Postdoc Modelling Social Tipping Points for the Energy Transition

Join us!
Help build the next generation of computational models that reveal when society tips toward sustainable change – and when it stalls. In COMTIP (Computational Modelling of Social Tipping Points), a collaboration between the University of Amsterdam and RIVM (the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment), you will lead the methodology and software development at the core of the project: models that don’t just predict, but identify the mechanisms, leverage points, and reversals behind social tipping points – in other words, where, when, and how an intervention actually works, and where it can backfire. Methodology is the heart of the role; the energy transition is the first real-world testbed, and your methods are built to transfer across domains. You will combine agent-based, network, and information-theoretic approaches with stakeholder-driven causal structures, and join an interdisciplinary team at the University of Amsterdam working at the interface of complexity science, behavioural science, and policy together with RIVM, the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment.

This is what you will do
As a postdoctoral researcher, you will take primary responsibility for the methodology and software development at the heart of COMTIP. You will develop and refine agent-based, network, and dynamical-systems models – capturing tipping points, hysteresis, cascades, and reversible dynamics – and pair them with information-theoretic and causal tools to locate driver nodes and leverage points: the places where small interventions tip a system, and where they can backfire. You will turn this into well-documented, reusable open-source software and reproducible pipelines, and help shape a visual science–policy interface that communicates model outcomes to policymakers. The energy transition is the first application testbed – how incentives and policy can stimulate sustainable behaviour, starting with technology adoption – but the methodological core is domain-general, with scope for a second use case in year two. You will work closely with a PhD researcher (employed at RIVM) on healthy food choices and lifestyle-related diseases, integrating qualitative inputs (group model building, causal loop diagrams) with quantitative data, and you will help bridge complexity-science knowledge from the UvA into RIVM. You are expected to take an active role in team activities, from seminars and stakeholder workshops to collaborative papers and grants.

Tasks and responsibilities:
The list of tasks is not exhaustive and covers aspects of the project that may or may not be taken on by the Postdoc. If there are skills you already have or would like to develop, or a topic you are particularly interested in, please mention these in your motivation.

• Develop and refine agent-based, mean-field, network, and dynamical-systems models of collective behaviour, capturing tipping points, hysteresis, cascades, heterogeneous preferences, and reversible dynamics
• Apply information-theoretic, network, and causal tools to detect tipping points and identify causal driver nodes and leverage points — where, when, and how an intervention shifts (or backfires on) collective behaviour
• Formulate and validate computational methods to detect, analyse, and test social tipping points, and define when a model is “fit for purpose” for diffusion and intervention analysis
• Design and maintain well-documented, reusable, preferably open-source scientific software and high-performance simulation tools (e.g., parallelised agent-based models) with reproducible pipelines
• Help shape a visual science–policy / simulation interface that communicates model outcomes to policymakers and stakeholders
• Integrate diverse data sources and local contextual factors (economic, social, urban) with psychological factors, combining quantitative data with qualitative insights from group model building and causal loop diagrams (with room to develop these skills if they are new to you)
• Contribute to the design and analysis of discrete-choice (conjoint) experiments and survey measures that parameterise and validate the models
• Demonstrate the framework on the energy transition testbed (incentives and policy for sustainable technology adoption), with the option of a second use case after year 1
• Collaborate with the RIVM PhD researcher and facilitate reciprocal knowledge exchange between POLDER/IAS and RIVM, including a secondment at RIVM of at least one day per week
• Publish in peer-reviewed journals, present at international conferences, and engage in science communication and public outreach
• Contribute to team activities at CSL and POLDER/IAS (workshops, seminars) and collaborative papers and grants
• Stimulate the collaboration with RIVM
• Assist in teaching and supervision (e.g., tutorials, MSc/BSc projects) in consultation with the group, within the MSc Computational Science and MSc Complex Systems and Policy programmes

