Vacancy for Assistant Professor 'Urban and Real Estate Economics'

Are you an ambitious economist with a special interest in urban economics and real estate? Join the Department of Spatial Economics at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam!

Your function

We are looking for an internationally minded, ambitious, and collaborative economist who is eager to contribute to our teaching and research, and who shares our passion for the field of spatial economics. Within our department, this includes urban, regional, transport, and environmental economics.

We particularly welcome an economist with expertise in general (spatial) equilibrium modeling and a strong interest in real estate markets. Ideal candidates bring experience with reduced-form estimation and with developing or applying equilibrium models that explain how land and housing markets interact with wider urban and regional dynamics, such as commuting, amenities, and local public goods. The successful candidate will help advance our understanding of how spatial equilibrium mechanisms influence urban form, housing affordability, and real estate investment, and how these insights can support effective urban and housing policies.

In terms of teaching, the department contributes to several bachelor’s, MSc, and PhD programmes. We offer a dedicated MSc in Spatial and Applied Economics, which provides students with the theoretical foundations and analytical skills to address complex policy questions at a high level of abstraction, while maintaining a clear connection to real-world applications. In addition, we teach in related BSc and MSc programmes, a specialized minor in Real Estate Economics and Finance, several courses at Amsterdam University College, and in the doctoral programme of the Tinbergen Institute. In this position, teaching will focus particularly on courses in Real Estate and Urban Economics.

Your duties

  • conducting and supervising research (including PhD candidates)
  • publishing in leading international economics journals
  • teaching at the BSc and MSc level across several programmes
  • coordinating courses
  • contributing to departmental or school-wide committees and project groupse end of a bullet point

Your profile

  • a PhD in economics or a related discipline
  • a clear affinity with the broad field of spatial economics
  • strong quantitative and methodological skills
  • in-depth knowledge of state‑of‑the‑art research methods relevant to spatial economics
  • an ambitious research agenda
  • demonstrated potential to build a strong publication record
  • experience with teaching at the undergraduate and master’s level
  • interest in collaboration with societal partners and in research dissemination (an asset)

What do we offer?

We offer a stimulating position within an international and ambitious research environment.

The initial appointment as Assistant Professor is for 18 months. After 15 months, a performance evaluation will take place and, if positive, the contract will be converted to a permanent position. The role consists of 40% research and 60% teaching. We expect a willingness to learn Dutch so that within three years you can also contribute to programmes taught in Dutch.

  • a salary of minimum € 4.728,00 (Scale 11) and maximum € 6.433,00 (Scale 11) gross per month, on a full-time basis. This is based on UFO profile Lecturer / Asisstant Professor 1. The exact salary depends on your education and experience.
  • a position for 1 FTE. Your employment contract will initially last 18 months. Afterwards, there is a prospect of a permanent contract.

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
  • a wide range of sports facilities which staff may use at a modest charge
  • optional model for designing a personalized benefits package
  • hybrid working (up to two days per week from home) supports a good work-life balance.

About us

Department of Spatial Economics
The position is placed at the Department of Spatial Economics at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, one of the largest departments of its kind in the world. The department is engaged in economic problems in which space plays a prominent role. The academic staff (around 60 persons) address, in their research, urban, regional, transport and environmental challenges from a primarily economic perspective, combining theoretical research and empirical approaches, often enriched through multi-disciplinary collaborations. See www.spatialeconomics.nl for more information about the department.

School of Business and Economics
We at the School of Business and Economics (SBE) at VU Amsterdam bring together socially relevant teaching and research in the areas of business administration and economics. We focus on real-life issues that have a huge impact on society, economics and ecology: from robotics to big data, and from job market participation to change management.

Collaboration and cooperation, transparency and social responsibility are four keywords that embody our approach. Students, researchers and staff at SBE share real-world knowledge in order to devise solutions together to global economic and social challenges. In order to make a positive impact on the world, society and the lives of others.

Are you interested in joining SBE? You will work in a stimulating, dynamic and international environment with motivated colleagues dedicated to helping society make informed choices. SBE employs roughly 600 staff, with 7,250 students enrolled in the Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes and 1,700 executive students.

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 internationalization 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? Please apply via the application button and upload your curriculum vitae including your publications, a personal vision statement (+/- 1 page) about research and teaching, and cover letter until March 22. We start inviting candidates from the application deadline onwards and the search will continue until the position has been filled with a high-quality candidate.

Submitting a diploma is part of the application process. 

 

Applications received by e-mail will not be considered.

Acquisition in response to this advertisement is not appreciated.

