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2 Postdocs on mission-oriented innovation for food and health system transitions

  • VU Hoofdgebouw
  • Amsterdam
  • 0.8 / 1
  • Faculty of Science
  • Researcher / Postdoc
  • Postdoc
  • Closes on
    07-07-2025
  • Publishing date
    11-06-2025
Apply
Would you like to study and contribute to sustainability transitions in food, health and environmental systems? Would you like to do so in an action-oriented and transdisciplinary project around microbiome innovations? Then you should apply!

Your function

The Athena Institute of the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam is looking for two motivated and dedicated postdoctoral researchers in the Holomicrobiome project. In this position, you will focus on the governance of mission-oriented innovation for food, health and environmental system transitions.

The Holomicrobiome project is funded by the Dutch national Growth Fund and seeks to develop microbiome innovations that can help accelerate transitions towards sustainable and healthy food systems, health systems and environmental systems and stimulate economic development. At the Athena Institute, we are involved in studying and supporting the governance of such mission-oriented projects.

Questions that arise are: How can we understand complex transition processes, and how can mission-oriented innovation help govern them? How can we facilitate transformative learning between different scientists and societal stakeholders? And how can we monitor the impact of mission-oriented innovation projects?

Your duties

Position 1: Living Labs for mission-oriented innovation
As a team, we will work on setting up and running Living Labs in which scientists and societal stakeholders (including private sector) will shape the future of the Dutch microbiome innovation systems. As postdoc, you will play a key role in this task. Based on your interest and experience, you will develop and execute, in collaboration with the other team members, studies on how we can best set-up, facilitate and investigate multi-stakeholder processes in Living Labs that seek to contribute to mission-driven innovation in food, health and environmental systems. In particular, in this position you aim to bring into practice transdisciplinary and action-oriented approaches to help understand and support mission-oriented innovation. Concretely, your tasks are:

  • Developing, facilitating and supporting Living Labs aimed at bringing together scientists and societal stakeholders in the Holomicrobiome project.
  • Develop methodologies to co-create innovations in multi-stakeholder settings.
  • Develop research lines around one or more of the following themes: (1) transdisciplinary research approaches for sustainability transitions; (2) governance of mission-oriented innovation; (3) system innovation and transitions.
  • Write scientific articles based on (action-oriented) research on mission-oriented innovation
  • Contribute to the education (BSc/MSc courses and internships) of the Athena Institute in the domains of health & life sciences, innovation studies, sustainable transformation and/or science-society interactions.
  • Linking up education/research efforts at VU with the real-world issues addressed in co-creative multi-stakeholder initiatives.
  • Contributing to administrative tasks and responsibilities of the Athena Institute
  • Contributing to a pleasant, diverse, and safe work environment at the Athena Institute

Position 2: Evaluating, monitoring and learning for mission-oriented innovation
As a team, we will develop and implement reflexive monitoring frameworks to assess the transition process and the transformative impacts of the project as well as the transition management efforts of the Initiative. As postdoc, you will play a key role in this task. Together with other team members, you will study and design the development and implementation of a reflexive and transformative monitoring and learning infrastructure for the Holomicrobiome initiative. Aim of this infrastructure is to foster integration, interaction and social learning between projects (in practice), their impacts, and the ambitions of the Holomicrobiome initiative as a whole.

  • Developing and bringing into practice a reflexive and transformative monitoring & evaluation infrastructure for the Holomicrobiome project
  • Develop research lines around one or more of the following themes: reflexive monitoring in action, learning evaluations, monitoring and evaluation of sustainability transformations, reflexive monitoring and participatory methodologies, learning infrastructures for integration of science, policy and society
  • Write scientific articles based on (action-oriented) research on mission-oriented innovation Contribute to the education (BSc/MSc courses and internships) of the Athena Institute in the domains of health & life sciences, innovation studies, sustainable transformation and/or science-society interactions.
  • Linking up education/research efforts at VU with the real-world issues addressed in co-creative multi-stakeholder initiatives.
  • Contributing to administrative tasks and responsibilities of the Athena Institute
  • Contributing to a pleasant, diverse, and safe work environment at the Athena Institute

Both postdoctoral researchers are expected to collaborate together and with a (growing) team at the Athena Institute.