What we ask of you

• A completed PhD in computational science, (computational) social science, complexity or network science, computer science, physics, applied mathematics, or a closely related field
• You have experience translating behavioural responses into computational models
• You can translate messy real-world questions into clear model assumptions and testable mechanisms, with a focus on explaining why a pattern arises, not only predicting it
• Demonstrable experience with quantitative analysis and scientific programming (e.g., Python and/or R; compiled or lower-level languages such as C++, Cython, or Nim are a plus)
• Demonstrable open-source software experience, or evidence of maintaining large software repositories, is a strong plus.
• You communicate clearly in spoken and written English and can write publishable academic texts
• Understanding of Dutch is a plus.
• You collaborate well in an interdisciplinary team and can work effectively with policy stakeholders
• Domain experience in the energy transition is welcome but not required: the role is methodology-first, and strong tipping-point and complex-systems expertise from any application area (e.g., health, ecology, governance, social or biological systems) transfers directly
• It is a plus if you additionally have experience with agent-based / diffusion modelling, information theory, network science, dynamical systems, complex contagion / threshold models and hysteresis, causal discovery, simulation-based inference, computational economics, discrete-choice modelling, group model building / causal loop diagrams, and/or data visualisation and science-policy interfaces

This is what we offer you
We offer a temporary employment contract for 38 hours per week for a period of a year with a probationary period of two months. The preferred starting date is November 1st, 2026, but it can be discussed.

The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and dependent on relevant experience, ranges between € 3,546 to € 5,538 (scale 10) This does not include 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% year-end allowance. The UFO profile Onderzoeker 4 is applicable. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Universities of the Netherlands is applicable.

Curious about our extensive secondary benefits package? You can read more about it here.

You will work in this team
The Faculty of Science has a student body of around 8,000, as well as 1,800 members of staff working in education, research or support services. Researchers and students at the Faculty of Science are fascinated by every aspect of how the world works, be it elementary particles, the birth of the universe or the functioning of the brain.

You will work at the Computational Science Lab, under the supervisions of dr. Michael Lees and dr. Vítor V. Vasconcelos, embedded in the Informatics Institute (IvI) and POLDER at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) to connect complexity science to policy and societal impact. The project is carried out in close collaboration with RIVM, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment. Want to know more about our organisation? Read more about working at the University of Amsterdam.

Docent Biomedical biotech Entrepreneurship

Kom bij ons werken
Heb jij ervaring op het snijvlak van de biomedische wetenschappen en entrepreneurship? Weet je de weg in de wereld van early-stage biotech ventures? Kun jij als docent de volgende generatie entrepreneurs met een achtergrond in de levenswetenschappen enthousiasmeren, instrueren en coachen? In deze rol help je bachelor en master studenten om (fundamentele) wetenschappelijke ideeën te vertalen naar een realistische business case, waarbij je gebruik maakt van concepten en tools zoals het Business Model Canvas.

Wij zijn op zoek naar een enthousiaste docent die binnen de bachelor opleiding Biomedische Wetenschappen (vak: Frontiers in Medical Biology II) en de master Biomedical Sciences (vak: Science to Business) in nauwe samenwerking met de huidige vakcoordinatoren het onderwijs helpt verzorgen in de periode november 2026 t/m januari 2027.

Dit ga je doen

Als docent en coach heb je de volgende taken:

• Voorbereiden en verzorgen van colleges en workshops op het gebied van biotech entrepreneurship en innovatie (o.a. introductie van het business model canvas, start up financiering, how to pitch a business idea)
• Ondersteunen vakcoordinator bij het onderhouden van contacten met een aantal externe sprekers op het gebied van o.a. venture capital en octrooien, alsook met CEOs).
• Begeleiden van meerdere start-up teams van studenten terwijl ze werken aan de business case voor hun (hypothetische) start up. Je coacht de teams bij het brainstormen (ontwerp en de ontwikkeling van hun start-up concepten), en bij het bouwen, testen en gradueel verbeteren van hun hypothetische business modellen. Daarbij help je de studenten om essentiele stappen in het ‘venture creation process’ te simuleren (e.g. idea validation, value proposition, go-to-market thinking).
• Het verzorgen van feedback en uiteindelijk ook het geven van een beoordeling op de door de studenten verzorgde pitches, video preentaties en geschreven business proposals.

