled a compensation of 500,- euro per month (for fulltime internship) including traveling costs. Please note that your institution needs to give permission for the internship by signing the DRIFT internship contract (without this we cannot offer the internship).
• We ask all interns to write a blog on their internship to be published on the DRIFT website. Additionally, when someone is writing his/her thesis we expect them to present their research during one of DRIFT’s knowledge sessions.

 
Interested in the SIRIUS Internship?
Send your CV & a letter of motivation letter in one pdf document to Aniek Hebinck before January 13, 2020).
 
About DRIFT
The Dutch Research Institute for Transitions is an action research institute located at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Founded in 2004, Drift evolved from a Dutch based research institute to an internationally oriented institute with worldwide networks, projects and contributions in the field of sustainability transitions. We are a young, ambitious and interdisciplinary group of researchers, trainers and consultants that combine academia with reflexive activism. Our backgrounds range from innovation studies and environmental science, to sociology, political science, policy analysis, geography, anthropology, engineering, history, as well as economics and philosophy.
 
Drift aims to understand, facilitate and accelerate sustainability transitions, by putting scientific theory into practice and by implementing and developing innovative governance approaches, such as Transition Management. Next to (action) research, Drift advises governments and companies within the Netherlands, Europe and non-European countries. Furthermore, Drift is actively involved in education through multiple courses, coaching trajectories, workshops, in-company trainings and creative educational experiments. Read more.