Postdoctoral researcher in behavioural and energy economics

Do you have experience working in the energy transition? Can you think of ways to engage citizens in this process? Come and work with us to design and test behavioural solutions using RCT to increase people’s participation in the energy transition

Your function

The Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) is the leading knowledge partner of the NWA-ORC funded project ALIGN4energy (A4E) project. A4E is focused on accelerating the energy transition in the residential sector, by combining knowledge and theory from social sciences (psychology, economy, transaction cost theory, political sciences), humanities, and technological science (computer science, energy systems modelling), and stakeholders (e.g., municipalities, housing cooperations). The main outcome of the project will be personalised digital modules to engage citizens in the energy transition.

For this project, IVM is looking for a Postdoc (0.4-0.8 FTE), who will develop and test behavioural interventions that can engage larger groups of citizens with the energy transition. More specifically, we are interested in researching interventions that can attract people to visit – and stay engaged on – online energy platforms. You are also expected to assist the project leader, Dr Sanchayan Banerjee, with teaching (0.2 FTE) and project management duties (0.1 FTE).

Your duties

  • you will prepare, valorise and carry out scientific research
  • you will collect, structure and analyse data
  • you will develop new methods, interventions and theories
  • you will collaborate with different parties (colleagues from different universities and institutions, various stakeholders)
  • you will publish articles and present at conferences.
  • you will engage in teaching activities in IVM
  • you will assist with selected project management duties (such as annual reporting and planning)

Your profile

  • you should hold or be close to completion of a PhD, preferably in Behavioural and Energy (or Environmental) Economics
  • you should have experience with experimental field research such as RCTs. Experience in working with different stakeholders is desirable but not essential.
  • you should be familiar working with statistical software such as STATA or R.
  • you should have experience with survey design in platforms such as Qualtrics.
  • you should have excellent written and spoken English skills, and preferably also Dutch for internal and external communications.
  • knowledge of social marketing (and specifically on how to recruit people to an online platform) is desirable but not essential

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 fully meet all the requirements.

What do we offer?

An interesting 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 € 3.226,00 (Scale 10.0) and maximum € 5.090,00 (Scale 10.12) 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.
  • an employment contract of at least 0.4 FTE and maximum 0.8 FTE. Your employment will initially start with a 1-year contract with the possibility to extend to 28 months in total.

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

  • A full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata.
  • 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
  • solid pension scheme (ABP)
  • contribution to commuting expenses
  • optional model for designing a personalized benefits package

About us

Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM)
Established in 1971, IVM is a leading environmental research institute that is internationally recognised for its high-quality research output in a range of environmental disciplines, as well as for its interdisciplinary work. The mission of the institute is to contribute to sustainable development and care for the environment through scientific research and teaching. IVM aims to do excellent problem-oriented research that is useful to a wide range of stakeholders in the Netherlands and internationally. A unique strength of our research is to understand sustainability problems in their social and economic context. IVM’s research community works within four departments: Environmental Economics; Environmental Geography, Environmental Policy Analysis; and Water and Climate Risk. Since 2001 IVM has been part of the Faculty of Science at VU Amsterdam (legal name Stichting VU).

The department of Environmental Economics (EE) leads the institute’s efforts in improving insights into the interaction between the environment and the economy. The department is one of the main groups of environmental economists in Europe, consisting of around 35 scientific staff and PhD researchers. The department strategy is to consolidate and further strengthen its position as a major player in the European field of environmental economics. Important fields of application include climate change, energy, circular economy, water, ecosystem services, and environmental and natural resource management. The philosophy of the EE department is to closely integrate its research projects with its teaching programme and to initiate and conduct research jointly with stakeholders and collaborating institutes. In the coming years, the EE department will further explore new research fields related to climate economics, economics of sustainable energy, and economics of natural capital.

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.

To apply, please submit with your curriculum vitae and a covering letter summarising your interest and fit to the position. 

The job interviews are planned in the week of 30 September 2024, so please take this into account when applying for the position. Interviews will be planned remotely (if needed) or in person.

Submitting a diploma and a reference check are part of the application process.

Reference letters can either be uploaded with your application, or you can list the contact information of two references in your CV or cover letter.

