Postdoctoral Researcher in Citizen Science & Societal Engagement for an Inclusive Energy Transition

Postdoctoral Researcher in Citizen Science & Societal Engagement for an Inclusive Energy Transition, with a focus on Positive Energy Districts in the Netherlands (0.8/1.0 fte)

You are an enthusiastic researcher with an interest in accelerating and scaling up the energy transition through the inclusion of citizens and societal actors, are well versed in transdisciplinary approaches, and have a solid background in citizen science and/or societal engagement – both in theory and in practice. You have recently completed your PhD (or already have a date planned for your defence) and are a strong independent researcher, but also a team player eager to share your own knowledge and experience while also learning from others. You are able to contribute your own fresh and original ideas for the advancement of societal engagement practices and the application of citizen science towards energy transitions. You have good writing skills for both an academic and a lay audience, enjoy exploring the scientific literature, have a track record of scientific publications proportionate with your career stage, and have ambitions to grow in the field as an academic at the interface of science and society.

What you will do
Based in the Institute of Public Administration (Dutch abbreviation, BSK)– Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs (FGGA) and the Citizen Science Lab at Leiden University, this 2-year full-time Postdoc position is part of the NWO-funded EmPowerEd project, a large consortium led by the TU Eindhoven. The aim of this project is to "Enable Positive Energy Districts through citizen-centred socio-technical models for upscaling of the heat transition", and you will be primarily involved in the Work Package that focuses on "Effective and inclusive citizen engagement and support for scalable PED designs". This work will bring you into close collaboration with PhD students at the University of Groningen and TNO Amsterdam, alongside direct colleagues in the Faculty and the Citizen Science Lab at Leiden University. You will be in charge of identifying and further developing a set of indicators for effective, scalable, and inclusive citizen engagement; and identifying and creating resources for Citizen Science approaches to data and insight gathering within the PEDs. Alongside producing required project outputs, you will also be expected to publish scientific outputs.

This work will include:

• Performing a systematic review of the academic and grey literature for examples of societal engagement and Citizen Science practices relevant to the energy transition;
• Working closely with members of the consortium and their partners in the four Use Case locations (namely Groningen, Nijmegen, Eindhoven & Tilburg) to integrate their knowledge and experience;
• Contributing to the development, testing and iterative improvements of tools and resources for the consortium partners to apply in practice in the local cases;
• Writing and publishing insights and outcomes for both an academic and a practitioner audience;
• Contributing to the regular work of the FGGA department (such as publishing scientific papers, giving guest lectures and providing teaching support) and the Citizen Science Lab (such as developing practitioner training for societal engagement and participatory research methodologies).

Where you will work
The mission of the FGGA is to contribute to society. The faculty does this through high-quality interdisciplinary education and (new) scientific knowledge. Whether it is terrorism, security, artificial intelligence or a governance solution to the housing crisis, contemporary issues are comprehensively investigated at FGGA.

Situated in the heart of The Hague, students and professionals come together to gain knowledge and skills.
FGGA is one of the seven faculties of Leiden University. This young, entrepreneurial, innovative organisation has three scientific institutes, two centres, over 3,700 students and 425 staff members.

The Institute of Public Administration, which is part of FGGA, is one of the largest and oldest institutes on academic research and teaching in the field of public administration in the Netherlands. The institute has an international profile and gets high peer reviewed ratings, both for its research and education. The Public Policy and Innovation department of the Institute of Public Administration focuses on shaping, implementing, and evaluating policy through innovative approaches. We focus on three key themes: promoting innovation within public organisations to address policy challenges, ensuring ethical considerations and social justice in the innovation process, and exploring innovations and systemic change avenues for environmental and social sustainability.

The Citizen Science Lab, based in the heart of Leiden, is a transdisciplinary expertise centre that brings together scientists, policy makers, citizens, and other societal stakeholders in participatory research projects that address scientific questions of relevance to society and provide citizen-generated data and insights on urgent societal issues such as climate change and biodiversity collapse. The CS Lab has a 'Hub and Spoke' structure with a central base and close collaborations with each of the Faculties of Leiden University, such as with FGGA in the EmPowerED project. The CS Lab acts as a facilitator and incubator of new co-created citizen science projects that bring science and society closer together, as well as a supportive knowledge hub for societal engagement practices across all domains of research, and a research centre in its own right.

