Postdoctoral researcher in behavioural and energy economics

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)

Requirements:

• 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.

Salary Benefits:

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

De Boelelaan 1111