Your profile

  • PhD in transition studies, sustainable transformation, innovation studies, policy sciences, organization sciences, management or another relevant interdisciplinary field, such as science & technology studies or environmental sciences. Those with combined backgrounds in natural and social sciences are especially welcome to apply.
  • Proven experience in qualitative research methodologies, such as interviews, ethnography, focus groups.
  • Proven experience with facilitating interactive workshops, preferably in the context of (monitoring) system transformation processes, such as in transition experiments or Living Labs.
  • Expertise and interest in inter- and transdisciplinary research approaches in the collaboration between science, policy, practice and society.
  • The ability to work independently as well as in a team, in a flexible, adaptive and pro-active way.
  • Relevant publications in good quality journals that showcase your prowess in scientific research, writing and publication.
  • Excellent organizational, communicative and collaborative skills
  • Excellent command of English is required. Command of Dutch is very much appreciated.

We have two positions available. We seek to find a good match between candidates and the requirements of the positions. Please indicate in your application if one position has your preference.

As a university, we strive for equal opportunities for all, recognising that diversity takes many forms. We believe that diversity in all its complexity is invaluable for the quality of our teaching, research and service. We are always looking for talent with diverse backgrounds and experiences. This also means that we are committed to creating an inclusive community so that we can use diversity as an asset.

We realise that each individual brings a unique set of skills, expertise and mindset. Therefore we are happy to invite anyone who recognises themselves in the profile to apply, even if you do not meet all the requirements.

What do we offer?

A challenging position in a socially engaged organisation. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable. So in return for your efforts, we offer you:

  • a salary of minimum € 3.378,00 (Scale 10) and maximum € 5.331,00 (Scale 10) gross per month, on a full-time basis. This is based on UFO profile Researcher 4. The exact salary depends on your education and experience.
  • a position for at least 0.8 FTE. The employment contract will initially be for a period of one year. Extension of the contract is possible based on satisfactory performance. The maximum duration of temporary employment is four years. The preferred start date is September 1, 2025.

We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and regulations. Some examples:

  • 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
  • solid pension scheme (ABP)
  • the possibility to work partly from home
  • contribution to commuting expenses

About us

Athena Instituut
The Athena Institute is dedicated to making research and innovation more responsive to societal needs. To achieve this, we take a transdisciplinary approach, defined by multi-actor engagement. We bring together researchers, policymakers, practitioners and citizens to collaboratively address persistent, multi-faceted societal problems.

Faculty of Science
Researchers and students at VU Amsterdam’s Faculty of Science tackle fundamental and complex scientific problems to help pave the way for a sustainable and healthy future. From forest fires to big data, from obesity to malnutrition, and from molecules to the moon: we cover the full spectrum of the natural sciences. Our teaching and research have a strong experimentally technical, computational and interdisciplinary nature.

We work on new solutions guided by value-driven, interdisciplinary methodologies. We are committed to research, valorisation and training socially engaged citizens of the world who will make valuable contributions to a sustainable, healthy future.

Are you interested in joining the Faculty of Science? You will join undergraduate students, PhD candidates and researchers at the biggest sciences faculty in the Netherlands. You will combine a professional focus with a broad view of the world. We are proud of our collegial working climate, characterised by committed staff, a pragmatic attitude and engagement in the larger whole. The faculty is home to over 11,000 students enrolled in 40 study programmes. It employs over 1,600 professionals spread across 10 academic departments.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam stands for values-driven education and research. We are open-minded experts with the ability to think freely - a broader mind. Maintaining an entrepreneurial perspective and concentrating on diversity, significance and humanity, we work on sustainable solutions with social impact. By joining forces, across the boundaries of disciplines, we work towards a better world for people and planet. Together we create a safe and respectful working and study climate, and an inspiring environment for education and research. Learn more about our codes of conduct

We are located on one physical campus, in the heart of Amsterdam's Zuidas business district, with excellent location and accessibility. Over 6,150 staff work at the VU and over 31,000 students attend academic education.

Diversity
Diversity is the driving force of VU Amsterdam. VU wants to be accessible and receptive to diversity in disciplines, cultures, ideas, nationalities, beliefs, preferences and worldviews. We believe that trust, respect, interest and differences lead to new insights and innovation, to sharpness and clarity, to excellence and a broader understanding.

We stand for an inclusive community and believe that diversity and internationalisation contribute to the quality of education, research and our services.

Therefore, we are always searching for people whose backgrounds and experience contribute to the diversity of the VU community.

Interested

Are you interested in this position and do you believe that your experience will contribute to the further development of our university? In that case, we encourage you to submit your application.

Applications will be reviewed upon receipt.

