Postdoc Social Dynamics in Sustainable (Energy) Collaborations

Are you interested in what motivates people to collaborate on sustainability issues, and passionate about social sciences and interdisciplinary research? In that case, this vacant postdoc position might be something for you! 

This position aims to generate new insights into the factors that could stimulate and support collaborations on sustainability topics, particularly within the energy domain. To achieve this, the postdoc will conduct social and environmental psychological research on interpersonal and group processes (e.g., second-order and meta beliefs, identification processes), and integrate insights from other disciplines, including spatial sciences, business and economics, law, and engineering.

What are you going to do?

The postdoc is part of the ongoing, interdisciplinary project “FlexECs”, which focuses on how electric vehicles can expand the scope and inclusivity of energy communities. Electric vehicles offer opportunities for energy storage and transportation, enabling energy trading and collaborations. These developments can benefit people who own electric vehicles and those who do not, though opportunities for the latter group are often overlooked and underexplored.

Having the opportunity to trade and collaborate on energy, and to benefit from this, is, however, not enough. People should also be willing to (i) participate in these activities and (ii) collaborate with diverse others in this, for which interpersonal and group processes appear crucial (e.g., perceptions of the individuals or groups with whom one may trade or collaborate). These interpersonal and group processes are the focus of this postdoc position, generating new insights through psychological theorizing and research, as well as via inter- and transdisciplinary collaborations.

The aim of the postdoc position is to study and advance knowledge about interpersonal and group processes relevant to collaborations within sustainable (energy) transitions. This is achieved by:

• analyzing existing data already collected within this and related projects (e.g., questionnaire data from large samples of EV owners, national representative questionnaire studies on energy collaborations and electric mobility),
• collecting new data (e.g., experiments, questionnaire studies, interviews), possibly in collaboration with partners from other disciplines and practice,
• collaborating with the involved disciplines and stakeholders, and
• bringing interdisciplinary insights from the project together. 

The postdoctoral researcher will also take an active role in maintaining collaborations with the different stakeholders in the project, as well as the involved PhD researchers (in Psychology, Spatial Sciences, Law, Engineering, Business and Economics) and postdoctoral researcher (Law) who already work on the project, facilitating and stimulating interdisciplinary work.

We are looking for someone with a strong interest and expertise in investigating interpersonal and group processes, particularly within the context of sustainability issues. Within the research group, we strongly value integrating basic and applied research, meaning the ideal candidate has a strong theoretical and methodological focus, as well as an eye for practical relevance. In line with this, experience with (or strong interest in) collaborating with partners from practice and other disciplines is strongly appreciated. Strong statistical skills and experience with different statistical methods and packages would also be key assets.

• 232 vacation hours per year, based on a 38-hour workweek (1.0 FTE). You can also work more or fewer hours in exchange for more or fewer free hours. For example, with a 40-hour workweek, you save 96 extra free hours, and with a 36-hour workweek, you lose 96 hours.
• End-of-year bonus of 8.3% and 8% holiday allowance.
• Extensive opportunities for personal and professional development.

The Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences (GMW) excels in research and teaching in the areas of behaviour, thinking, learning, and participation in society. More than 4,500 students and approximately 650 staff address social questions and challenges that people experience in daily life. Our core focus is on individual and societal resilience and how to strengthen it. We focus on current themes such as health and wellbeing, sustainable living, learning and development, inclusive society, safe and healthy upbringing, and work and collaboration. If you would like to learn more about the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences, visit rug.nl/gmw. 

The Environmental Psychology Research Group at the University of Groningen has a national and international reputation for excellence. Research within the group focuses on a wide range of topics, such as:

• understanding why people act (un)sustainably (such as energy use, car use, and participation in environmental groups) and support or oppose environmental policies;
• developing and testing interventions and strategies to achieve behavioral change; and
• investigating the effects of climate change and (un)sustainable behavior on people's well-being.

The research group aims to contribute to theory development and practice, and actively collaborates with scholars from different disciplines within and outside the University of Groningen, as well as with governments, NGOs, and various business organisations.

The Environmental Psychology Research Group is embedded within the research programme Interpersonal Behavior at Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences. The Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences excels in teaching and research in the fields of human behavior, thinking, learning, and how people live together. We work on societal issues and problems that people experience in daily life. Central to this is individual and societal resilience and how to increase this. To this end, we focus on the topics of migration, the environment and climate, health, upbringing and education, the protection of vulnerable minorities, and sustainable partnerships.The Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences employs over 650 staff members.

For more information about the Environmental Psychology Research Group check the link: https://www.epgroningen.nl/

For more information about the Faculty please check the link: https://www.rug.nl/gmw/

Do you have any questions or need more information?

Questions about the content of the job?
Thijs Bouman (Associate Professor): T.Bouman@rug.nl

Questions about your application process?
Thijs Bouman (Associate Professor): T.Bouman@rug.nl