Welcome to Maastricht University The transition to a circular economy asks for more than good intentions—it requires collaboration, policies and systems thinking. At Maastricht University, you will contribute to research that brings businesses, governments, and knowledge together. Join us in shaping circular value chains that make a real difference in the Limburg region and beyond.
PhD position in Circular Value Chains in Limburg (NL) (UNU-MERIT & Department of Data Analytics and Digitalisation, School of Business and Economics)
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Our goal: To provide research-based support to businesses and local governments for the implementation of circular value chains in Limburg, focusing on key product and material groups.
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Your colleagues: You will work in an interdisciplinary team at UNU-MERIT and the Department of Data Analytics and Digitalisation (DAD) at the School of Business and Economics (SBE), collaborating with researchers from different disciplines as well as with businesses, policymakers, and other regional stakeholders.
We invite applications for a four-year PhD position focused on the development and implementation of circular value chains in Limburg (the Netherlands). The research is part of the CEL4LIFE project, funded by the LIFE programme of the European Commission, which runs for six years.
The project takes a multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach and requires close engagement with stakeholders—particularly businesses and local governments. You will study how beliefs, practices, and collective actions shape circular transitions within specific strategic and institutional contexts.
Your research will focus on several product and material groups, including circular packaging, battery recycling, plastics recycling, circular concrete, and bio-based construction materials. By combining qualitative and quantitative methods, you will help develop practical pathways for circular business activities and contribute to the broader transition towards a regional circular economy.
What you do As a PhD candidate, you will actively contribute to both research and stakeholder engagement. Your responsibilities include:
- Analysing the regional playing field for selected product and material groups using participatory systems analysis, desk research, and interviews.
- Developing regional roadmaps for circular value chains based on stakeholder workshops and context-sensitive text mining of national and regional policy documents.
- Applying and evaluating serious gaming tools to support stakeholder learning around pathways, collective action, and dual-track governance measures.
- Conducting computer simulations and statistical analyses of circular value chains (e.g. plastics packaging and bio-based construction materials), drawing on serious games, causal loop diagrams, and established modelling frameworks such as SCIAR and the CIRCO Track approach.
- Contributing to the CEL4LIFE project by working on supply and demand dynamics, skills development, and the creation of enabling environments for circular business activities.
- Collaborating with students and researchers from Maastricht University who are involved in the project.
- Participating in teaching activities within the Department of Data Analytics and Digitalisation (up to 20% of your time).
Are you ready to contribute to applied research with societal impact? Then we look forward to meeting you.
What you bring It’s not about ticking boxes—it’s about who you are and what you bring. Do you recognize yourself in this?
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Digitally and analytically skilled – You have strong digital and data-analytical skills relevant to gamification and data-driven research. Experience with programming (e.g. Python, R, JavaScript, or C#), data analysis, and data visualisation is highly appreciated. Familiarity with digital game design tools, user interaction tracking, or data-driven evaluation of user engagement is an advantage.
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Academically well-prepared – You hold a Master’s degree in circular engineering or business engineering. Candidates with a background in sustainability science or business economics, combined with strong digital and data skills, are also encouraged to apply.
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Communicative and internationally oriented – You are proficient in English and feel comfortable working in an international academic and stakeholder-driven environment. Knowledge of Dutch is an advantage.
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Socially skilled and collaborative – You enjoy working with diverse stakeholders and are able to engage respectfully with businesses, policymakers, and researchers as partners in the research process, valuing their knowledge and perspectives.
What we offerAt Maastricht University, you’ll work in an international, open, and engaged environment. We offer:
- A 18-month contract of 1 FTE with the prospect of a 2.5 year extension, based on mutual satisfaction.
- A gross monthly salary starting from €3059,00 towards €3881,00 in 4 years (based on full-time employment of 38 hours per week). 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus.
- 29 vacation days (based on full-time), four additional days off (Carnival Monday and Tuesday, Good Friday, and Liberation Day).
- Flexible working hours, a home office allowance, and the option to work from home.
- Freedom and space to shape your work independently and develop your ideas.
- A close-knit community of colleagues to collaborate and grow with.
- A solid pension plan via ABP, company fitness schemes, and access to various university sports facilities.
- An inspiring work environment in the heart of Europe.
About the School of Business and Economics (SBE) SBE is an international faculty for economics, business, and policy. We combine academic depth with societal engagement. Our education is small-scale and interactive. Our research focuses on themes such as sustainability, inclusion, and digital transformation. Together, we work on impactful solutions for the world of tomorrow.
You will be based at the DAD department and will be supervised by Prof Dr René Kemp and Dr Burak Can. You are part of a bigger research team, involving people from Maastricht University and Hogeschool Zuyd (including students).
Question? Want to know more about this position or what it’s like to work at our university? Reach out to Prof Dr René Kemp (r.kemp@maastrichtuniversity.nl) or Dr Burak Can (b.can@maastrichtuniversity.nl).
Interested to apply? If you are interested and believe that you possess the requested skills (technical ones and engagement skills), we encourage you to apply for this position via the application button, before March 1st 2026.
For this you should upload the following:
- Your CV
- A motivation letter about your interest in solution-oriented research on circular economy issues and past experiences with playing field analysis, serious games and innovation for sustainable development research.
- A letter about your experiences with working with business, government and NGOs as an engaged scholar and digital data analytical skills. Please explain how you dealt with the challenges that you encountered in such research.
- Two reference letters about your skills and suitability for the position
We look forward to getting to know you!
About Maastricht University At Maastricht University, we collaboratively seek solutions to help move the world forward. We do this with 23,300 students and 5,400 employees across 5 regional locations, 6 faculties, and more than 70 research institutes. We encourage you to push boundaries and discover new opportunities for yourself and the world around you. Together, we can find the answers for tomorrow.
The vacancy is open for internal and external candidates. In case of equal qualifications, internal candidates will be prioritized.
At Maastricht University, we prefer to contact potential candidates directly. We therefore kindly ask that no agencies or intermediaries submit offers or approaches.
Maastricht University is committed to promoting and nurturing a diverse and inclusive community. We believe that diversity in our staff and student population contributes to the quality of research and education at UM and strive to enable this through inclusive policies and innovative projects led by teams of staff and students.