Research Assistant on Quantitative Analysis of the Political Ecology

Are you good at crunching numbers and analysing data patterns? Are you interested in understanding the material impact of Europe’s green transition? Join the DECYCLE project as a research assistant and help analyse how construction materials, demolition waste, and climate targets shape post-growth planning in the European Union.

Help identify de- or re-materialisation trends in the green transition
As a research assistant in the DECYCLE project, you analyse how climate mitigation in the European Union changes the demand for new materials in the built environment. The main task consists in analysing data to test the ‘re-materialisation hypothesis’, i.e., assessing whether climate mitigation strategies rely on the mobilisation of an increasing array and/or volume of materials. You collect and model data on material flows and link these trends to the political economy of green transition strategies.

You work closely with a postdoctoral researcher, the principal investigator, and other team members in a collaborative, international research environment. One day a week, you contribute to data-driven studies, co-author scientific outputs, and participate in project meetings and dissemination activities.

In return, you can expect strong supervision and mentoring, opportunities to deepen your skills in quantitative and sustainability research, and a supportive group embedded in the broader post-growth research network.

What are you going to do

• Collect, organise, and refine data on material stocks and flows in the European built environment.
• Identify key policies and regulatory frameworks for decarbonising the built environment in the EU.
• Analyse de-/re-materialisation trends and model scenarios using time series, life-cycle, or stock–flow approaches.
• Contribute to drafting scientific outputs – such as reports or peer-reviewed articles – with the research team.

What do you have to offer
You enjoy working with quantitative data and can structure complex information clearly. You work carefully and systematically, and you document your data and code so that others can follow your steps. You are comfortable in communicating in English in a diverse, international team. You can work independently, while proactively checking in with team members.

Required experience:

• A university qualification in a relevant field (for example, ecological economics, industrial or social ecology, political economy, economic or political geography, or urban planning).
• Quantitative data analysis skills (preferably R, or similar statistical software).

Desirable experience:

• Work with material or energy flow analysis, life-cycle analysis, time series, stock–flow consistent modelling, or econometrics.
• Familiarity with green transition debates and European Union policy.
• Academic publications in ecological economics, and/or political ecology, or political economy.

What else do we offer you
We offer a temporary employment for a maximum term of 1 year. The workload is equivalent to 1 day a week (7.6 hours). Working as assistant in the DECYCLE project, you will have the chance to learn how to participate in cutting edge, international research. As research assistant, you will be invited to join the dissemination activities of the project, and your work will be acknowledged in the final output of the studies in which you will actively participate.

You will work here
The DECYCLE project is currently composed of four members: the PI, a postdoc, and two PhD students. The team will help you in getting to know the University of Amsterdam and the Department of Geography, Planning and International Development Studies. You will be invited to all social activities of the research group. The department offers a welcoming working environment, located at in the hearth of Amsterdam.

The Department of Geography, Planning and International Development Studies is one of the six Departments in the FMG. Research and education are carried out by special institutes. The Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR) is responsible for research in the social sciences. The College of Social Sciences (CSS) and the Graduate School of Social Sciences (GSSS) are responsible for undergraduate and graduate teaching programmes in the social sciences.

Research and teaching in the Department of Geography, Planning and International Development Studies is organized in five thematic programme groups: Governance and Inclusive Development (GID), Urban Geographies (UG), Urban Planning (UP), Political and Economic Geographies (PEG) and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences (ISW). You will be part of the Urban Planning group.

If you recognize yourself in this profile and are interested in the role, please send the following documentation:

• motivation letter (max 1 page / 600 words).
• one writing sample fitting to the job description (unpublished is also accepted).
• CV.

Also applicants who finished their bachelor's degree, but are not enrolled in a master programme at the moment can apply.

You can apply via the red button until 03/04/2026. Interviews will take place on mid-April. In case of equal qualifications, internal candidates will be given preference over external candidates.

For questions about the vacancy, you can contact:

r.vezzoni@uva.nl