We are looking for a talented PhD graduate to work as a postdoctoral researcher on the NWO-funded “ENRGISED” project. This is short for ‘ENgaging Residents in Green energy Investments through Social networks, complExity, and Design’ and is funded under the call ‘Complexity and Creative Industry: Grip on Transitions and Resilience. The location is the Utrecht Science Park campus of Utrecht University. The aim of the project is to develop a strategy that can stimulate households to transition away from natural gas towards green energy alternatives; in particular, to shape energy transition experiments in Dutch cities in co-creation with citizens and other stakeholders to facilitate emergent behaviour within the community through design interventions. The project is a collaboration between the Industrial Design Engineering faculty at TUDelft and the Department of Sociology and the Center for Complex Systems Studies at Utrecht University, as well as a number of private partners. This highly interdisciplinary collaboration promises to integrate and advance research strands from complexity, sociology and design.

The postdoctoral researcher at Utrecht University will work on developing theoretical models involving complexity modelling as well as empirical research including coordinating field research with partners. Training or research experience in computational social science, specifically formal modelling of social systems and quantitative empirical research methods is a prerequisite. The research will be supervised by Prof Vincent Buskens, Prof Arnout van de Rijt, and Dr Deb Panja. A colleague postdoctoral researcher, with whom the candidate is expected to work in close collaboration, will also be recruited on this project at TUDelft.

We are looking for a colleague who:

• is a strong team player and communicator with organizational skills;
• has training or research experience in computational social science: formal modelling and quantitative research;
• has analytical skills to engage with the design research taking predominantly place at TUDelft;
• has either a PhD degree in Social Science with strong modeling skills, or a PhD degree in a relevant field like Computer Science, Physics or Mathematics - with experience and a strong interest in empirical social science research;
• has excellent English skills both in written and oral form and is able to communicate in Dutch with stakeholders;
• has a publication track record in peer-reviewed journals and conferences.

We offer a temporary position (0.8 - 1.0 FTE) for two-and-a half years in an international working environment. The gross salary - depending on previous qualifications and experience  - ranges between €3,637 and €4,978 (scale 11 according to the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities) per month for a full-time employment. Salaries are supplemented with a holiday bonus of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3% per year. In addition, Utrecht University offers excellent secondary conditions, including an attractive retirement scheme, (partly paid) parental leave and flexible employment conditions (multiple choice model). More information about working at Utrecht University can be found here.

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major societal themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Sustainability.

Utrecht is a young and vibrant city with a large academic population within a 30 minute drive from Amsterdam. It combines a beautiful old city centre with a modern university. Utrecht has an excellent quality of life, with plenty of green space and a strong bicycle culture.

The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences is one of the leading faculties in Europe providing research and academic teaching in Interdisciplinary Social Science, Cultural Anthropology, Educational Sciences, Pedagogical Sciences, Psychology, and Sociology. More than 5,600 students are enrolled in a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programmes. The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences has some 850 faculty and staff members, all providing their individual contribution to the training and education of young talent and to the research into scientific and societal issues.

The Department of Sociology provides teaching in our Bachelor’s degree programme Sociology, the one-year Master’s degree programme (Sociology: Contemporary Social Problems) and the two-year Master’s degree programme (Sociology and Social Research). The Department has strong research traditions in a wide range of topics in sociology including cooperation problems, social networks, stratification and inequality, households, and immigration. It is part of the Dutch research school Interuniversity Center for Social Science Theory and Methodology (ICS).