Circular Economy Systems Scientist

Want to make your mark on our time? Become a Circular Economy Systems Scientist at TNO in Utrecht!

About this position

Contributing to a circular world. Imagine it. Become a Circular Economy Modeller at TNO in Utrecht. We are looking for a skilled scientific modeler with experience of building software tools to advance the application of our research activities by improving our circularity assessment models. You will develop and apply models and tools which explore material flows, sustainability strategies and circularity policies using large datasets and Python-based tools. This is an opportunity to work in an established team of TNO scientists, software engineers and consultants, working together to answer some of society’s most challenging sustainability questions.

What will be your role?

You will design and implement models to analyze circular economy scenarios within our established model suite. Taking established methods such as MFA, LCA, MRIO and applying them to a range of industry and policy questions. You will be translating complex scientific insights into actionable recommendations for business and policy stakeholders and collaborating with interdisciplinary teams in fields such as Plastics or Critical Raw Materials.

Together with an integral team of data and modelling experts, you will work at the intersection of sustainability topics (such as in Plastics or Critical Raw Materials), methodology (such as MFA & LCA) and scientific software development. You will develop and refine computational models to simulate circular economy scenarios and policy pathways. You will use Python packages and related tooling to build test and optimize these models, performing sensitivity analysis and scenario testing to explore the impacts of different policy or business interventions. You’ll be communicating findings in an engaging way for our industrial and policy stakeholders including visualizations of system performance and circularity pathways.

Your contribution to the group will also be in shaping the design and deployment of reusable tooling for our models. This will include handling complex technical, economic and material-specific datasets with metadata, in a way which supports robust scientific insights and outputs.

What we expect from you

We are looking for a modeller who has a keen interest in sustainability and circular economy, and has an interest in understanding the connection between the qualitative and quantitative world. Together with internal and external parties, you will shape the development and expansion of our model suite across a range of methods. This also means that part of your work involves writing high-quality project proposals and scientific articles with others and working closely together with scientists from the areas of circular plastics, microplastics, circular electronics and critical raw materials. You have experience in the development of scientific software and tooling for research.

What else do you have to offer?

• You hold a Masters or PhD in a relevant discipline in the field of sustainability, industrial ecology or circular economy, and have experience of developing models which apply methodologies for materials, economic and environmental impact assessment.
• You have proficiency in programming using Python packages in support of developing scientific or research software. Experience with agile working (Scrum & Gitlab) is a plus. Strong data wrangling, data visualization and object oriented programming skills are a plus.
• You have strong collaboration and networking skills and know how to connect people. You have an effective way of communication, both internally and externally, with members of the project team, business consultants, and pioneers in the field at TNO.
• Experience in the Plastics and/or Critical Raw Materials domains is an advantage, as is experience in sectors which have a demand for recycled Plastics, Chemicals and Critical Raw Materials such as in Chemical Engineering, Electronics, Automotive, Batteries, Textiles, Bioplastics and Renewables.
• You have excellent command of the English language, both spoken and written. Knowledge of the Dutch language is appreciated.

What you'll get in return

Challenging and varied work with a real impact. And plenty of opportunities as, at TNO, you are in charge of shaping your career. We offer a gross monthly salary between € 4.500,- and € 7.000,- (based on your knowledge and experience), 8% holiday pay, a 13th month bonus of 8.33% and a flex budget (5.58% + € 180). In addition, you will be given every opportunity to develop yourself.

• An extremely professional, innovative working environment where colleagues are leading experts in their field.
• The opportunity to attend courses, workshops and conferences, and to receive training and coaching based on your needs.
• 33 days annual leave on a full-time basis.
• Flexible working hours, the possibility to work parttime (32 of 36 hours) and the possibility of working from home.
• A good pension scheme.

TNO as an employer

At TNO, we innovate for a healthier, safer and more sustainable life. And for a strong economy. There is all the space and support for your talent and ambition. You work with people who will challenge you: who inspire you and want to learn from you. What you do at TNO matters: impact makes the difference.

Within TNO, you will work in the Circularity & Sustainability Impact department. This is a versatile department with nearly 50 passionate researchers, consultants, and mathematical wizards in the field of life cycle assessments (LCA) and other impact methods. They have domain knowledge of the recycling and chemical industry and extensive knowledge of analyzing and predicting the impact of human actions on the climate and planetary boundaries. Additionally, this team helps policymakers in governments and decision-makers in companies in the transformation to a more sustainable and cleaner economy. The team you will be a part of is based in Utrecht but collaborates extensively with other teams (e.g., in The Hague, Amsterdam, Geleen and the Eindhoven region).