Postdoctoral Researcher in Innovation & Investment Policy for Hydrogen Clusters in the EU

Postdoctoral Researcher in Innovation and Investment Policy for Hydrogen Clusters in the EU (0.8-1.0 fte)

What you will do
Research Project Hy-Success: Social, User aCCeptable, Economically Sustainable Systems For hydrogen

Leiden University offers a post-doc position as part of the interdisciplinary research programme GroenvermogenNL, which supports the large-scale development and implementation of green hydrogen in the Netherlands and across Europe. The programme addresses the system-wide conditions required to enable a successful hydrogen transition—including policies, infrastructure, technology, safety, economic incentives, and public acceptance.

The postdoc will be embedded in a collaborative research team and contribute specifically to work focused on the role of public policy in shaping private sector investment in hydrogen technologies. This work builds on a categorization of policy instruments and investigates how specific regulatory and economic mechanisms incentivize (clusters of) firms to invest in hydrogen production, transport, and application, both at the EU level and within the Dutch context. The postdoc’s findings will contribute to understanding the interaction between investment behaviour of firms and regulatory design by government, inform the development of future scenarios for green hydrogen deployment, and support broader modelling efforts across the GroenvermogenNL programme.

The post-doc will be appointed at the Department of Economics of the Leiden Law School, but the project is a collaboration between the Department of Economics and the Institute of Public Administration of the Faculty of Global Governance and Global Affairs of Leiden University. The selected post-doc will therefore be based at the the Hague office of the Department of Economics, on the fast growing campus of Leiden University in the center of the Hague. This allows close cooperation with colleagues from both the Department of Economics and colleagues from the Institute of Public Administration, which is also based in the Hague, and other stakeholders of GroenvermogenNL.

Tasks

• Conduct innovative research on policy induced investment dynamics in the context of increased production and usage of green hydrogen.
• Participate in seminars, workshops and conferences organized by the Groenvermogen consortium, and if possible outside the consortium
• Actively disseminate research findings amongst researchers working on closely related projects within the Groenvermogen consortium, but also to academic and non-academic audiences outside the consortium
• Publish the research results in a report, and contribute to publishing the results in academic journals

Where you will work

Team
Together with Prof.dr. Sarah Giest and dr. Hendrik Vrijburg, you will work in a broader team of (early-career) researchers at the Department of Economics and the Institute of Public Administration of who are working on closely related projects. We work together to make a difference, celebrate our bigger and smaller successes and look out for each other. Moreover, a good work-life balance is important to us, and we offer the flexibility to combine work with other responsibilities.

Our Departments
The Department of Economics is a young, vibrant research community, with offices in Leiden and The Hague. The department has been growing steadily and will continue to grow with the new bachelor and master programs in The Hague starting in the Fall of 2025. The department has a reputation of working together in teams on joint research projects, while at the same time giving individual researchers the autonomy and flexibility to pursue other research interests as well. In the broad field of economics, the activities of the department are concentrated on socio-economic policy, law and economics, the functioning of the labor market and social security. The department provides courses for a number of study programs, such as political science, public administration, liberal arts, and law. Moreover, the department co-organizes the bachelor program ‘Economics, Governance and Management’ and the master program ‘Economics and Governance’ with the Institute of Public Administration.

The Public Policy and Innovation department of the Institute of Public Administration focuses on shaping, implementing, and evaluating policy through innovative approaches. Our goal is to tackle complex societal challenges by exploring technological advancements and creative policy tools. 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 examining the impact of innovation on environmental and social sustainability.

Our Institutes
The Department of Economics is part of the institute of Tax Law and Economics of Leiden Law School (ranked #1 in the Netherlands for the subject of law and #21 in the 2022 QS World University Rankings by Subject). Leiden Law School is located in Leiden and The Hague. With more than 6500 students and around 1000 staff, it is one of the largest university faculties in the Netherlands. The faculty focuses on innovative multidisciplinary research and educational programmes that are constantly renewed in response to issues in society. Our faculty is large enough to make a difference nationally and internationally, yet small enough to offer personalised education. This is how we contribute to a safe and sustainable world, each and every day. The Faculty is housed in the beautifully restored Kamerlingh Onnes Building on the Steenschuur in Leiden. The Department of Economics also has offices in The Hague. Working for the Leiden Law School means working in a welcoming and inspiring scientific environment.

The Public Policy and Innovation department is part of the Institute of Public Administration. The institute is one of the largest and oldest institutes on academic research and teaching in the field of public administration in the Netherlands. The institute combines a solid international academic reputation with a central positioning among the international, national, regional, and local governance institutions in The Hague. The institute has an international profile and gets high peer reviewed ratings, both for its research and education. The institute is part of the Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs (FGGA).

What you bring

• A PhD in economics, political science or public administration with a substantive quantitative background;
• Strong skills in empirical research methods and writing, demonstrated by a bachelor’s or master’s thesis, a single-authored course paper and/or a publication;
• Experience in using statistical software (preferably Stata or R); experience with interview-based or case study research is a plus
• Demonstrated interest in applied microeconomics, public policy, quasi-experimental techniques and proficiency in working with data is an advantage;
• An excellent command of the English language and knowledge or willingness to progressively learn the Dutch language and context is considered an advantage.
• Strong collaboration skills and the ability to work effectively in interdisciplinary research teams

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!

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 within the socially relevant world of education and research. The University's challenging and international work environment is located just steps away from Leiden’s lively city centre or the bustling city centre of The Hague. We also want to work with you to devote attention to your health and vitality, for example with the fun activities we organise through Healthy University.

We also offer:

• We 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;
• The post-doc position is for 0.8-1.0 fte for 2 years, depending on the preferences of the candidate;
• Starting date: 1st of September 2025 (some flexibility is possible);
• A salary of a minimum of € 63,318 to 86,653 gross per year (scale 11), based on a full-time appointment (38 hours). This includes holiday (8%) and end-of-year bonuses (8.3%);
• 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 and a mobile telephone (if applicable for the position).

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.

For more information about what the job entails, please contact Hendrik Vrijburg, h.vrijburg@law.leidenuniv.nl.