Are you passionate about sustainability transitions? Are you eager to adopt a multi-system perspective to better understand and contribute to the sustainable transformation of local energy systems? We are offering a fully funded PhD (4y, 1fte) position, in which you will collaborate with closely related research projects.

Job description

Sustainability transitions necessitate transformative changes that go beyond the confines of individual socio-technical systems. However, both academic research and policy efforts often concentrate on single systems, such as food, mobility, and energy. This siloed research approach can lead to a narrow understanding of transition processes that favours bottom-up forces for change within single socio-technical systems, while largely neglecting how interactions between multiple-systems could be drivers or barriers for transformative change. In line with this research bias, policy efforts have mostly been aiming at transforming single systems, resulting in misalignments and tensions in ongoing transitions. Examples are increasing grid congestion and high costs associated with district heating in the Netherlands compared to their more integrated counterparts in Denmark.

In this PhD research you will adopt a multi-system perspective to investigate local energy transitions, which refer to local socio-technological configurations, often developed by energy communities and/or municipalities, that involve innovations such as distributed renewable energy generation, smart grid systems, local energy trading, sustainable heating solutions, and shared electric mobility.

As a PhD candidate, you will conduct empirical research on local energy transitions, with a specific focus on changes that transcend system boundaries. Such a multi-system perspective is particularly relevant for energy transitions, as energy is by definition a means for activities and practices in other socio-technical systems. For instance, you will investigate local misalignments, tensions, and barriers that result from treating heat and electricity transitions as separate policy domains and explore how system integration and sector coupling can be fostered to accelerate transformative change at the local level.

We are looking for an enthusiastic, curious and creative candidate with:

• A relevant Master's degree (or close to obtaining) in the social sciences (Innovation Sciences, Science and Technology Studies (STS), Transition studies, Sustainable Energy Technologies, etc.). Please, mind: this is NOT an engineering project!
• Practical experience with qualitative (and quantitative) research methods.
• Preferably: experience with transdisciplinary research approaches.
• The ability to work independently and in a team.
• Very good organizational, communicative, and connective skills; you will collaborate with a wide variety of academic and societal groups.
• Excellent scientific writing, planning, and presentation skills. 
• A strong command of the English language (C1 level); Command of Dutch language is an advantage.

A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an interdisciplinary setting and within an international network. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station. In addition, we offer you:

• The successful candidate will be offered a full-time PhD position, initially for one year. Upon good performance, the contract will be extended for three more years.
• You will spend 15% of your employment on teaching tasks.
• Salary and benefits (such as a pension scheme, paid pregnancy and maternity leave, partially paid parental leave) in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, scale P (min. €2,901 max. € 3,707).
• The salary is supplemented by a holiday allowance of 8% per year and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.
• High-quality training programs and other support to grow into a self-aware, autonomous scientific researcher. At TU/e we challenge you to take charge of your own learning process.
• An excellent technical infrastructure, on-campus children's day care and sports facilities.
• An allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs.
• A Staff Immigration Team and a tax compensation scheme (the 30% facility) for international candidates. 

About us

Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) is a leading international university of technology, where people are the heart and soul. With excellent research and education programs, we are an important hub in a world-class high-tech ecosystem. We contribute to progress in the technical sciences, to the development of socio-technical innovations, and as a result, to the sustainability and welfare in the region and beyond. We participate in collaborations with industry and civil society organizations, and we are the academic heart of the top technology region Brainport. Given the pressing societal challenges such as climate change, three objectives are fundamental to our vision for 2030: a sustainable world, the technological revolution, and the impact of technology on society. Taking this major responsibility of contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals implies the need to develop new knowledge, skills, and competencies and to rethink the ways we educate our future engineers. See also: TU/e Strategy 2030.

The Technology, Innovation & Society (TIS) group, where the PhD position is embedded, is part of the School of Innovation Sciences, one of the two schools of the Department of Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences (IE&IS). Research at TIS concerns how humans and societies bring about technological change, and how technological innovations change society. Researchers in the TIS group study these processes in a systemic, transdisciplinary, and transnational perspective. The research focus of TIS covers both short-term processes (innovations) and long-term, fundamental processes (transitions), and addresses multiple aspects of the innovation journey - invention, innovation, diffusion, appropriation, governance, policy intervention along with local and global impacts on society. Many of the TIS research projects are strongly embedded in practical environments and involve co-creation and an action research approach.

This research relates to several research projects on co-creation of local heat solutions for positive energy districts (EmPowerED), integrating solar power generation with heat solutions in local energy communities (ACCU), and new business models and activities for energy communities (SmartCORE). As such, this PhD position provides you with the opportunity to join a dynamic and multidisciplinary team dedicated to accelerating local energy transitions.

Further information

Do you recognize yourself in this profile and would you like to know more? Please contact
dr. Luc van Summeren (l.f.m.v.summeren@tue.nl). The supervision team will also include
prof.dr. Anna Wieczorek.

Visit our website for more information about the application process or the conditions of employment. Are you inspired and would like to know more about working at TU/e as PhD candidate? Please visit our career page and watch the video.

For information about terms of employment, please contact HR Services (hrservices.ieis@tue.nl).

Application

Candidates should submit their applications through the TU/e application platform.
The application must include the following documents in English (please note that a maximum of 5 documents of 2 MB each can be uploaded):

1. Cover letter (1-page max) which includes motivation for your interest in the position, and an explanation of why your profile would be a good fit for the proposed project.
2. A 1,500-word research proposal that outlines how you would approach this topic and ideas for conducting the research. This idea sketch does not create any path dependencies, you can still select a different topic if you are accepted for the position.
3. Curriculum Vitae (CV) including a list of publications, results of a recent English language test (or other evidence of your English language capabilities), and contact information of two references.
4. List of courses, with grades, in Master and Bachelor programs.
5. A pdf copy of your Master thesis (if available). 

Deadline for application is 31 January 2025, but we will close the vacancy as soon as suitable candidates are found. The envisioned starting date is February 2025. The interviews will be held in February. We do not accept applications sent by e-mail or incomplete ones.