Applications received by e-mail will not be considered.

Acquisition in response to this advertisement is not appreciated.

Your function

The Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) is the leading knowledge partner of the NWA-ORC funded project ALIGN4energy (A4E) project. A4E is focused on accelerating the energy transition in the residential sector, by combining knowledge and theory from social sciences (psychology, economy, transaction cost theory, political sciences), humanities, and technological science (computer science, energy systems modelling), and stakeholders (e.g., municipalities, housing cooperations). The main outcome of the project will be personalised digital modules to engage citizens in the energy transition.

For this project, IVM is looking for a Postdoc (0.4-0.8 FTE), who will develop and test behavioural interventions that can engage larger groups of citizens with the energy transition. More specifically, we are interested in researching interventions that can attract people to visit – and stay engaged on – online energy platforms. You are also expected to assist the project leader, Dr Sanchayan Banerjee, with teaching (0.2 FTE) and project management duties (0.1 FTE).

Your duties

  • you will prepare, valorise and carry out scientific research
  • you will collect, structure and analyse data
  • you will develop new methods, interventions and theories
  • you will collaborate with different parties (colleagues from different universities and institutions, various stakeholders)
  • you will publish articles and present at conferences.
  • you will engage in teaching activities in IVM
  • you will assist with selected project management duties (such as annual reporting and planning)

Your profile

  • you should hold or be close to completion of a PhD, preferably in Behavioural and Energy (or Environmental) Economics
  • you should have experience with experimental field research such as RCTs. Experience in working with different stakeholders is desirable but not essential.
  • you should be familiar working with statistical software such as STATA or R.
  • you should have experience with survey design in platforms such as Qualtrics.
  • you should have excellent written and spoken English skills, and preferably also Dutch for internal and external communications.
  • knowledge of social marketing (and specifically on how to recruit people to an online platform) is desirable but not essential

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 fully meet all the requirements.

What do we offer?

An interesting 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 € 3.226,00 (Scale 10.0) and maximum € 5.090,00 (Scale 10.12) 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.
  • an employment contract of at least 0.4 FTE and maximum 0.8 FTE. Your employment will initially start with a 1-year contract with the possibility to extend to 28 months in total.

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

  • A full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata.
  • 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
  • solid pension scheme (ABP)
  • contribution to commuting expenses
  • optional model for designing a personalized benefits package

About us

Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM)
Established in 1971, IVM is a leading environmental research institute that is internationally recognised for its high-quality research output in a range of environmental disciplines, as well as for its interdisciplinary work. The mission of the institute is to contribute to sustainable development and care for the environment through scientific research and teaching. IVM aims to do excellent problem-oriented research that is useful to a wide range of stakeholders in the Netherlands and internationally. A unique strength of our research is to understand sustainability problems in their social and economic context. IVM’s research community works within four departments: Environmental Economics; Environmental Geography, Environmental Policy Analysis; and Water and Climate Risk. Since 2001 IVM has been part of the Faculty of Science at VU Amsterdam (legal name Stichting VU).

The department of Environmental Economics (EE) leads the institute’s efforts in improving insights into the interaction between the environment and the economy. The department is one of the main groups of environmental economists in Europe, consisting of around 35 scientific staff and PhD researchers. The department strategy is to consolidate and further strengthen its position as a major player in the European field of environmental economics. Important fields of application include climate change, energy, circular economy, water, ecosystem services, and environmental and natural resource management. The philosophy of the EE department is to closely integrate its research projects with its teaching programme and to initiate and conduct research jointly with stakeholders and collaborating institutes. In the coming years, the EE department will further explore new research fields related to climate economics, economics of sustainable energy, and economics of natural capital.

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 Sanchayan Banerjee

Assistant Professor

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.

To apply, please submit with your curriculum vitae and a covering letter summarising your interest and fit to the position. 

The job interviews are planned in the week of 30 September 2024, so please take this into account when applying for the position. Interviews will be planned remotely (if needed) or in person.

Submitting a diploma and a reference check are part of the application process.

Reference letters can either be uploaded with your application, or you can list the contact information of two references in your CV or cover letter.

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 Sanchayan Banerjee

Assistant Professor

Application procedure

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