PhD Effective and inclusive citizen engagement in the local heat transition (1.0 FTE) (V25.0467)

Do you want to contribute to groundbreaking research that pushes the boundaries of science? Are you looking for a PhD position in which you can turn your curiosity into concrete research results and a dissertation? In that case, the position of PhD Effective and inclusive citizen engagement in the local heat transition at the University of Groningen (UG) might just be what you are looking for!

As a PhD candidate in Effective and inclusive citizen engagement in the local heat transition, you will have the opportunity to develop your own insights, collect data, and share your findings with both scientific colleagues and partners from professional practice worldwide. Under the guidance of a supervisor and together with a motivated team, you will work on meaningful solutions and contribute to the future of your field.

The Department of Sociology at the University of Groningen is seeking a highly motivated and talented PhD candidate to join the EmPowerED project. In the EmPowerED project, researchers from universities, universities of applied sciences, and TNO work together with citizens, businesses, and municipalities to develop and accelerate positive energy districts in practice. An important part of a PED is developing sustainable heating and cooling solutions for neighborhoods. The goal of this project is to create a toolbox to help design local heating and cooling systems that fit local needs and to integrate these into positive energy districts. 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 heating and cooling transition in neighborhoods. Addressing this challenge requires new knowledge of innovative technologies, energy system integration, the energy behavior and preferences of citizens, and the governance of decentralized energy systems. Together with 9 other PhDs at different universities in The Netherlands and researchers of universities of applied sciences, you will work on this challenge.

Description of project
The PhD project you will be working on focusses on the investigation and development of a social scientific basis for inclusive policy procedures for the heating and cooling transition in The Netherlands. Against the background of knowledge concerning the state-of-the-art of creative collaboration, engagement, and citizen-science approaches (knowledge created by partners at Leiden University and TNO), you will delve into the effects of social influence and social networks on citizen engagement in policy and decision making. Quite a bit is known about features of policy “co-creation” processes that promote citizen engagement, and some existing research has also focused on how (socio-economic or demographic) properties of individual citizens affect participation in forms of collaborative policy making. Your angle will be to investigate how features of social structure (e.g., social networks, social influence) affect the success or failure of inclusive policy procedures, and how knowledge of social structural effects can be utilized to improve such procedures. In the project you will analyze the potential social structural effects on local, inclusive decision-making processes in EmPowerEd’s ‘use cases’ in Groningen, Eindhoven, Nijmegen and Tilburg, alongside possibly other cases in The Netherlands and abroad.

An important deliverable of your PhD Project, one that will be part of the EmPowerED Toolbox, is an evidence-based decision tree for tailoring policy engagement approaches to the social structural features of local communities whose engagement is sought. The EmPowerED Toolbox has the overall aim of creating tools for policy makers who work towards the creation of Positive Energy Districts (PEDs).

Possible research themes may include:

• How does community social structure affect citizen engagement in collaborative policy making? And how do features of the collaborative policy process interact with social structural properties of communities?
• How do existing citizen-led energy initiatives affect citizen engagement in collaborative policy making? Is engagement of those how are involved in such collectives affected differently than engagement of others? To what extent and how do features of the collaborative process have to account for existing citizen initiatives?
• How can we integrate models of social influence and “diffusion on networks” with models of collaborative policy making to yield citizen engagement that is both more effective and more inclusive?

Why would you want to apply for this position?

1. To make an impact: in this role, you will directly contribute to scientific insights that address societal issues. Your research will not only translate into publications, but also into concrete solutions, ensuring a tangible impact.
2. Personal development: you will have the opportunity, with the support of experienced scientists, to develop yourself into an expert. This combination of research and teaching offers plenty of opportunities for professional and personal growth.

As a PhD candidate, you will perform the following duties:

• You will conduct research that results in a dissertation and is consistent with the goals and requirements of the project.
• You will organize and conduct data collection for the subprojects.
• You will publish research results in international scientific journals.
• You will present the research to a wide audience of both domestic and international fellow scientists and partners from the professional field.
• You will collaborate with fellow scientists in the larger project.
• You will contribute to a limited number of teaching activities in the sociology department, such as working groups and guest lectures.

This is where you will be working
The University of Groningen ranks among the top European universities and is internationally oriented. The university is socially engaged and actively involved in its environment. In a wide range of disciplines, researchers and teachers practice their disciplines out of scientific passion. Everyone is empowered to do their best. The talents, ambitions and performance of the 33,000 students and 6,500 employees of the UG are stimulated as much as possible.

The Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences is strong in research and teaching on human behaviour, thinking, learning, and coexistence. We work on social issues and problems that people experience in everyday life. Individual and societal resilience and how to increase it are central to our work. We focus on the topics of migration, environment and climate, health, parenting and education, the protection of vulnerable minorities, and sustainable partnerships. Over 650 employees work at the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences.

