The strategic pillar Behavioural Change is created to expand the research and education in this field, i.a. by creating new connections within and outside the faculty and by developing a new master programme. The focus of the pillar is to advance our understanding of the way in which behavioural change can be established. Examining and achieving behavioural change requires not only insight into what behaviour is and which factors determine our behaviour at an individual level, but also insight into the influence of social systems on behaviour is necessary. By gaining these insight we aim to help address current societal challenges.

The post-doctoral researcher will – in close collaboration with the scientific director - be responsible for further development of the behavioural change programme. A main research task concerns the development of transdisciplinary methods & techniques to evaluate behavioural change experiments in the field. Most behavioural experiments are conducted in laboratory settings whereas real time field experiments in society are still scarce and evaluated with techniques that were designed for lab experiments. The main research task of the post-doctoral researcher is – in a multidisciplinary team - to work on transdisciplinary evaluation methodology.

The post-doctoral researcher will be positioned close to the real time field experiments already taking place as part of the academic labs with the City of Rotterdam, such as BIG’R, Healthy’R and Erasmus Governance Design Studio.

Your tasks will consist of:

• Reading the relevant literature to improve our knowledge of the field of M&T of evaluation of field experiments;
• Supporting the scientific director of behavioural change;
• Setting up joint research projects with the new chair and members of the behavioural change scientific community;
• Writing scientific papers for peer-reviewed journals within the field;
• Presenting at national and international scientific conferences;
• Writing grant applications for future projects.

Educational tasks, for example aiding in setting up new master programs or teaching in lifelong learning modules, may be part of the job.

The ideal candidate has:

• A PhD in a relevant field (e.g. Psychology, Sociology, Public Administration, or one of the other behavioural/social sciences)
• Proven affinity with and advanced knowledge of research methods and techniques, ideally with a focus on field experiments
• Succinct interest in transdisciplinary research and experience with doing research on the boundaries of different disciplines
• Experience with or knowledge of designing and testing interventions
• Experience in organising and coordinating research projects
• An entrepreneurial spirit and looks for new research opportunities
• Good academic writing and presentation skills
• Excellent communication, social, and organisational skills
• An ambition to do both academic research but also to translate that research into relevant grab-holds for professional application
• Working proficiency in both Dutch and English

• The candidate will be classified as a postdoctoral researcher in the Dutch university job-ranking system (UFO);
• The candidate will be appointed for initially one year, which will be extended by two more years if the candidate’s performance proves satisfactory.
• The conditions of employment comply with the CAO Nederlandse Universiteiten/ Collective Agreement Netherlands Universities (CAO NU). Salary is subject to know-how and experience and corresponds to scale 11 (CAO NU), which is between € 3.637 and € 4.978 gross per month on a full-time basis (38 hour per week; 1.0 fte). Candidates who have recently obtained their PhD and have no previous postdoc experience typically start at the beginning of the scale.
• Erasmus University Rotterdam offers attractive terms of employment, including a holiday allowance of 8%, a year-end payment of 8.3% and 41 annual vacation days in case of a full, 40-hour workweek.
• EUR takes part in the ABP pension scheme, and we also offer partially paid parental leave. Moreover, EUR staff members are allowed to make use of the EUR facilities, including the Erasmus sports centre and the University Library.
• Tax benefits apply to non-Dutch citizens, conditional on permission granted by the Dutch Tax Office. Applicants should have the right to work in the Netherlands for the duration of the contract.For international spouses we have set up a dual career programme.
• We aspire to be an inclusive organisation where everyone feels at home and therefore gets the opportunity to excel. Talent is the basis, diversity is the added value. The university believes in the enrichment that a mix of different people brings. That is why we strive to be a reflection of our student population and the city of Rotterdam with all its differences. Candidates from an ethnic minority, candidates with an international background and/or female candidates are encouraged to apply. Under the condition of equal quality and suitability, these candidates will have a priority position.

The Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), named after Rotterdam-born humanist and theologian Erasmus, is a research university with a strong international orientation and a pronounced social focus, both in its education and research activities. On the lively, modern campus, more than 28.000 students and scholars of more than 100 nationalities are constantly encouraged to develop their talents and meet their ambition. Our more than 2700 scientists and employees work together with all our students to solve challenges faced by global society, drawing their inspiration from the consistently dynamic and cosmopolitan city of Rotterdam. The academic education offered at our faculties is intensive, engaging and strongly focused on practical application. We increasingly perform our research in multidisciplinary teams, which are closely interwoven with international networks. In terms of research impact and the quality of its degree programmes, EUR can compete with the foremost universities in Europe, which is reflected in its consistent top-100 position in most major universities rankings. Erasmus University Rotterdam’s key values are daring, curiosity, social involvement, breaking new ground and striving for success http://www.eur.nl

Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB)

The Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences is home to a vast diversity of scientific disciplines: public administration, pedagogical sciences, psychology and sociology. In addition, the Erasmus University College, IHS, and two research institutes RISBO and DRIFT are linked to the faculty. This also reflects in the content of the (international) bachelor's and master's programs and in research.  Our activities are always focused on people and society. At the ESSB fundamental, internationally oriented research is of paramount importance. In addition, social research for professionals, policy makers, and the society is part of our research activities. ESSB offers a stimulating research environment where major national and international research grants are received. Appealing guest researchers and ambitious PhD candidates come along to conduct their research. Our education is small-scale and works with innovative forms of education such as Problem-Based Learning (PBL). Both the Dutch and English programs are highly ranked by students and alumni. ESSB is home to over 2500 students and 300 staff-members. The different disciplines are supported by the Faculty Office (for more information, please visit http://www.eur.nl/essb).

ESSB has launched a strategy for the period 2019-2022. Part of the strategy is to create/strengthen four multidisciplinary pillars by specifically investing in research and education in these fields. The pillars are:

1. Global Social Challenges
2. Vital Cities & Citizens
3. Behavioural Change
4. Organisational Dynamics in the Digital Society

The current position is part of the investment in the third pillar; Behavioural Change.