Applications received by e-mail will not be considered.

Acquisition in response to this advertisement is not appreciated.

Your function

The Athena Institute of the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam is looking for two motivated and dedicated postdoctoral researchers in the Holomicrobiome project. In this position, you will focus on the governance of mission-oriented innovation for food, health and environmental system transitions.

The Holomicrobiome project is funded by the Dutch national Growth Fund and seeks to develop microbiome innovations that can help accelerate transitions towards sustainable and healthy food systems, health systems and environmental systems and stimulate economic development. At the Athena Institute, we are involved in studying and supporting the governance of such mission-oriented projects.

Questions that arise are: How can we understand complex transition processes, and how can mission-oriented innovation help govern them? How can we facilitate transformative learning between different scientists and societal stakeholders? And how can we monitor the impact of mission-oriented innovation projects?

Your duties

Position 1: Living Labs for mission-oriented innovation
As a team, we will work on setting up and running Living Labs in which scientists and societal stakeholders (including private sector) will shape the future of the Dutch microbiome innovation systems. As postdoc, you will play a key role in this task. Based on your interest and experience, you will develop and execute, in collaboration with the other team members, studies on how we can best set-up, facilitate and investigate multi-stakeholder processes in Living Labs that seek to contribute to mission-driven innovation in food, health and environmental systems. In particular, in this position you aim to bring into practice transdisciplinary and action-oriented approaches to help understand and support mission-oriented innovation. Concretely, your tasks are:

  • Developing, facilitating and supporting Living Labs aimed at bringing together scientists and societal stakeholders in the Holomicrobiome project.
  • Develop methodologies to co-create innovations in multi-stakeholder settings.
  • Develop research lines around one or more of the following themes: (1) transdisciplinary research approaches for sustainability transitions; (2) governance of mission-oriented innovation; (3) system innovation and transitions.
  • Write scientific articles based on (action-oriented) research on mission-oriented innovation
  • Contribute to the education (BSc/MSc courses and internships) of the Athena Institute in the domains of health & life sciences, innovation studies, sustainable transformation and/or science-society interactions.
  • Linking up education/research efforts at VU with the real-world issues addressed in co-creative multi-stakeholder initiatives.
  • Contributing to administrative tasks and responsibilities of the Athena Institute
  • Contributing to a pleasant, diverse, and safe work environment at the Athena Institute

Position 2: Evaluating, monitoring and learning for mission-oriented innovation
As a team, we will develop and implement reflexive monitoring frameworks to assess the transition process and the transformative impacts of the project as well as the transition management efforts of the Initiative. As postdoc, you will play a key role in this task. Together with other team members, you will study and design the development and implementation of a reflexive and transformative monitoring and learning infrastructure for the Holomicrobiome initiative. Aim of this infrastructure is to foster integration, interaction and social learning between projects (in practice), their impacts, and the ambitions of the Holomicrobiome initiative as a whole.

  • Developing and bringing into practice a reflexive and transformative monitoring & evaluation infrastructure for the Holomicrobiome project
  • Develop research lines around one or more of the following themes: reflexive monitoring in action, learning evaluations, monitoring and evaluation of sustainability transformations, reflexive monitoring and participatory methodologies, learning infrastructures for integration of science, policy and society
  • Write scientific articles based on (action-oriented) research on mission-oriented innovation Contribute to the education (BSc/MSc courses and internships) of the Athena Institute in the domains of health & life sciences, innovation studies, sustainable transformation and/or science-society interactions.
  • Linking up education/research efforts at VU with the real-world issues addressed in co-creative multi-stakeholder initiatives.
  • Contributing to administrative tasks and responsibilities of the Athena Institute
  • Contributing to a pleasant, diverse, and safe work environment at the Athena Institute

Both postdoctoral researchers are expected to collaborate together and with a (growing) team at the Athena Institute.

Your profile

  • PhD in transition studies, sustainable transformation, innovation studies, policy sciences, organization sciences, management or another relevant interdisciplinary field, such as science & technology studies or environmental sciences. Those with combined backgrounds in natural and social sciences are especially welcome to apply.
  • Proven experience in qualitative research methodologies, such as interviews, ethnography, focus groups.
  • Proven experience with facilitating interactive workshops, preferably in the context of (monitoring) system transformation processes, such as in transition experiments or Living Labs.
  • Expertise and interest in inter- and transdisciplinary research approaches in the collaboration between science, policy, practice and society.
  • The ability to work independently as well as in a team, in a flexible, adaptive and pro-active way.
  • Relevant publications in good quality journals that showcase your prowess in scientific research, writing and publication.
  • Excellent organizational, communicative and collaborative skills
  • Excellent command of English is required. Command of Dutch is very much appreciated.

