The Challenge Egypt's horticulture sector faces increasing pressure from limited water availability, salinity, and competition for water resources. This sector is crucial for food security, rural livelihoods, and export earnings, making the enhancement of water productivity a vital development and trade issue. Addressing these challenges requires better data on water use, effective performance metrics, and methods to connect farm-level improvements to broader policy and investment decisions. The Role You will be part of the Water Footprint in Action programme, a multi-partner initiative funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs aimed at promoting water-smart agriculture in Egypt's horticulture sector. The programme encompasses three main areas: establishing a robust scientific foundation, enhancing advisory and knowledge systems, and fostering business innovation and investment in water-smart solutions. Your PhD research will primarily focus on the research and knowledge component, linking scientific findings to shared knowledge resources, decision-support tools, stakeholder learning, and financing strategies. A preliminary research plan includes: - Developing quantitative methods to analyze the current and future water consumption (water footprint) of Egypt's horticulture sector, utilizing crop modeling with the ACEA model, designing climate and socio-economic scenarios, and connecting analyses across various scales. - Establishing water footprint benchmarks and performance indicators by comparing different definitions of good performance, such as producer performance based on Best Available Technology and Best Available Practice, and relating these to broader sustainability and efficiency metrics. - Focusing on credible, transparent, and practical measurement of water savings and other water-smart improvements, contributing to the development of a science-based method to support incentive or finance mechanisms for enhanced water performance. You will collaborate with an international consortium and engage with partners in the Netherlands and Egypt, including Egyptian water and agricultural research centers. This role involves extensive stakeholder interaction, regular visits to project sites in Egypt, and active participation in a broader knowledge exchange programme through joint research, data sharing, publications, and learning activities. Your Profile - Master's degree in a relevant field (e.g., water management, agricultural systems, environmental science). - Strong quantitative skills with experience in data analysis, modeling, programming, or computational research methods. - Ability to translate complex sustainability issues into rigorous research designs, including scenario and method development. - Interest in water footprint assessment, water-smart agriculture, benchmarking, sustainability metrics, and environmental crediting. - Collaborative mindset with the ability to work effectively in a multi-stakeholder environment. - High self-motivation and strong communication skills. - Willingness to travel and conduct regular project visits in Egypt for research activities and partner collaboration. - Motivation to contribute to high-quality academic research and applied impact in an international, policy-relevant project. - Proficiency in Arabic is a strong asset; being an Arabic speaker with experience in the Egyptian context is beneficial. - Availability to start the position on January 1, 2027. Our Offer - A full-time 4-year PhD position with excellent mentorship and a stimulating research environment. - Encouragement of high responsibility and independence while collaborating with colleagues and partners. - Gross monthly salary ranging from €3,204 in the first year to €4,051 in the fourth year, in accordance with the collective labour agreement for Dutch universities (CAO-NU). - Minimum of 232 leave hours for full-time employment based on a formal workweek of 38 hours, with additional leave for working 40 hours a week. - Excellent fringe benefits including an 8% holiday allowance, an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, a solid pension scheme, healthcare benefits, free access to sports facilities, and family-friendly policies including parental leave. Information and Application For further information regarding this position, please contact dr.ir. Rick Hogeboom at h.j.hogeboom@utwente.nl. To apply, upload a motivation letter (1 page), your CV (max 3 pages), a writing sample (max 1 page, e.g., an abstract of a publication or a summary of your master thesis), and relevant certificates. Applications are open until November 1, 2026. The first online job interviews will take place between November 9-13, 2026. Screening is part of the application process.