Your function

We are looking for an internationally minded, ambitious, and collaborative economist who is eager to contribute to our teaching and research, and who shares our passion for the field of spatial economics. Within our department, this includes urban, regional, transport, and environmental economics.

We particularly welcome an economist with expertise in general (spatial) equilibrium modeling and a strong interest in real estate markets. Ideal candidates bring experience with reduced-form estimation and with developing or applying equilibrium models that explain how land and housing markets interact with wider urban and regional dynamics, such as commuting, amenities, and local public goods. The successful candidate will help advance our understanding of how spatial equilibrium mechanisms influence urban form, housing affordability, and real estate investment, and how these insights can support effective urban and housing policies.

In terms of teaching, the department contributes to several bachelor’s, MSc, and PhD programmes. We offer a dedicated MSc in Spatial and Applied Economics, which provides students with the theoretical foundations and analytical skills to address complex policy questions at a high level of abstraction, while maintaining a clear connection to real-world applications. In addition, we teach in related BSc and MSc programmes, a specialized minor in Real Estate Economics and Finance, several courses at Amsterdam University College, and in the doctoral programme of the Tinbergen Institute. In this position, teaching will focus particularly on courses in Real Estate and Urban Economics.

Your duties

  • conducting and supervising research (including PhD candidates)
  • publishing in leading international economics journals
  • teaching at the BSc and MSc level across several programmes
  • coordinating courses
  • contributing to departmental or school-wide committees and project groupse end of a bullet point

Your profile

  • a PhD in economics or a related discipline
  • a clear affinity with the broad field of spatial economics
  • strong quantitative and methodological skills
  • in-depth knowledge of state‑of‑the‑art research methods relevant to spatial economics
  • an ambitious research agenda
  • demonstrated potential to build a strong publication record
  • experience with teaching at the undergraduate and master’s level
  • interest in collaboration with societal partners and in research dissemination (an asset)

What do we offer?

We offer a stimulating position within an international and ambitious research environment.

The initial appointment as Assistant Professor is for 18 months. After 15 months, a performance evaluation will take place and, if positive, the contract will be converted to a permanent position. The role consists of 40% research and 60% teaching. We expect a willingness to learn Dutch so that within three years you can also contribute to programmes taught in Dutch.

  • a salary of minimum € 4.728,00 (Scale 11) and maximum € 6.433,00 (Scale 11) gross per month, on a full-time basis. This is based on UFO profile Lecturer / Asisstant Professor 1. The exact salary depends on your education and experience.
  • a position for 1 FTE. Your employment contract will initially last 18 months. Afterwards, there is a prospect of a permanent contract.

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
  • a wide range of sports facilities which staff may use at a modest charge
  • optional model for designing a personalized benefits package
  • hybrid working (up to two days per week from home) supports a good work-life balance.

About us

Department of Spatial Economics
The position is placed at the Department of Spatial Economics at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, one of the largest departments of its kind in the world. The department is engaged in economic problems in which space plays a prominent role. The academic staff (around 60 persons) address, in their research, urban, regional, transport and environmental challenges from a primarily economic perspective, combining theoretical research and empirical approaches, often enriched through multi-disciplinary collaborations. See www.spatialeconomics.nl for more information about the department.

School of Business and Economics
We at the School of Business and Economics (SBE) at VU Amsterdam bring together socially relevant teaching and research in the areas of business administration and economics. We focus on real-life issues that have a huge impact on society, economics and ecology: from robotics to big data, and from job market participation to change management.

Collaboration and cooperation, transparency and social responsibility are four keywords that embody our approach. Students, researchers and staff at SBE share real-world knowledge in order to devise solutions together to global economic and social challenges. In order to make a positive impact on the world, society and the lives of others.

Are you interested in joining SBE? You will work in a stimulating, dynamic and international environment with motivated colleagues dedicated to helping society make informed choices. SBE employs roughly 600 staff, with 7,250 students enrolled in the Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes and 1,700 executive students.

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 internationalization 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

Hans Koster / Jos van Ommeren

Professor of Urban and Real Estate Economics

Interested

Are you interested in this position? Please apply via the application button and upload your curriculum vitae including your publications, a personal vision statement (+/- 1 page) about research and teaching, and cover letter until March 22. We start inviting candidates from the application deadline onwards and the search will continue until the position has been filled with a high-quality candidate.

Submitting a diploma is part of the application process. 

 

Applications received by e-mail will not be considered.

Acquisition in response to this advertisement is not appreciated.

Questions about the vacancy?

Please contact

Hans Koster / Jos van Ommeren

Professor of Urban and Real Estate Economics

Application procedure

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