Hydrogen is a rapidly evolving development aimed at mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. Hydrogen is not an energy source in itself, but serves as an energy carrier. Energy produced from gas and/or renewable energy sources can be saved and stored in a form of hydrogen and used when needed. The development and implementation of hydrogen is a technological and, more importantly, a societal challenge. It is critical to gain understanding of how people form their perceptions and acceptability judgements of hydrogen projects, which key factors play a role in public perceptions and acceptability, and how to incorporate this knowledge in socially responsible policy-making. These questions are at the heart of thos project, with the primary focus on hydrogen transport and storage. In this postdoc position, you will i) conduct a literature review in order to identify key individual, collective, and contextual factors that (may) influence public perceptions and acceptability of hydrogen, ii) conduct large-scale surveys to study the relationships between the identified factors and public perceptions and acceptability of hydrogen, iii) give evidence-based recommendations for how to better incorporate public perceptions and acceptability in policy-making, and iv) carry out dissemination activities to communicate the findings to other professionals from science and practice, and the general population. Besides, the project implies collaboration with multiple other partners from science (different disciplines), industry, organizations, and government bodies.

Organisation
The University of Groningen is a research university with a global outlook, deeply rooted in Groningen, City of Talent. Quality has had top priority for four hundred years, and with success: the University is currently in or around the top 100 on several influential ranking lists.
The Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences excels in teaching and research in the fields of human behaviour, 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 Behavioural and Social Sciences employs over 650 staff members. For more information about the Faculty please check the link https://www.rug.nl/gmw/.

Environmental Psychology at the University of Groningen has a national and international reputation for excellence. Research within the Environmental Psychology group focuses on a wide range of topics, including understanding which factors influence sustainable behaviours (such as energy use, car use, food consumption); understanding how people cope with environmental and climate risks; understanding the effectiveness of strategies to promote sustainable behaviour; understanding the acceptability of environmental policies; and the effects of sustainable behaviour on wellbeing. The research contributes to theory development and to practice. The Environmental Psychology group collaborates with scholars from different disciplines within and outside the University of Groningen, as well as with governments, NGOs, businesses, and organisations.

We are looking for candidates who meet the following requirements

- the successful candidate should hold a PhD in Environmental Psychology or a related discipline
- and be familiar with Psychological theories and quantitative empirical methods, including survey and experimental methodologies
- an excellent command of English is essential and experience with large scale data collection will be an asset.

The preferred starting date is September 2024. The funding is for up to two years. Depending on the preferences of the candidate and the possibilities within the group, the position may be expanded with some teaching activities within the Environmental Psychology group.

Fixed-term contract: 24 months.

We offer you in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities

- depending on qualifications and work experience, a salary of € 3,877 to a maximum of € 5,090 (salary scale 10) gross per month for a full-time position
- a holiday allowance of 8% gross annual income an 8.3% end-of-the-year allowance
- attractive secondary terms of employment
- the position is classified in accordance with the University Job Classification (UFO) system; the UFO profile is Researcher 4
- a temporary contract of 1.0 FTE for a period of 2 years.

Intended starting date: September 2024

Dr. Goda Perlaviciute, Associate Professor Environmental Psychology
g.perlaviciute@rug.nl

Environmental Psychology