Postdoc position: Assessment of policy instruments for a carbon-neutral European Union

 

Are you a proactive post-doc interested in assessments of policy instruments for national and EU climate policy? Are you interested in the interaction between innovation and policy instruments? Are you comfortable with both quantitative and qualitative research methods and looking forward to work in an international environment? Then, this position might be the perfect fit for you!

To achieve climate neutrality by 2050, EU policy will have to be reoriented – from incremental towards structural change. For this, we have to learn from past policy experiences (ex post assessment) and carefully analyse the expected impacts of new policy instruments. 4i-TRACTION is an EU-funded research project with nine partners in seven EU countries that aims to design transformative policies for a climate-neutral EU.

You will work in the Environmental Economics and Natural Resources group with Dr. Edwin van der Werf and contribute to 4i-TRACTION, develop your own research agenda and contribute to teaching by supervising students or contributing to lectures. Within 4i-TRACTION you will contribute to an analysis of the impact of past policies for decarbonisation of the Dutch road transport sector, and an ex ante in-depth assessment of the transformative impact (notably on innovation) of selected policy instruments.

We ask

• you have completed a PhD, preferably in economics;
• you have experience with both quantitative and qualitative research methods;
• you are a team player who can communicate clearly and comfortably with scientists, consultants and policy makers;
• you are interested in policy instruments for greenhouse gas emission reductions and zero-emission road transport;
• you are interested in EU climate policy and its interaction with innovation;
• you communicate well, written and orally, in English, and are able to read and understand reports and policy documents in Dutch;
• you have interest and demonstrable skill in publishing in renowned scientific journals.

We offer

Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:

• sabbatical leave, study leave, and partially paid parental leave;
• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• the option to accrue additional compensation / holiday hours by working more, up to 40 hours per week;
• there is a strong focus on vitality and you can make use of the sports facilities available on campus for a small fee;
• a fixed December bonus of 8.3%;
• excellent pension scheme.

In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will, depending on your experience, receive a gross salary of between €3.282,- and €4.490,- for a full-time working week of 38 hours, in accordance with the  Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale 10). We offer a temporary contract for 1 year which will be extended for the remaining period of the project if you perform well. The total duration of this project is 2 years.
 

Wageningen University & Research encourages internal advancement opportunities and mobility with an internal recruitment policy. There are plenty of options for personal initiative in a learning environment, and we provide excellent training opportunities. We are offering a unique position in an international environment with a pleasant and open working atmosphere.

You are going to work at the greenest and most innovative campus in Holland, and at a university that has been chosen as the “Best University” in the Netherlands for the 17^th consecutive time.

Coming from abroad
Wageningen University & Research is the university and research centre for life sciences. The themes we deal with are relevant to everyone around the world and Wageningen, therefore, has a large international community and a lot to offer to international employees. Applicants from abroad moving to the Netherlands may qualify for a special tax relief, known as the 30% ruling. Our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family.

Feeling welcome also has everything to do with being well informed. Wageningen University & Research's International Community page contains practical information about what we can do to support international employees and students coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, we can assist you with any additional advice and information about helping your partner to find a job, housing, schooling, and other issues.

More information

Do you want more information?     
For more information about this position, please contact dr. Edwin van der Werf edwin.vanderwerf@wur.nl or +31 (0)317-483 318.

For more information about the procedure, please contact Bianca Aversteeg, Recruitment support via recruitment.ssg@wur.nl.

Do you want to apply?        
You can apply directly using the apply button on the vacancy page on our website which will allow us to process your personal information with your approval.
This vacancy will be listed up to and including March 3 2022. We hope to schedule the first job interviews in the 2nd and 3rd week of March 2022.

The intended starting date is April 1, 2022.

Equal opportunities 
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) employs a large number of people with very different backgrounds and qualities, who inspire and motivate each other. We want every talent to feel at home in our organisation and be offered the same career opportunities. We therefore especially welcome applications from people who are underrepresented at WUR. For more information please go to our inclusive webpage. A good example of how WUR deals with inclusiveness can be read on the page working at WUR with a functional impairment.

We are

Wageningen University & Research          
The mission of Wageningen University & Research is “To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life”. Under the banner Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen University and the specialised research institutes of the Wageningen Research Foundation have joined forces in contributing to finding solutions to important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment.

With its roughly 30 branches, 6.500 employees and 12.500 students, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. An integrated approach to problems and the cooperation between various disciplines are at the heart of Wageningen’s unique approach. WUR has been named Best Employer in the Education category for 2019-2020.

These are the points our employees list as good reasons to come work at WUR: read the 5 reasons to come work at WUR

We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves, so no employment agencies please. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.

Apply now