PhD on Investigating and fostering socio-technical transformation at the nexus of electricity, heat, and mobility

Do you have a social science background and are you passionate about making society more sustainable? Do you want to better understand how different socio-technical systems like electricity, heating, and mobility interact—and how they can be transformed to support sustainability?

We are offering a fully funded PhD (4y, 1fte) position, in which you can provide a meaningful contribution to real-world sustainability transitions.

Information
Creating a more sustainable future requires deep, society-wide changes that go beyond improving or implementing individual technologies. Rather, it requires changes in practices, regulations, technologies, infrastructures, markets, user preferences, and culture, not only within but also beyond the boundaries of individual socio-technical systems such as housing, electricity, heating, food, and mobility. However, both academic research and policy efforts often concentrate on improving sustainability in single socio-technical systems. This siloed research approach can lead to a narrow understanding of transition processes that favours bottom-up forces for change within single socio-technical systems, while largely neglecting how interactions between systems could be drivers or barriers for transformative change. In line with this research bias, policy efforts have mostly been aiming at transforming single systems, resulting in misalignments and tensions in ongoing transitions. Examples are increasing grid congestion and high costs associated with district heating in the Netherlands compared to their more integrated counterparts in Denmark.

In this PhD research you will adopt a multi-system perspective to investigate misalignments and tensions that result from treating heat, electricity, and mobility transitions as separate policy domains and explore how changes can be realized in a more integral way, beyond boundaries of single systems.

Theoretically, you will build on, and contribute to, the interdisciplinary field of Sustainability Transitions. For instance, you could build on theory on multi-system and regime interactions, sector coupling, and/or governance of local energy transitions.

Empirically, you will adopt a qualitative multiple case study approach in which you investigate ongoing local energy transitions led by energy communities and/or municipalities, that transcend boundaries of single socio-technical systems. This could involve (a combination of) innovations such as distributed renewable energy generation, smart grid systems, seasonal storage (heat), local energy trading, sustainable heating solutions, and shared electric mobility. Related research projects (e.g. ACCU, SmartCore, EmPowerED) provide direct access to interesting case studies in which you can closely engage with municipalities and/or energy communities. You will gather data through qualitative research methods such as semi-structured interviews, surveys, focus groups, and/or participant observation.

We are looking for an enthusiastic, curious and creative candidate with:

• A relevant Master’s degree (or close to obtaining) in the social sciences (Innovation Sciences, Science and Technology Studies (STS), Transition studies, Political Science, Philosophy, Ethics, Sociology, Anthropology, etc.). Please, mind: this is NOT an engineering project!
• Practical experience with qualitative (and quantitative) research methods.
• Preferably: experience with transdisciplinary and/or action-oriented research approaches.
• The ability to work independently and in a team.
• Very good organizational, communicative, and connective skills; you will collaborate with a wide variety of academic and societal groups.
• Excellent scientific writing, planning, and presentation skills.
• A strong command of the English language (C1 level); Command of Dutch language is an advantage.

A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an interdisciplinary setting and within an international network. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station. In addition, we offer you:

• The successful candidate will be offered a full-time PhD position, initially for one year. Upon good performance, the contract will be extended for three more years.
• You will spend 15% of your employment on teaching tasks.
• Salary and benefits (such as a pension scheme, paid pregnancy and maternity leave, partially paid parental leave) in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, scale P (min. € 2,901 max. € 3,707).
• A year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%.
• High-quality training programs and other support to grow into a self-aware, autonomous scientific researcher. At TU/e we challenge you to take charge of your own learning process.
• An excellent technical infrastructure, on-campus children's day care and sports facilities.
• An allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs.
• A Staff Immigration Team and a tax compensation scheme (the 30% facility) for international candidates.

The Technology, Innovation & Society (TIS) group, where the PhD position is embedded, is part of the School of Innovation Sciences, one of the two schools of the Department of Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences (IE&IS). Research at TIS concerns how humans and societies bring about technological change, and how technological innovations change society. Researchers in the TIS group study these processes in a systemic, transdisciplinary, and transnational perspective. The research focus of TIS covers both short-term processes (innovations) and long-term, fundamental processes (transitions), and addresses multiple aspects of the innovation journey – invention, innovation, diffusion, appropriation, governance, policy intervention along with local and global impacts on society. Many of the TIS research projects are strongly embedded in practical environments and involve co-creation and an action research approach.

This research relates to several research projects on co-creation of local heat solutions for positive energy districts (EmPowerED), integrating solar power generation with heat solutions in local energy communities (ACCU), and new business models and activities for energy communities (SmartCORE). As such, this PhD position provides you with the opportunity to join a dynamic and multidisciplinary team dedicated to accelerating local energy transitions.

Do you recognize yourself in this profile and would you like to know more? Please contact the hiring manager dr. Luc van Summeren (l.f.m.v.summeren@tue.nl). The supervision team will also include prof. dr. Anna Wieczorek.

Visit our website for more information about the application process or the conditions of employment. You can also contact HR Services (hrservices.ieis@tue.nl).

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