Postdoc researcher on economic modelling for circular economy strategies

Tilburg University | Tilburg School of Economics and Management
is looking for a

Postdoc researcher on economic modelling for circular economy strategies

Department: Economics, jointly with Tilburg Sustainability Center
Location: Tilburg
Contract size: 0,8 – 1,0 FTE (32 - 40 hours per week)
Job profile: Researcher 3
Full-time gross monthly salary: €4.537 – €6.209
Contract duration: 48 months/4 years
Desired starting date: between May 1 and September 2025 and upon mutual agreement
Closing date vacancy: February 1, 2025

Your position
The Department of Economics, jointly with Tilburg Sustainability Center, has a vacancy for a 48 months Postdoctoral Researcher in Economics.

We are looking for an environmental economist with strong analytical and quantitative skills, programming experience in either R or python, and motivated to combine rigorous research with social impact. The researcher will develop and analyze economic models for the transition towards a circular economy. It integrates concepts such as circular life cycle assessments, material flow analyses, product as a service, into economic macro general equilibrium models, analyzing distributional effects on income, employment, and resource use across global value chains. We expect publications in top field journals, both in economics and interdisciplinary.

The position is rooted in the NWO funded ACT! project (Accelerating the Circular Transition). It aims at overcoming societal and scientific challenges for the transformation towards a circular society to tackle the existing sustainability challenges. The project develops a toolbox to study this systemic change – providing insights on policies that accelerate the transition towards a circular society.

The new researcher will be supervised by prof. Reyer Gerlagh and is hosted at the Economics department, which offers a large environmental economists group, including Prof. Sjak Smulders, Prof. Daan van Soest, Prof. Herman Vollebergh, and many junior researchers including Dr Julie Metta and Dr Etienne Lorang. The project will also include cooperations with other consortium members, in particular Leiden University, Utrecht University, and the Dutch Environmental Agency, PBL.

The job can include a teaching task and/or thesis supervision, which will be consistent with the role of Postdoc. Preferences for teaching are discussed at the interview and can be part of a balanced job offer.

Your profile
Tilburg University believes that academic excellence is achieved through the combination of outstanding research and education, in which social impact is made by sharing knowledge. We recognize that excellence is achieved through team effort and individual skills.

More specifically, we are looking for a candidate who has:

• Completed PhD in Economics, preferably environmental economics
• Experience with macro-economic models
• Shown interest in the topic of circular economy, SDGs.
• Ambition to make a difference through excellent research
• Ambition to reach out to other university and private sector partners
• Demonstrated quantitative and/or analytical skills (courses and papers)
• Experience with R and/or python
• Ability to independently carry out research, and co-work in a team
• Excellent communication skills in English, orally and in writing

Our offer
Tilburg University offers excellent benefits in a pleasant working environment:

• A position based on 0,8 – 1,0 FTE (32 - 40 hours per week).
• A salary of minimum €4.537 and maximum €6.209 gross per month for full-time employment, based on UFO profile Researcher 3 and salary scale 11. Tilburg University uses a neutral remuneration system based on relevant work experience.
• This is a vacancy for a temporary position in accordance with Article 2.3 paragraph 5 sub b CLA DU. You will be given a temporary contract for the duration of 48 months.
• Vacation pay of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3%.
• Over 8 weeks of vacation leave.
• The opportunity to work partly on campus and partly from home with a home office allowance of €2 per day.
• Reimbursement for sustainable commuting: walking, cycling, and public transport.
• A monthly internet allowance of €25.
• An options model in which you exchange benefits for things such as additional leave, more pension, a bicycle or personal training at our Sports Center.
• A moving allowance (subject to conditions).
• Employees from abroad may be eligible for a tax-free allowance for extraterritorial expenses equal to 30% of taxable salary.
• A pension with ABP; the largest Dutch pension fund.
• Training in personal development, career development, leadership, education, and research. Or a language course at our Language Center.
• A work culture in which we embrace differences, everyone is welcome and given equal opportunities.
• A vibrant campus in green surroundings that is easily accessible by public transport.

For more information, see our website and the CLA Dutch Universities.

Information and application
Would you like to know more before applying? Feel free to contact Prof. Reyer Gerlagh ([email protected]) or Asel Doranova ([email protected]).

We kindly invite you to apply before February 1, 2025; this can only be done online. Address your cover letter to Asel Doranova. Add a resume, your publication list, a research statement of maximum 2 pages, teaching evaluations if applicable, and two references (including name, telephone number and email address). We only approach referees for candidates who make it to the second selection round.

Letter selection is scheduled on February 3, 2025; you will receive notification from us shortly thereafter. Interviews are organized on rolling basis starting begin of February (we invite best candidates from the list of candidates applied up to that time).

The selection committee consists of:

1. Prof. Reyer Gerlagh (chair of the selection committee)
2. Prof. Sjak Smulders
3. Prof. Daan van Soest
4. Prof. Herman Vollebergh
5. Etienne Lorang
6. Asel Doranova

You will ideally start working for Tilburg University between May 1 and September 2025 upon mutual agreement with your supervisor.

About Tilburg University
Tilburg University is an academic, inclusive, and engaged community. Together with nearly 3,000 employees, we are committed to broad prosperity, sustainably, and inclusion. For current and future generations. We develop and share knowledge for the requirements of people and our society. This is how we contribute to solving complex social issues and help society move forward.

We educate our 19,500 students of 110 nationalities to become responsible leaders with knowledge, skills, and character. With our education and research for broad prosperity, we exceedingly focus on themes such as mental and preventive care, an inclusive labor market, the energy transition, and digitalization.

About Tilburg School of Economics and Management

Tilburg School of Economics and Management (TiSEM) is the university largest faculty. TiSEM offers well reputed academic research and education. Its research belongs to the European top. The education programs, of which the majority are offered completely in English, are on the international map with the AACSB accreditation awarded in 2002. Employees and students form an ambitious international community.

Tilburg School of Economics and Management

About the department of Economics
The Economics Department at Tilburg University is one of the largest and most successful economics departments in Europe. Our faculty members are internationally recognized for their research and committed to providing high-quality education programs for students. The department is organized into several research institutes and projects, TILEC being one of them. The department hosts a weekly seminar program with invited speakers from top international schools and a weekly internal workshop program that allows our faculty and PhD students to present their research to the department. For more information, click here.

Recruitment code
Tilburg University applies the recruitmentcode of the Dutch Association for Personnel Management & Organization Development (NVP).

Disclaimer
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