PhD Position: Collaborative Governance in the Local Energy Transition, on our Way to Positive Energy Districts

The Department of Geography, Planning and Environment at Radboud University is seeking a highly motivated and talented PhD candidate to join the EmPowerED project.

In the EmPowerED project, researchers from research universities and universities of applied sciences and TNO work together with citizens, businesses and governments to develop integrated energy solutions. The goal of this project is to create a toolbox to help design energy systems that fit local needs, integrating heat and electricity solutions. These solutions are tested in real-life situations to prove their effectiveness. The overarching goal of the EmPowerED project is to accelerate the very challenging energy transition in neighbourhoods. Addressing this challenge requires new knowledge of innovative technologies, energy system integration, the energy behaviour and preferences of citizens, and the governance of decentralised energy systems. You will work on this challenge together with nine other PhD candidates from different universities in the Netherlands.

The focus of this PhD position is collaboration in the governance of local integrated energy systems, including heat and electricity. You will analyse the collaboration of the different parties (involved in both electricity and heat chains) in local decision-making processes with the help of so-called ‘use cases’ in Groningen, Eindhoven, Nijmegen and Tilburg, alongside other new, possibly experimental, cases in the Netherlands and abroad. You will conduct a local analysis of the collaborative governance regimes in which market parties, governmental authorities and civil society organisations work together on the energy transition. These processes are influenced by changing governance arrangements at national, international and regional levels, for instance from market-dominated to new public and cooperative governance arrangements. Together with legal, economic and social science -scholars in the project, you will therefore also map out current changes in the macro-environment.

Together with researchers from the fields of spatial planning, energy modelling, social network analysis, economy and law, you will develop tools for appropriate governance models for the local energy transition, working towards Positive Energy Districts. You will collaborate closely with the PhD candidate on ‘Spatial Energy Planning for Positive Energy Districts’ from the Spatial Planning chair group at Radboud University.

Possible research themes include:

• The changing roles of markets, state and civil society in the governance arrangements relevant to integrated energy systems.
• The dynamics of collaborative governance regimes regarding local decision-making processes, for instance the division of roles of actors, the available resources, the rules of the game and the dimension of discourses, combined with elements such as leadership, drivers, capacities and (varying) engagement in these processes.
• The shift towards public energy companies and the role of the cooperative movement and democratic decision-making.
• Energy communities and the challenges of energy congestion and decentralisation of the energy supply and demand.

Your teaching load may be up to 10% of your working time.

Profile

• You should hold a Master's degree in environment and society studies, human geography, spatial planning, environmental science, energy science, public administration, political science, sociology, or any other field related to environmental governance and politics.
• You have strong analytical and research skills.
• You are interested in sustainability and societal transformations.
• You possess excellent written and oral communication skills in Dutch and English. Mastery of the Dutch language is a requirement for the Dutch case studies.
• You are a team player and able to work independently.
• You have an interest in interdisciplinary research and stakeholder engagement.
• You are acquainted with and/or have studied the experiences in the local or regional energy transition.

We offer

• We will give you a temporary employment contract (1.0 FTE) of 1.5 years, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, your contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4-year contract).
• You will receive a starting salary of €2,901 gross per month based on a 38-hour working week, which will increase to €3,707 in the fourth year.
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus.
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20.

Additional employment conditions

Work and science require good employment practices. Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions reflect this. You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself. For example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports membership. In addition, you receive a 34% discount on the sports and cultural activities at Radboud University as an employee. And, of course, we offer a good pension plan. We also give you plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.

We are

The department of Geography, Planning, and Environment (GPE) seeks to provide a deep understanding of how places, from the local to the global level, are politically and materially shaped, experienced and governed, and to contribute to the development of more sustainable and equitable places. GPE's approach goes explicitly beyond a government and policy orientation, addressing the deep political and institutional nature of placemaking and spatial-environmental governance. The group seeks to contribute to more future-oriented practices and territorial images.

The Environmental Governance and Politics chair group is a social science research team that critically reflects on and contributes to sustainability transformations. We develop useful insights into such processes, which can help enable, deepen and broaden the transformation towards sustainable development. In this context, we conduct research, provide education and collaborate with societal partners. We specialise in governance issues in the fields of agriculture, animals, biodiversity, the circular economy, climate change, energy and water, and the relationships between. We focus on transdisciplinary research, integrate futures studies, and use qualitative and, in particular, comparative analyses. We mainly use discursive, institutional and practice-based theoretical perspectives.

Nijmegen School of Management
At Nijmegen School of Management, one of the seven faculties within Radboud University in the Netherlands, we have a clear aim: we enable students, institutions and companies, social actors, and governments to play their part in the transformations towards a sustainable society through high-quality scientific research and education. With more than 4,500 curious students and more than 450 dedicated employees, we form a dynamic community. Our mission ‘Responsible governance for sustainable societies’ is driven by the ambition to make a difference in the world. At Nijmegen School of Management, we understand management as a broad concept referring to the collective and organised pursuit (responsible governance) of a better world (sustainable societies). We study and teach management at the level of public and private organisations. In this context, we examine how to balance economic, ecological, and social values in a sustainable way. This aim is in line with Radboud University's mission to contribute through teaching and research to a ‘free, healthy world with equal opportunities for all’. At Nijmegen School of Management, academic research and teaching are carried out in following areas: Business Administration, Economics and Business Economics, Political Science, Public Administration, Human Geography, Spatial Planning, and Environment. Our approach to teaching and research is evolving from multidisciplinarity, where we study societal challenges from different disciplinary backgrounds, to interdisciplinarity (integrating disciplinary perspectives for synergy) and transdisciplinarity (involving non-academic stakeholders). The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an important source of inspiration for our work. Our work focuses on the themes Social economy, Resilient society and Sustainable environment. At Nijmegen School of Management, we have our eyes on the world of the future, in which sustainability and responsibility are central values. Together we are creating a better world for everyone. Radboud University
At Radboud University, we aim to make an impact through our work. We achieve this by conducting groundbreaking research, providing high-quality education, offering excellent support, and fostering collaborations within and outside the university. In doing so, we contribute indispensably to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. To accomplish this, we need even more colleagues who, based on their expertise, are willing to search for answers. We advocate for an inclusive community and welcome employees with diverse backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives. Will you also contribute to making the world a little better? You have a part to play.