PhD Opportunity | Wageningen University & Research (WUR) | Public Administration & Policy

About the Opportunity

Wageningen University & Research (WUR), through its Public Administration and Policy Group, is inviting applications for a fully funded PhD position focusing on cocoa value chains in West Africa. The PhD will be jointly supervised by Dr. Jeroen Candel and the project lead, and will critically examine governance, policy, and sustainability in African agri-food systems.

African scholars are especially encouraged to apply.

Research Focus

The PhD will adopt critical and bottom-up governance perspectives to study sustainable cocoa value chains, with strong emphasis on:

Public administration and policy aspects of cocoa value chains
Governance of sustainable agri-food system transformation in Africa
Political economy, critical, and decolonial approaches
Immersive, qualitative, and embedded fieldwork in West Africa
Engagement with government institutions and value chain actors

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate:

Holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration or a closely related discipline
Demonstrates strong academic performance and research potential
Has a clear interest in cocoa systems or agri-food value chains, particularly in West Africa
Shows affinity with critical, political-economy, and decolonial perspectives
Is motivated to pursue qualitative research and fieldwork
Possesses excellent academic writing skills
Is fluent in English (French and/or Twi is an advantage)
Can work both independently and collaboratively in an interdisciplinary and multicultural academic environment
Aspires to a career in academia