Sociology Department at University of Groningen
The University of Groningen is a research university with a global outlook, deeply rooted in Groningen, City of Talent. Quality has had top priority for four hundred years, and with success: the University is currently in or around the top 100 on several influential ranking lists.

The Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences excels in teaching and research in the fields of human behavior, thinking, learning, and how people live together. We work on societal issues and problems that people experience in daily life. Central to this is individual and societal resilience and how to increase this. To this end, we focus on the topics of migration, the environment and climate, health, upbringing and education, the protection of vulnerable minorities, and sustainable partnerships. The Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences employs over 650 faculty members. For more information about the faculty please check the link https://www.rug.nl/gmw/

The Department of Sociology in Groningen is known for its research on determinants of social well-being by means of advanced theory formulation and method development as well as systematic integration of theory and empirical research. The student will be trained in the ICS. The Interuniversity Center for Social Science Theory and Methodology (ICS) is an internationally renowned Research Center and Graduate School in the field of Sociology, located in the Netherlands at the Universities of Groningen, Utrecht, Nijmegen, and Amsterdam (UvA).

See also: https://www.rug.nl/gmw/sociology/?lang=en

ICS
In the Interuniversity Center for Social Science Theory and Methodology (ICS) the sociology departments of the universities of Groningen (RUG), Utrecht (UU), Nijmegen (RU), and Amsterdam (UvA) cooperate. In addition to these sociology departments, the Utrecht research program ERCOMER and the research institute Radboud Social Cultural Research (RSCR) of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the Radboud University Nijmegen cooperate in the ICS. The ICS is headed by a board and a scientific director, who represent the participating universities.

The mission of the ICS is twofold:

1. PhD students: ICS strives to recruit the most talented PhD students and train them to become excellent independent social scientists.
2. Common research program: To fulfil a leading role in the development and empirical testing of theoretical and statistical models in the field of sociology and social sciences.

PhD students
Each year, the ICS hires 10-12 promising PhD students (Dutch and foreign), educated in sociology, economics, or other social sciences. PhD students are located either in Groningen, Utrecht, Nijmegen or Amsterdam. Since 1986, over 350 PhD graduates have defended their theses at the ICS.

See also: https://ics-graduateschool.nl/

For this position, we are looking for someone who:

• Has a research master or master's degree in field sociology, environment and society studies, environmental science, energy science, public administration, political science, or a related field.
• Is enthusiastic about writing international publications and a dissertation.
• Possesses excellent written and oral communication skills in Dutch and English. Mastering the Dutch language is a requirement for the Dutch case studies.
• Possesses good academic writing, social and communication skills and is willing to collaborate with other team members.
• Is enthusiastic about translating scientific insights into practical guidelines and advice.
• Possesses good organizational skills and perseverance.
• Demonstrates competencies such as conceptual ability, presentation, planning, and monitoring progress.
• Has a hands-on mentality and don’t shy away from interviewing citizens, calling up stakeholders, etc.

The working conditions are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities:

• A salary of € 3,059 gross per month in the first year to a maximum of € 3,881 gross per month in the fourth and final year for a full-time working week.
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% year-end bonus based on annual gross income.
• Temporary employment of 1.0 FTE for a period of four years. You will first receive temporary employment for the period of one year. After a positive Results and Development Interview, the contract will be extended for the remaining period of three years.
• Based on a 38-hour work week (full-time), you will receive 232 annual leave hours. It is possible to choose a 36- or 40-hour work week. If you choose a 40-hour work week, you accumulate an additional 96 hours of annual leave. If you opt for a 36-hour work week, you will lose 96 leave hours per year.
• A good pension plan with the ABP pension fund.

Effective date: 1 December 2025 or as soon as possible in consultation with the candidate

Does this sound like your dream job? In that case, we cannot wait to meet you. Apply quickly and who knows, you might become our new PhD candidate. You can send your application letter with your curriculum vitae until 2 October 11:59pm / before 3 October 2025 by means of the application form.

Selection interviews will take place at 13 and 15 October 2025.

The University of Groningen strives to be a university in which students and staff are respected and feel at home, regardless of differences in background, experiences, perspectives, and identities. We believe that working on our core values of inclusion and equality are a joint responsibility and we are constructively working on creating a socially safe environment. Diversity among students and staff members enriches academic debate and contributes to the quality of our teaching and research. We therefore invite applicants from underrepresented groups in particular to apply. For more information, see also our diversity policy webpage: https://www.rug.nl/about-ug/policy-and-strategy/diversity-and-inclusion/

Our selection procedure follows the guidelines of the Recruitment code (NVP): https://www.nvp-hrnetwerk.nl/nl/sollicitatiecode and European Commission's European Code of Conduct for recruitment of researchers: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/charter/code

Unsolicited marketing is not appreciated.