The candidate is expected to take a lead role in securing external funding (through contract research and/or major academic grants) in order to develop, lead and manage a largely self-funded research agenda. The candidate will work in collaboration with colleagues from the unit in developing this agenda, with the intention of building up a research team in one of the focal areas of the unit. The candidate will further be expected to collaborate across the institute (i.e., the research unit on the economics of innovation and technology and the unit on governance and public policy, as well as horizontal initiatives such as the computational innovation lab) in developing original, policy-relevant research under the broad heading of comprehensive innovation for sustainable development that serves both an academic and policy audience.

Under the overall supervision of the Director of UNU-MERIT and the direct supervision of the Head of Unit, the researcher’s activities will include:

• Independently and/or in collaboration with internal and external partners, develop a research agenda in line with the institute’s / unit’s research priorities;
• Secure external funding to develop and build the unit’s research agenda;
• Supervise and mentor junior researchers in their research, funding and outreach activities;
• Produce high quality and high impact policy-relevant research, publishing this research output in academic journals, policy and research reports, working papers, etc.;
• Contribute to the dissemination activities of the institute, through presentations in academic conferences and workshops;
• Disseminate research results to the international community of policymakers (e.g., the broader UN system);
• Develop and nurture relationships with academic institutes, UN agencies, international organisations and other relevant stakeholders;
• Teaching on the main education programmes of the institute (Master and PhD Level; this activity will constitute a maximum 20% of researcher’s time);
• Supervision of PhD and Master theses;
• Other activities assigned by the Head of Unit.

We expect the successful candidate to have the following qualifications and competencies:

Required:

• A strong interest and expertise in one or more of the main areas of the current research agenda of the unit;
• Have a PhD degree in economics, innovation studies or other related field and a minimum of 5 years post-PhD experience in an academic department, research institute or similar;
• Have an excellent record of research as evidenced by journal publications, research reports and policy contributions;
• Have experience and demonstrable success in raising competitive research funding and developing a largely externally funded research programme;
• Have experience in building up and/or managing a research group in your field of expertise;
• Have an interest in teaching and education activities (including capacity building activities);
• Have experience in supervising PhD candidates;
• Have excellent speaking and writing skills in English.

Desirable:

• Expertise in quantitative methods (e.g., econometrics, machine learning, etc) and modelling (e.g., agent-based modelling, computable general equilibrium modelling, etc.).

The initial employment contract will be for a period of 12 months, which based on a positive evaluation can be extended for a further three years. At the end of the fourth year, a decision will be made on whether the position will be made permanent. This decision will be based on positive evaluations of the candidate and availability of financial resources.

Successful candidates will be employed as researcher within the Institute for Societal Policy and Innovation Research (INSPIRE) at the School of Business and Economics of Maastricht University.

They will perform their work at the Economics of Innovation and Technology Unit at UNU-MERIT, a leading research group working in the field of innovation studies. The overall research agenda of the institute is based around societally and policy relevant research, with the unit contributing to academic and policy debates on the role of innovation and technology in sustainable socio-economic development.

The gross monthly salary mentioned is based on a fulltime appointment. The salary will depend on your education, qualifications and relevant working experience, based on salary scale 12 of the Dutch university collective bargaining agreement (UFO profile Researcher level 2). This implies a gross monthly salary between € 4,814 and
€ 6,181 per month (based on a fulltime appointment). Each year the standard salary is supplemented with a holiday allowance of 8% and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.

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 www.maastrichtuniversity.nl > About UM > Working at UM.

Maastricht University

Maastricht University is renowned for its unique, innovative, problem-based learning system, which is characterized 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 22,000 students and about 5,000 employees. Reflecting the university's strong international profile, a fair amount of both students and staff are from abroad. The university hosts 6 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. 
For more information, visit www.maastrichtuniversity.nl.

About the Economics of Innovation and Technology Unit at UNU-MERIT

The Economics of Innovation and Technology Unit at UNU-MERIT is a leading research group working in the field of innovation studies. The overall research agenda of the institute is based around societally and policy relevant research, with the unit contributing to academic and policy debates on the role of innovation and technology in sustainable socio-economic development.

The unit’s research adopts state of the art methods and diverse theoretical approaches to contribute to debates and the setting of policy agendas around major global agendas and societal challenges, including the UN’s 2030 Agenda, examining how innovation and technological change can be both an important driver of such global challenges as well as providing potential solutions to such challenges. The current research agenda of the unit revolves around the major transformations (e.g., economic, structural, societal, digital, green, global) that economies need to undertake to meet global challenges. Prominent topics in this research agenda include the drivers and consequences of the digital revolution, environmental sustainability and the green transformation, structural transformation and inequalities, technology adoption and diffusion, and the dynamics of (de-)globalisation.

The approach to research is academically rigorous, with the research agenda adopting both heterodox and mainstream approaches. Research is undertaken at various levels of analysis – i.e., at the macro, micro and meso level – and adopts a mixed methods approach. For these specific positions, we are seeking individuals that have strong quantitative skills. The unit is further looking to develop additional expertise in computational methods, including the modelling of complex systems (e.g., agent-based models, network analysis, economic complexity, and advanced econometric methods), with applications from candidates with expertise in these areas being particularly welcome.

For more information, please visit https://www.merit.unu.edu/units/economics-of-innovation-and-technology/

For more information on UNU-MERIT, please visit https://www.merit.unu.edu