Maastricht Sustainability Institute (MSI) at the School of Business and Economics (SBE) of Maastricht University offers a 3-year Postdoc position, starting on June 1st, 2021. Eligible candidates must have successfully completed a PhD in Sustainability Science, STS, business studies or innovation studies and a good competence in written and spoken English.

We are looking for a candidate who has a strong interest in doing transdisciplinary research. Past experience in transdisciplinary research is desired and a multidisciplinary background with strong research skills in qualitative research is a minimum requirement. Expertise on energy systems, business models and/or social innovation are an important advantage. 

The work involves a study of energy citizenship acting as agents of change in the energy transition and a more fair and inclusive economy in an international project that is on the Dutch side led by Prof René Kemp (MSI).

In the EnergyProspects study the candidate is expected to:

1. To undertake case studies of energy citizenship

2. To understand the involvement of energy citizenship in energy system building, to draw conclusions about such involvement and how this may be improved

3. To examine the role of ICT platforms that enable community-level self-consumption, demand response, and P2P energy trading within energy communities

4. To analyse how the transformative agency of intermediary actors is leveraged/constrained by the modes of governance and the creation of attractive transactions for energy companies and consumers

5. To develop viable strategies, business models, social innovation models, new forms of organisation to support and advance energy citizenship and benefit from it.

In the motivation letter, please indicate your familiarity with these issues and your knowledge of the energy citizenship literature.

The candidate is expected to contribute to teaching activities at the department, taking around 15-20% of his/her time.

We offer a dynamic and challenging job in an internationally oriented organisation. MSI has strong collaborations with other institutes and departments at Maastricht University and elsewhere.

We are looking for a self-driven, curious person with a strong interest in energy citizenship and social innovation, who is a critical, analytical and systematic thinker and has a record of high academic achievement. In the project, you are expected to take a coordinating role for the Dutch part of the project and to engage in, and collaborate with, international partners in the project. You are a team player, but also able to work independently.

Key responsibilities of the postdoc are to:

• Undertake research which involves engaging  effectively with key stakeholders on the project and support their work
• Conduct coordination activities for the Dutch part of the project
• Contribute to the writing of high-quality, high-impact publications
• Contribute to project acquisition at MSI;

Contribute to the teaching programs (around 15-20% of the contracted time).

Fixed-term contract: contract: 0.7 fte for 3 years.

Remuneration will be according to standard salary levels for postdoc researchers starting with a gross monthly salary between € 3.746- and € 5.127,- gross per month, based on a fulltime appointment. According to the collective labour agreement (CAO) of Dutch Universities Each year the standard salary is supplemented with a holiday allowance of 8% and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.

You should be willing to move to (the vicinity of) Maastricht.

The terms of employment of Maastricht University are set out in the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities (CAO). Furthermore, local UM provisions also apply. For more information look at the website: http://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl > Support > UM employees.

Maastricht University / School of Business and Economics

Maastricht University (UM) is renowned for its unique, innovative, problem-based learning system, which is characterised by a small-scale and student-oriented approach. Research at UM is characterized by a multidisciplinary and thematic approach, and is concentrated in research institutes and schools. Maastricht University has around 20,000 students and 4,700 employees. Reflecting the university's strong international profile, a fair amount of both students and staff are from abroad. The university hosts six faculties: Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Faculty of Law, School of Business and Economics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience.

Located in the heart of Europe, UM is the most international university in the Netherlands with half of our students and one third of academic staff coming from abroad. In total, UM represents 100 different nationalities. UM is a stimulating environment where research and teaching are complementary, where innovation is our focus and where talent can flourish. Research is characterised by a multidisciplinary, thematic, and collaborative approach, and with education, forms the core of UM.

Eager to learn more? Watch this video to get a sense of our university culture, the city of Maastricht, and your potential working environment, or take our virtual campus tour

School of Business and Economics

The School of Business and Economics (SBE) is one of the youngest Faculties of Business and Economics in the Netherlands. It has a distinctive international profile and is Triple Crown accredited. It provides high-quality education and conducts excellent research with an international perspective. SBE strongly believes in creating close collaborations with its academic partners and societal stakeholders, its students and alumni, and with businesses and organisations in the Limburg Euregion, the Netherlands, Europe and the rest of the world.

Maastricht Sustainability Institute (MSI)

The Maastricht Sustainability Institute (MSI), based at the School of Business and Economics (SBE) of Maastricht University (UM), wants to contribute to a better world by addressing sustainable development problems and challenges through scientific research and high-quality education. A combined approach of sustainability assessment, innovation for sustainability, and governance for sustainable development is at the heart of the institute. MSI research explicitly embraces complexity and normativity, rather than simplifying it, and it takes interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches to generate societal impact. Knowledge brokering, boundary work, and action-research are concepts that suit MSI well. MSI shows that this approach results in research that is not only scientifically sound, but also highly relevant to practice. The Master's programme Sustainability Science, Policy and Society attracts a large international student population. The institute is also working on a new Master's programme Sustainable Business (with University of York), and the UM-wide Minor Sustainability. The multidisciplinary staff (ca. 20 fte/40 persons) has an interdisciplinary working style and strong interest in transdisciplinary approaches for addressing sustainability problems. For more information about MSI, please visit our website: www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/msi