Postdoc Position in Quantitative Innovation Studies

The Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development offers a postdoctoral researcher position in the field of Quantitative Innovation Studies. In this role you will specifically focus on sustainable innovation, adoption trajectories and the impact of policy in agri-food and land-use systems.

Your job

You will contribute to the "Innovation and adoption dynamics" work package, which is part of a larger, multidisciplinary research project funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation. This project, conducted in collaboration with the University of Copenhagen and Wageningen University & Research, aims to develop science-based policies that foster a sustainable European agri-food and land-use system.

The position will involve studying innovation directions and the adoption of sustainable technologies, services, and practices in the agri-food and land use sectors, and their interaction with policies. Using a data-driven approach, particularly Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques, you will analyse the dynamics of technological development, including the phase-in of new technologies and the phase-out of outdated ones. The project will also analyse the effects of policies (i.e. national and European subsidies, regulations, and standards) on these innovation directions, focusing on the relationship between policy and innovation trajectories across EU countries.

The postdoc position involves the following research activities:

• identifying (sustainable) innovation and adoption trajectories over time and space using diverse large-scale datasets, including patents, publications, trademarks, and firm-level data;
• employing Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques to analyse and link these innovation and adoption data with policy documents;
• investigating the impact of policies and regulations on the dynamics of sustainable innovation, focusing on specific national and technological contexts;
• publishing results in academic journals and contribute to societal (policy) impact for sustainable transitions in agri-food and land use.

You will become part of the Innovation Studies group of the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development at Utrecht University. Dr Iris Wanzenböck ,Dr Jarno Hoekman and Professor Koen Frenken will be the supervisors for this project. The project will start on 1 March 2025, which is also the preferred starting date for this position.

Your qualities

Excited by this opportunity? We are looking for a candidate that:

• holds a PhD in Innovation Studies, Economics, Econometrics, (Economic) Geography, Data Science, Complexity Science or related fields;
• has knowledge, or willingness to learn, about theories of innovation and adoption;
• has experience with quantitative research methods, including using NLP or other computational methods for large dataset analysis;
• has programming experience in R and/or Python or related software;
• demonstrates interest in policy impact analysis and/or the agri-food and land use sectors;
• has an affinity with public outreach, and is comfortable with conducting multi-disciplinary research and interacting with project stakeholders;
• is good in communicating and team-work;
• enjoys working in an interdisciplinary research and teaching environment;
• is proficient in English.

Our offer

We offer:

• a position for one year, with an extension until March 2028 upon successful assessment;
• a working week of 36 hours and a gross monthly salary between €3,378 and €5,331 in the case of full-time employment (salary scale 10 under the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU));
• 8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible terms of employment based on the CAO NU.