PhD position in “Water Footprint Assessment and Water Credit Design in Egypt’s Horticulture Sector”
Would you like to study the water-food nexus and contribute to real impact on the ground? Apply for this PhD position, where you will help shape water-smart horticulture in Egypt through the lens of water footprints.
The Challenge
Egypt’s horticulture sector operates under growing pressure from limited water availability, salinity, and rising competition over finite water resources. At the same time, the sector is economically important for food security, rural livelihoods, and export earnings, which means that improving water productivity is not only an environmental protection measure but also a strategic development and trade challenge.
These pressures call for better evidence on current and future water use, stronger metrics for identifying good performance, and more robust ways to link farm-level improvements to wider policy and investment decisions. They also raise questions about how private-sector actors can support and scale water-smart change, including through credible incentive and financing mechanisms.
The position
You will join the Water Footprint in Action programme, a multi-partner initiative funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and focused on advancing water-smart agriculture in Egypt’s horticulture sector. The programme brings together three complementary lines of work: building a strong scientific and evidence base, strengthening advisory and knowledge systems, and supporting business innovation and investment in water-smart solutions. Within this wider setting, your PhD work will mainly sit in the research and knowledge component, while also helping connect scientific insights to shared knowledge resources, decision-support tools, stakeholder learning, and new financing approaches.
A preliminary research plan looks as follows.
First, you will develop and apply quantitative approaches to analyse the present and future water consumption (i.e., the water footprint) of Egypt’s horticulture sector. This includes crop modelling using our in-house ACEA model, designing climate and socio-economic scenarios, and linking analyses across scales to local intervention settings, national policy priorities, and trade dynamics.
Next, you will work on water footprint benchmarks and performance indicators. In this part of the PhD, you will compare different ways of defining good performance, for example by looking at producer performance based on Best Available Technology and Best Available Practice, and relate these to broader sustainability and efficiency indicators.
A third part of your research will focus on how water savings and other water-smart improvements can be measured in a way that is credible, transparent, and useful in practice. You will help develop a science-based method that can underpin incentive or finance mechanisms for improved water performance, working closely with project partners and engaging with wider debates around environmental credits and integrity.
You will be embedded in an international consortium and work closely with partners in the Netherlands and Egypt, including Egyptian water and agricultural research centres. The position includes intensive interaction with stakeholders, frequent visits to project locations and case-study sites in Egypt, and an active role in a broader knowledge exchange programme through joint research, data exchange, publications, and learning activities.
Information and application
For additional information regarding this position, you are welcome to contact dr.ir. Rick Hogeboom, h.j.hogeboom@utwente.nl.
Please apply by uploading 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 one page summary of your master thesis) as well as relevant certificates
You can apply until 1 November 2026 using the link below. The application must not exceed 5 pages excluding certificates. The first (online) job interview will take place between 9-13 November 2026.
Screening is part of the procedure
About the organisation
At the Faculty of Engineering Technology (ET), we work on engineering for impact: developing smart, sustainable, human-centred and technological solutions for societal challenges. We connect fundamental education, research and practice across five core domains: Asset & Maintenance engineering, Intelligent Manufacturing Systems, Personalised Health Technology, Resilience Engineering, and Sustainable Production, Energy and Resources.
We work on education and research in mechanical engineering, civil engineering and industrial design engineering. Together, we learn by making, creating, and innovating, addressing challenges in a solution-oriented way. Quality, connection and inclusivity are the foundation of our culture.
In our open community, students, researchers and staff collaborate with industrial and societal partners. This enables us to develop insights, applications and solutions that add value to society.
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