The Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) has a new exciting position for a postdoctoral (PD) researcher in the field of environmental economics. You will join our interdisciplinary research team at IVM, which aims to enhance the implementation of nature-based solutions (NBS), thereby increasing resilience of society against climate change, biodiversity loss and other environmental pressures.

We have a large and growing portfolio of projects on NBS, and we are now seeking to expand our economic expertise on upscaling NBS through innovative financing and business models. You will need to seek and foster collaborations, and co-create knowledge with a wide variety of societal and research partners from these projects.

The PD project will closely collaborate and be supervised by Prof. Pieter van Beukering, Prof. Wouter Botzen, Dr Marije Schaafsma and Dr Mark Koetse.

The role has a 20-40% teaching component, which provides an ideal opportunity to develop and improve your teaching skills.

Possible research areas:

• design sustainable business models for the implementation of nature-based solutions among various stakeholder groups (with a focus on businesses and government)
• develop financial arrangements to facilitate the adoption and upscaling of nature-based solutions, in different contexts
• evaluate necessary policy conditions at local, national and international scales that enable the large-scale implementation of nature-based solutions

Your duties

• you develop your research programme complementing our NBS research portfolio
• you conduct independent research
• you publish research results in international peer-reviewed journals and impact oriented journals
• you teach in Bachelor and/or Master’s educational programmes and supervise theses of Bachelor and Master students
• you do project management, including the organisation of meetings and activities (e.g., workshop organisation)

• you hold a PhD in (environmental) economics, business administration or a related social-environmental science discipline
• you have proven affiliation with sustainability and environment, ideally demonstrated in an inter- or multidisciplinary background
• you have demonstrated expertise relevant to the economics of nature-based solutions
• it is an advantage when you have quantitative analytical skills
• it is an advantage when you have some experience in teaching and MSc/BSc supervision
• it is an advantage when you have good communication skills in English and one other European language.

We realise that each individual brings an unique set of skills, expertise and mindset. Therefore we are happy to invite anyone who recognises themselves in the profile to apply, even if you do not meet all the requirements.

Fixed-term contract: 1 year.

An interesting position in a socially engaged organisation. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable. So in return for your efforts, we offer you:

• a salary of minimum € 3,226.00 (Scale 10.0) and maximum € 5,090.00 (Scale 10.12) gross per month, on a full-time basis. This is based on UFO profile Researcher 4. The exact salary depends on your education and experience.
• an employment contract of initially 1 year of at least 0.8 FTE. If there is sufficient perspective, this will be extended by 2 years to a total of 3 years.

We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and regulations. Some examples:

• a full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata.
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• solid pension scheme (ABP)
• contribution to commuting expenses
• optional model for designing a personalized benefits package

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

About the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM)
Established in 1971, IVM is a leading environmental research institute that is internationally recognised for its high quality research output in a range of environmental disciplines, as well as for its interdisciplinary work. The mission of the institute is to contribute to sustainable development and care for the environment through scientific research and teaching. IVM aims to do excellent problem-oriented research that is useful to a wide range of stakeholders in the Netherlands and internationally. A unique strength of our research is to understand sustainability problems in their social and economic context. IVM’s research community works within four departments: Environmental Economics; Environmental Geography, Environmental Policy Analysis; and Water and Climate Risk. Since 2001 IVM has been part of the Faculty of Science at VU Amsterdam (legal name Stichting VU).

The department of Environmental Economics (EE) leads the institute’s efforts in improving insights into the interaction between the environment and the economy. The department is one of the main groups of environmental economists in Europe, consisting of around 40 scientific staff and PhD researchers. The department strategy is to consolidate and further strengthen its position as a major player in the European field of environmental economics. Important fields of application include climate change, energy, circular economy, food, water, and ecosystem services. The philosophy of the EE department is to closely integrate its research projects with its teaching programme and to initiate and conduct research jointly with stakeholders and collaborating institutes.

Faculty of Science
Researchers and students at VU Amsterdam’s Faculty of Science tackle fundamental and complex scientific problems to help pave the way for a sustainable and healthy future. From forest fires to big data, from obesity to malnutrition, and from molecules to the moon: we cover the full spectrum of the natural sciences. Our teaching and research have a strong experimentally technical, computational and interdisciplinary nature.

We work on new solutions guided by value-driven, interdisciplinary methodologies. We are committed to research, valorisation and training socially engaged citizens of the world who will make valuable contributions to a sustainable, healthy future.

Are you interested in joining the Faculty of Science? You will join undergraduate students, PhD candidates and researchers at the biggest sciences faculty in the Netherlands. You will combine a professional focus with a broad view of the world. We are proud of our collegial working climate, characterised by committed staff, a pragmatic attitude and engagement in the larger whole. The faculty is home to over 11,000 students enrolled in 40 study programmes. It employs over 1,600 professionals spread across 10 academic departments.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam stands for values-driven education and research. We are open-minded experts with the ability to think freely – a broader mind. Maintaining an entrepreneurial perspective and concentrating on diversity, significance and humanity, we work on sustainable solutions with social impact. By joining forces, across the boundaries of disciplines, we work towards a better world for people and planet. Together we create a safe and respectful working and study climate, and an inspiring environment for education and research. Learn more about our codes of conduct

We are located on one physical campus, in the heart of Amsterdam's Zuidas business district, with excellent location and accessibility. Over 5,500 staff work at the VU and over 30,000 students attend academic education.

Diversity
Diversity is the driving force of VU Amsterdam. VU wants to be accessible and receptive to diversity in disciplines, cultures, ideas, nationalities, beliefs, preferences and worldviews. We believe that trust, respect, interest and differences lead to new insights and innovation, to sharpness and clarity, to excellence and a broader understanding.

We stand for an inclusive community and believe that diversity and internationalisation contribute to the quality of education, research and our services.

Therefore, we are always searching for people whose backgrounds and experience contribute to the diversity of the VU community.

Are you interested in this position and do you believe that your experience will contribute to the further development of our university? In that case, we encourage you to submit your application.

Submitting a diploma and a reference check are part of the application process.

Applications received by e-mail will not be considered.

Acquisition in response to this advertisement is not appreciated.