We have two positions available. We seek to find a good match between candidates and the requirements of the positions. Please indicate in your application if one position has your preference.

As a university, we strive for equal opportunities for all, recognising that diversity takes many forms. We believe that diversity in all its complexity is invaluable for the quality of our teaching, research and service. We are always looking for talent with diverse backgrounds and experiences. This also means that we are committed to creating an inclusive community so that we can use diversity as an asset.

We realise that each individual brings a unique set of skills, expertise and mindset. Therefore we are happy to invite anyone who recognises themselves in the profile to apply, even if you do not meet all the requirements.

What do we offer?

A challenging position in a socially engaged organisation. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable. So in return for your efforts, we offer you:

  • a salary of minimum € 3.378,00 (Scale 10) and maximum € 5.331,00 (Scale 10) gross per month, on a full-time basis. This is based on UFO profile Researcher 4. The exact salary depends on your education and experience.
  • a position for at least 0.8 FTE. The employment contract will initially be for a period of one year. Extension of the contract is possible based on satisfactory performance. The maximum duration of temporary employment is four years. The preferred start date is September 1, 2025.

We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and regulations. Some examples:

  • 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
  • solid pension scheme (ABP)
  • the possibility to work partly from home
  • contribution to commuting expenses

About us

Athena Instituut
The Athena Institute is dedicated to making research and innovation more responsive to societal needs. To achieve this, we take a transdisciplinary approach, defined by multi-actor engagement. We bring together researchers, policymakers, practitioners and citizens to collaboratively address persistent, multi-faceted societal problems.

Faculty of Science
Researchers and students at VU Amsterdam’s Faculty of Science tackle fundamental and complex scientific problems to help pave the way for a sustainable and healthy future. From forest fires to big data, from obesity to malnutrition, and from molecules to the moon: we cover the full spectrum of the natural sciences. Our teaching and research have a strong experimentally technical, computational and interdisciplinary nature.

We work on new solutions guided by value-driven, interdisciplinary methodologies. We are committed to research, valorisation and training socially engaged citizens of the world who will make valuable contributions to a sustainable, healthy future.

Are you interested in joining the Faculty of Science? You will join undergraduate students, PhD candidates and researchers at the biggest sciences faculty in the Netherlands. You will combine a professional focus with a broad view of the world. We are proud of our collegial working climate, characterised by committed staff, a pragmatic attitude and engagement in the larger whole. The faculty is home to over 11,000 students enrolled in 40 study programmes. It employs over 1,600 professionals spread across 10 academic departments.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam stands for values-driven education and research. We are open-minded experts with the ability to think freely - a broader mind. Maintaining an entrepreneurial perspective and concentrating on diversity, significance and humanity, we work on sustainable solutions with social impact. By joining forces, across the boundaries of disciplines, we work towards a better world for people and planet. Together we create a safe and respectful working and study climate, and an inspiring environment for education and research. Learn more about our codes of conduct

We are located on one physical campus, in the heart of Amsterdam's Zuidas business district, with excellent location and accessibility. Over 6,150 staff work at the VU and over 31,000 students attend academic education.

Diversity
Diversity is the driving force of VU Amsterdam. VU wants to be accessible and receptive to diversity in disciplines, cultures, ideas, nationalities, beliefs, preferences and worldviews. We believe that trust, respect, interest and differences lead to new insights and innovation, to sharpness and clarity, to excellence and a broader understanding.

We stand for an inclusive community and believe that diversity and internationalisation contribute to the quality of education, research and our services.

Therefore, we are always searching for people whose backgrounds and experience contribute to the diversity of the VU community.

Questions about the vacancy?

Please contact

Dr. Kristiaan Kok, Dr. Linda van de Burgwal

Assistant Professors

Interested

Are you interested in this position and do you believe that your experience will contribute to the further development of our university? In that case, we encourage you to submit your application.

Applications will be reviewed upon receipt.

Applications received by e-mail will not be considered.

Acquisition in response to this advertisement is not appreciated.

Questions about the vacancy?

Please contact

Dr. Kristiaan Kok, Dr. Linda van de Burgwal

Assistant Professors

Application procedure

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