Dit vragen wij van jou

Je hebt / beschikt over:

• Aantoonbaar affiniteit met en aansluiting bij het werkveld van de biomedische wetenschappen;
• Aantoonbare ervaring bij het begeleiden van biotech of life-science start-ups;
• Aantoonbare ervaring bij het verzorgen van bachelor en master onderwijs (idealiter op het snijvlak van biotech, levenswetenschappen, business en innovatie)
• Kennis van en ervaring met het gebruik van het Business Model Canvas en andere entrepreneurship tools
• Solide kennis van het biotech innovation ecosystem in Amsterdam en daarbuiten (academia, industry, investeerders, regulators)
• Uitstekende communicatievaardigheden in zowel het Nederlands als het Engels
• Uitstekende coaching skills en ervaring met het werken met interdisciplinaire studenten teams

Een advanced degree op het gebied van biotech, levenswetenschappen, business of een gerelateerd veld strekt tot de aanbeveling.

Dit bieden we jou

Een tijdelijk dienstverband van 3 maanden voor 32-38 uur per week. De gewenste startdatum tussen 15 oktober en 1 november in nader overleg. Het bruto maandsalaris, gebaseerd op een 38-urige werkweek en afhankelijk van relevante werkervaring, varieert van € 3.546 tot € 5.538 (schaal 10). Dit is exclusief 8% vakantietoeslag en 8,3% eindejaarsuitkering. Het UFO-profiel Docent 4 is van toepassing. De cao Universiteiten van Nederland is van toepassing.

Naast het salaris en de inspirerende omgeving op Science Park bieden we een gevarieerd pakket aan secundaire arbeidsvoorwaarden:

• 232 vakantie-uren per jaar (gebaseerd op fulltime) en extra vakantiedagen tussen kerst en 1 januari;
• een pensioen bij ABP, waar de UvA voor tweederde aan bijdraagt.

Hier kom je te werken

De Universiteit van Amsterdam is de grootste universiteit van Nederland, met het breedste opleidingsaanbod. Een intellectueel knooppunt met 30.000 studenten, 6.000 medewerkers en 3.000 PhDs, verbonden door een cultuur van nieuwsgierigheid.

Medewerkers van de Faculteit der Natuurwetenschappen, Wiskunde en Informatica (FNWI) worden gedreven door een gedeelde passie om uit te vinden hoe de wereld in elkaar zit. Onze acht onderzoeksinstituten beslaan de hele breedte van de bètawetenschappen: van astronomie en natuurkunde, tot levens- en aardwetenschappen, moleculaire wetenschappen, wiskunde en de informatiewetenschappen. Of we nu bezig zijn de oorsprong en bouwblokken van het leven te ontrafelen of aan de basis staan van de technologie voor de toekomst, we vinden elkaar in een onbegrensde nieuwsgierigheid. Met zo’n 1.800 medewerkers zetten we ons dagelijks in om onze kennis en nieuwsgierigheid over te brengen aan de ruim 8.000 studenten in de bachelor- en masteropleidingen die we aanbieden op onze Amsterdam Science Park campus. Zo leiden we de volgende generatie van wetenschappers op en inspireren we hen aan de start van hun eigen ontdekkingstocht.

Het College of Life Sciences (CoLS) is één van de zeven onderwijsinstituten van de faculteit der Natuurwetenschappen, Wiskunde en Informatica (FNWI) en is verantwoordelijk voor de bacheloropleidingen Biologie, Biomedische Wetenschappen en Psychobiologie waar momenteel zo’n 1200 studenten ingeschreven staan. Het onderwijs wordt verzorgd door docenten en onderzoekers werkzaam binnen het CoLS zelf en in verschillende onderzoeksinstituten waaronder het Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences (SILS), het Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED) en het van ’t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS).

Wil je meer weten over werken bij de UvA? Lees meer over werken bij de Universiteit van Amsterdam.

Two PhD positions in User-centred Design of Public Transport

Job description

Using public transport can feel cumbersome to many people. Making it effortless with all the variety of available services provided is a challenge of technical, service and organisational design. Therefore, we want to hire two PhD candidates to help the sector move forward in this in all three design aspects. Both PhD positions are fully funded for four years and part of the research project 'Effortless public transport', in close cooperation with the Dutch public transport authorities, combined in DOVA, which is also funding the studies. Three TU Delft faculties are collaborating with DOVA in this 4.5-year project: Industrial Design Engineering (IDE), Civil Engineering and Geosciences (CEG), and Technology, Policy and Management (TPM).