What you bring
In this team, we are looking for someone who can both work independently and be a team player, with an open-minded and curious attitude, striving to build up fruitful collaborations. Beyond the defined tasks and outputs within the EmPowerEd project, there is scope to shape the direction of your work according to your own skills, interests, and ambitions for further development. We will discuss these with you once you find your feet in the project, and together we will draw up a development plan for the acquisition of new skills that suit the needs of the work and your ambitions. This position is a good fit for you if you recognise yourself in the following:

• You have recently completed your PhD or have already a planned date for your defence;
• You are passionate about transdisciplinarity and are very interested in citizen science and other engagement practices that include societal actors in research to address urgent issues and bring science and society closer together;
• You are knowledgeable about energy transitions, have some prior knowledge of Positive Energy District and most importantly are curious to explore this specific local-scaled approach;
• You are interested in an academic career that balances scientific research with societal engagement practices, and in producing good quality publications for both scientific and practitioner audiences;
• You enjoy working within an inter- and transdisciplinary environment, teaming up with colleagues from different disciplinary and cultural backgrounds, at different stages of their academic (or non-academic) careers;
• You enjoy desk research and exploring the scientific literature, with an eye for systematization and comfort with processing a large volume of papers;
• You can interact easily with local actors and a variety of stakeholders, listening actively and translating their insights and knowledge into relevant scientific input;
• You have proficiency in English and a good command of Dutch (B2/C1 sufficient to communicate and understand);
• You are committed to achieving societal impact in science and research, and want to contribute to the production of open and societally relevant knowledge;
• You are a hands-on person, able to navigate different environments and collaborative relationships, balancing a focus on achieving objectives and results with being open-minded and flexible;
• You are a good listener and a good communicator, and while flexible, you are able to set clear boundaries for your own workload and wellbeing, and kindly, but convincingly, communicate them to your team players.

If you immediately recognise yourself in this profile, or if do you not quite meet all the requirements but you believe that this is the right job for you, we look forward to your application!

Send us a CV and motivation letter. In your motivation letter please provide a hyperlink to an example of your academic writing as well as any examples of your writing or outputs for a lay audience. Please, select outputs where you are the main or the sole author.

What we offer
Our goal is to work together to create a transparent and inclusive work environment in which everyone feels welcome and appreciated. Our organisation is always evolving and we need your ideas for improvement and innovation to take us further. We want to devote attention to your personal development.

You can count on an enjoyable job with high societal relevance and an exciting mix of academia (education and research) and practice (the science + society collaborations within the project). Your primary office at FGGA will be in the bustling international city centre of The Hague, where Leiden University's Campus Den Haag is located, and your secondary office in the Citizen Science Lab will be in the charming heart of historical Leiden, in the creative and entrepreneurial PLNT building of Leiden University. Both locations offer great social contact and fun activities, such as through the Healthy University initiative, as your health and vitality are also important to us.

We also offer:

• a stimulating and intellectually challenging work environment that fosters personal development and is determined to make a difference when it comes to key societal challenges;
• An employment contract as a post-doc for 0.8-1.0 fte for 2 years, depending on the preferences of the candidate. This contract falls under the CLA of Dutch Universities;
• Starting preferably October 2025 (some flexibility is possible);
• A salary of maximum € 4.537,- to € 6.209,- gross a month (scale 11), based on a full-time appointment (38 hours);
• A holiday allowance(8%) an end-of-year bonuses (8.3%) and an attractive pension scheme at ABP;
• Full reimbursement of public transport commuting costs for home-to-work travel;
• Flexible working hours: as a standard, you are entitled to a minimum of 29 leave days on the basis of a full-time working week of 38 hours; you can also save for extra leave, for example by working 40 hours a week, and in this way accrue an extra 96 leave hours, or exchange 96 leave hours for a 36-hour week;
• Lots of options when it comes to secondary employment conditions; we can, for example, discuss options for a sabbatical or paid parental leave. Within our terms of employment individual choices model, you can exchange leave days and/or salary for benefits such as an advantageous sports subscription or bicycle scheme, and we also offer child-care options;
• If your work allows it, hybrid working is possible within the Netherlands;
• A home-working allowance (day and internet allowance) and attention for good workplaces; The University will also provide you with a laptop.

What we find important
Promoting an inclusive community is central to Leiden University’s values and vision. Leiden University aims to be an inclusive community in which all students and staff members feel valued and respected, and are able to develop to their full potential. Diversity in experiences and perspectives enriches our teaching and strengthens our research. High-quality education and research means inclusive education and research.

If you would like more information about what the job entails, please contact Antonella Maiello Assistant Professor Governance of Sustainability, at a.maiello@fgga.leidenuniv.nl.