PhD Position Enabling Societal Missions in the energy transition through Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (1.0 FTE)

The Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development is looking for a PhD candidate with solid data science skills and a strong interest in entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial ecosystems and sustainable development. In this fully funded four-year position, you will develop research skills, gain teaching experience, and engage with practitioners enabling you to jump-start your future (academic) career. Over a period of four years, you will conduct doctoral research. You will spend 90% of your time on your research and 10% on minor teaching tasks. Working time is reserved for training and development, among others for obtaining your Basic Teaching Qualification and for PhD courses. Within the period of four years, the progress of your research will be evaluated at predetermined moments. 

This PhD position is part of the Enabling Societal Missions through Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (ESMEE) project, which aims to help improve the effectiveness of Regional Development Agencies in stimulating sustainable entrepreneurship to achieve societal missions. Achieving societal missions requires radical innovations by entrepreneurs who are driven by sustainability concerns and can act outside the status quo. However, the Netherlands has a low level of sustainable entrepreneurship. Regional conditions must be improved to increase the prevalence and success of sustainable entrepreneurship. The ESMEE project proposes a data-and dialogue driven entrepreneurial ecosystem approach to improve the functioning of mission-driven innovation systems. We combine scientific analysis and systemic co-design to achieve impact and enable sustainable entrepreneurship to achieve societal missions.

This position will focus specifically on the energy transition. Your tasks are: (1) To gain a qualitative insight in the context of the societal missions around the energy transitions in successful and less successful regions. (2) To quantitatively measure the strength of the incumbent socio-technical energy system for European regions. (3) To quantitatively measure ecosystem elements that promote the emergence of sustainable energy entrepreneurship. (4) To combine this data in one explanatory model. 

The project is co-designed by practitioners and academics, and is focused on creating high societal impact. Our team brings together scientists from Utrecht University, Rathenau Instituut, Haagse Hogeschool, and other stakeholders with Regional Development Agencies (ROMs). We use a big data approach to identify sustainable entrepreneurship in regions and understand which regional conditions make them thrive. You will actively collaborate with experts from economics, innovation studies, computer science, business administration, policy studies and practitioners of the Regional Development Agencies.

We are looking for a talented researcher with passion for teaching, who meets multiple of the following requirements:

• a Master's degree in economics, innovation studies, business or management, data science, energy science or a related discipline. A research master's degree is preferred;
• a talent for quantitative research in social sciences (e.g., econometrics, surveys, experiments, web-scraping);
• a team player and proactive organiser. You are comfortable doing multidisciplinary research and interacting with important stakeholders;
• a preference for business- and regional-level research questions;
• excellent writing skills;
• at least proficient in Dutch on a basic level, or willing to achieve this;
• eager to conduct innovative and thorough research, resulting in a PhD degree within four years. 

You will be offered a temporary position (1.0 FTE), initially for one year with an extension to a total of four years upon a successful assessment in the first year, and with the specific intent that it results in a doctorate within this period. The gross salary ranges between €2,541 in the first year and €3,247 in the fourth year of employment (scale P according to the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities) per month for a full-time employment. Salaries are supplemented with a holiday bonus of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3% per year.

In addition, Utrecht University offers excellent secondary conditions, including an attractive retirement scheme, professional development, (partly paid) parental leave, sports and flexible employment conditions (multiple choice model). For more information, please visit working at Utrecht University.