As a PhD candidate, you will conduct research aimed at making public transport more accessible and making it an obvious choice for travellers, thereby reducing the environmental impact for travel.

We have two open PhD positions, so you will closely work together with the other PhD candidate. Next to that, we expect you to collaborate with several stakeholders, such as public transport operators, local governments and travellers, to conduct field research and experiments.

• Position A is a collaboration between IDE & TPM. In this position, you will study the transition towards public mobility, and what this means for travellers and how to design the governance system. Your supervisors will be Wijnand Veeneman (TPM) and Suzanne Hiemstra-van Mastrigt (IDE).
• Position B is a collaboration between IDE & CEG. Here, you will design and test interventions to convince the 'not-yet-traveller' to use public transport, with special attention to key events, such as changing jobs, moving house, or expecting a first child. Your supervisors will be Niels van Oort (CEG) and Suzanne Hiemstra-van Mastrigt (IDE).

During your PhD you will:

• Conduct user studies to evaluate current barriers in using public transport
• Analyse the links of those barriers with technical and organisational characteristics of public mobility
• Develop and test user-centred solutions to make public transport more effortless
• Set up, conduct and analyse (pilot) experiments together with public transport operators
• Collaborate with academic, governmental and industry partners across different disciplines
• Share your research findings with partners from practice, e.g. in working groups and at mobility conferences, such as the yearly ‘Dag van het OV’
• Disseminate your research through peer-reviewed publications, co-authored with your supervisors and collaboration partners

You will be based at the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, and become a member of the Seamless Personal Mobility Lab at IDE as well as the Smart Public Transport Lab at CEG, where you can easily connect with other mobility and transport related PhDs and (post-doc) researchers. You are expected to work 1-2 days per week at the 'OV Campus' (DOVA office) in Utrecht, the place for transport operators, governments and researchers to connect.

Job requirements
We are looking for candidates that have:

• A Master's degree in a relevant field, such as industrial design engineering, business or innovation studies, transportation, mobility or a related field.
• A strong interest in mobility, traveller behaviour, and user-centred design.
• Affinity with design for policy (position A) or design for behaviour change (position B).
• Experience with participatory research methods, co-creation or co-design approaches.

Strong skills in both qualitative and quantitative research methods.

• Excellent communication skills and a strong motivation to collaborate across disciplines with diverse stakeholders from academia and industry (e.g. public transport operators, local governments, travellers).
• Scientific writing skills
• Strong written and spoken communication skills in Dutch and English, given that fieldwork and pilots will largely take place in the Netherlands.

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)
Working at TU Delft means contributing to solutions that really make a difference.

For over 180 years, we have been training engineers who make an impact worldwide in companies, government bodies, or as entrepreneurs. Our alumni turn knowledge into concrete solutions for the challenges of today and tomorrow. These challenges are changing rapidly. That is why we focus on themes such as energy, climate, digitalisation, artificial intelligence (AI), and smart mobility every day. Our education and research are directly aligned with what society needs now and in the future.

At TU Delft, our people make the difference. With their knowledge and curiosity, our staff provide a high-quality education and conduct pioneering research that extends beyond the campus. You will have the opportunity to take the initiative, work with others, and grow as a professional. Working at TU Delft means join an international community of professionals and students. Together, we create knowledge, innovations, and solutions that help move the world forward.

Faculty Industrial Design Engineering
Matching the evolution of people with the speed of the revolution of technology. This is the focus of the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering (IDE). Delft designers act as a bridge between advances in technology and the needs of people, organisations and society to create products, services and systems with purpose.IDE is a leader in design research across the application areas of mobility, sustainability and health, as well as its development of design tools and methods. A 350-strong research team and over 2,000 students work together in our inspiring hall, labs and studios.In close cooperation with industry, the public sector and NGOs we rehearse possible futures in research and education to design for a complex future.Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering.