The Department of Environmental Science and the Institute for Management Research at Radboud University in Nijmegen (Netherlands) are seeking a PhD candidate for a research project on policy instruments and business model innovations for industrial CO2 capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS).

In this PhD project you will work on a practical solution for one of the key challenges in addressing climate change: how to achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions in energy-intensive industry in a couple of decades' time. Industry accounts for nearly a third of global greenhouse gas emissions, and it is notoriously difficult to reduce those emissions. One of the mitigation options is the capture and transport of CO2, and its storage in geological formations or in long-lived products. CCUS is one of the few mitigation options that can enable low-carbon steel production at relatively short notice. However, CCUS and other mitigation options require societal support and governmental policy aligned with feasible business model innovations.

The PhD position is part of the EU-funded (Horizon 2020) C4U project with partners from eight European countries. The C4U project focuses on advancing novel CO2 capture technologies in steel plants, and realising CCUS in a societally responsible way within an industrial cluster in the Ghent area in Belgium.

The PhD position is one of three at Radboud University. The other two PhD candidates (who have already been selected) will be taking a life cycle assessment perspective for use in industrial climate policy, and will be assessing societal readiness and using system dynamics and group model building techniques. The available PhD position focuses on climate policy instruments and business model innovation for CCUS in steel plants, and comprises the following tasks:

• Identifying which policy framework and instruments for implementing CCUS are needed and how they should be developed taking into account current and expected business model innovations. This includes taking stock of current CCUS and industrial climate policy instruments, comparative policy analysis in similar countries, identifying and analysing stakeholders' interests, and co-creating and communicating policy recommendations with governmental and non-governmental actors.
• Exploring which potential new business models could be feasible for CCUS as a relatively new technology, and which approaches could be used to develop these business models to implement CCUS in steel mills in an industrial cluster. This includes identifying key barriers and enablers together with stakeholders, desk research and literature study on CCUS challenges, radical innovation and market creation, identifying business model innovation approaches and scenarios, and shortlisting business model innovations.
• Writing scientific articles with the goal of finalising a PhD thesis.

The Radboud C4U research team is rooted in two faculties: the Faculty of Science and the Nijmegen School of Management. Together with the supervisors and the two other PhD candidates, you will form an interdisciplinary team working together on a common goal of improving climate policy for industry, each PhD candidate using their own perspective and methods.

• A Master's degree in environmental studies, business administration, public policy and/or other relevant fields, during which you have gained experience in using social science methods. An interdisciplinary background is favoured.
•  Familiarity with innovation management and/or innovation systems. Knowledge of institutional frameworks, environmental policy instruments, and/or climate change policy is desirable.
• Affinity with industrial firms and technology.
• A sharp analytical mind and excellent writing skills.
• The ability to work in teams, demonstrable organisational, social and communication skills, and a flexible, proactive and independent work attitude.
• An understanding of Dutch-Flemish economic, institutional and cultural contexts. An excellent command of English; fluency in Dutch is highly favoured.
• Work experience outside of academia in climate change and/or energy-intensive industry, such as in the private sector, or in government, is an asset.

Fixed-term contract: you will be appointed for an initial period of 18 months, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, the contract will be extended by 2.5 years.

• Employment: 32 - 40 hours per week.
• A maximum gross monthly salary of € 2.972 based on a 38-hour working week (salary scale P).
• The gross starting salary amounts to €2,325 per month, and will increase to €2,972 in the fourth year (p scale)
• In addition to the salary: an 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
• Duration of the contract: you will be appointed for an initial period of 18 months, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, the contract will be extended by 2.5 years.
• You will be able to make use of our Dual Career Service: our Dual Career Officer will assist with family-related support, such as child care, and help your partner prepare for the local labour market and with finding an occupation.
• Are you interested in our excellent employment conditions?

Radboud University

We want to get the best out of science, others and ourselves. Why? Because this is what the world around us desperately needs. Leading research and education make an indispensable contribution to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. This is what unites the more than 22,000 students and 5,000 employees at Radboud University. And this requires even more talent and collaboration. You have a part to play!

Faculteit der Natuurwetenschappen, Wiskunde & Informatica

The Faculty of Science is a student-oriented science faculty where research and education are closely related, spanning mathematics, computing science, physics, chemistry and biology. The faculty aims to be an academic community with an international character, where staff members from different backgrounds can combine their talents with the common goal of being a leading faculty of science in Europe. The Department of Environmental Science at the Institute for Water and Wetland Research focuses on understanding and predicting the relative and cumulative impacts of anthropogenic stressors on natural and human systems. One of the focus areas of the department is climate change mitigation.

The Nijmegen School of Management (NSM) is an academic centre of research and higher education, focusing on institutional and managerial issues within complex organisations in both the public and private domains. The research activities fall under the responsibility of the interdisciplinary Institute for Management Research (IMR). Under the motto 'Creating Knowledge for Society', IMR focuses on academic research into the development, design and effectiveness of the public and private structures that regulate, govern or manage human interactions. The debate on the fundamentals of academic research is organised in the IMR Academy, and the PhD programme is organised in the IMR Doctoral School. IMR hosts an Individual Decision lab and a Group Decision lab, which are especially suited for studying collaboration in complex contexts and collective decision making. Another area of research is innovation and entrepreneurship in business ecosystems.