The PhD position is part of the international research project ‘Super Power-to-Gas (SuperP2G)’, with partners from academia and business from a number of European countries. The Dutch contribution to this project will be done by the PhD and a postdoc. Both positions are funded by NWO as part of the ERA-Net cofunding system.
The main objective of the project SuperP2G is to explore the options to facilitate the conversion of electricity into gas as part of the energy transition. Power to Gas (PtG) systems can help to offer flexibility to electricity systems dominated by renewable electricity generation and to decarbonize the gas system. PtG can also be a tool to foster local and regional development. Therefore, the consortium will connect leading national projects/regions in the field of PtG in order to utilise synergies and extract “best practice” and “lessons learned”.

The Dutch research activities focus on a flexible use of infrastructure for the transport and distribution of energy. The project aims to give insight in the economic relationships between the various components within the hydrogen chain: production and supply of electricity and gas), production of hydrogen through various technologies), storage and, finally, supply of hydrogen to end-users.
In addition, the project wants to assess the potential of PtG as source of flexibility to stabilise future demand and supply of energy on a decentralized basis.

The PhD candidate will focus mainly on the economic relationships between the various components within the hydrogen chain and on the functional relationships, in particular the production functions and demand functions, the price formation of inputs (electricity and gas) and outputs (hydrogen, heat) as well as the economic interaction between PtG supply and the networks of gas, electricity and heat.
The PhD candidate will closely collaborate with the postdoc within this programme, the supervisors and other colleagues within the Centre for Energy Economics Research of the Faculty of Economics and Business as well as the research programme Economics, Econometrics and Finance.

Applicants with a Master of Science degree (or equivalent) in Economics (with a quantitative focus) are invited to apply.

Fixed-term contract: 48 months.

We offer you in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities:
- a monthly gross starting salary of € 2,325 which increases yearly to a maximum of € 2,972 based on the gross salary you will receive
- an additional 8% holiday allowance each year in May, and an additional 8.3 % end of year bonus in December
- a full-time appointment is temporary for a period of in principle four years, under the condition of a positive assessment at the end of the first year.

An assessment may be part of the procedure, consisting of psychological tests and an interview.

Starting date: 1 September 2019 at the latest

How to apply
Do you meet our qualification criteria? If yes, your application should include:
1. Your CV
2. A motivation letter (1 A4 max)
3. A scan of your diploma including transcripts
4. Proof of English proficiency
5. Other relevant documents.

The documents 1-4 are compulsory and please note that incomplete application packages will not be taken into consideration.

You can submit your application until 6 June 11:59pm / before 7 June 2019 Dutch local time (CET) by means of the application form (click on "Apply" below on the advertisement on the university website).

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our University. We are committed to building a diverse faculty so you are encouraged to apply. Our selection procedure follows the guidelines of the Recruitment code (NVP), https://nvp-plaza.nl/download/?id=7714 and European Commission's European Code of Conduct for recruitment of researchers, https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/charter/code

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Faculty of Economics and Business

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Faculty of Economics and Business
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SOM, the graduate school and research institute of the Faculty of Economics and Business has a PhD position available.