Postdoc: Micro–Macro Modelling of Circular Society Transitions

Help to accelerate the transition to a circular Netherlands by co-creating and designing an agent-based model of the Metropolitan Region of Amsterdam (MRA).

The world is facing many ecological and political challenges, many of them rooted in the linear, extractive systems of resource use in present-day society. As a result, these challenges throw up many questions about the future of society and cities. One widely agreed-upon necessity is the transition to a circular society, a society that is not extractive but that systematically reuses its resources. In this PostDoc, you will contribute to visions of a circular future, particularly in an urban context.

Our multi-disciplinary NWA project ‘Accelerating the Circular Transition’ (ACT!) develops a systemic approach to accelerate the fair transition to a circular society in The Netherlands (and beyond). It will co-create an integrated approach to manage this complex transition, building a toolbox of shared visions of and for a circular society with societal well-being at its centre. For this, the consortium consists of a large variety of scientific researchers from different disciplinary backgrounds, as well as stakeholders from all parts of Dutch society, including (national, regional and local) government, industry, and local NGO’s. Transitioning to a circular society poses trade-offs: creating new jobs while potentially eliminating others, enhancing wellbeing but reducing demand. Products as a service (PaaS) may boost resource efficiency but concentrate value in platforms. This demands comprehensive modelling. Global CGE models based on an IO core with environmental and social extensions.

Your main contribitoin will be in the co-developing of a toolset (aim of WP2 of the project) to simulate a circular society and the transition to it, in particular focussing on the spatial distributions of the impact of the transition. These tools wil be used to evaluate pathways (as developed in WP3 and WP4 of the project) and monitor the transition and its impacts on key wellbeing and environmental impact indicators in the Netherlands in general and the Amsterdam Metropolitan Region more specifically.

Together with reaserchers from Wageningen University, Leiden University and Tilburg University, you will work on integrating their findings from the (static) circular LCAs, stock-flow MFA information and the environmental-economic metabolism in specific geographical areas such as Amsterdam with information on shifts in value-capturing potential when shifting to circular systems. This will provide novel insights into feedbacks, demand and supply balances and incentives for consumers and firms.

Your duties and responsibilities include :

• Develop novel simulation model (extensions) for circularity transitions
• Investigate the systemic effects (across space) of different demand and supply decisions in the context of circular economy/society
• Collaborate in an interdisciplinary team and explore different methodological approaches
• Publish in peer-reviewed journals and present findings at international conferences
• Interact with micro-modellers in collecting primary and secondary data to connect their Agent-based model to the macro models.

You will work here
The research is embedded within the chair Urban Economics, which is led by Prof. Eveline van Leeuwen. You will be co-supervised by Francesca Rubiconto (UEC). Furthermore, you will be connected to the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS), which is an important entry point for data and models in the Metropolitan Region of Amsterdam.

PhD in educatie: School als sorteermachine

Er is weinig bekend hoe selectieprocessen bijdragen aan ongelijkheid binnen het voortgezet onderwijs. Dit promotieonderzoek vult deze belangrijke leemte door selectieprocessen in de onderbouw van het voortgezet onderwijs en hun implicaties voor de schoolloopbaan van leerlingen en onderwijsongelijkheid te onderzoeken. Gezien de toenemende bezorgdheid over het mentale welzijn van adolescenten in Nederland zal het project ook kijken naar mogelijke afwegingen tussen het bevorderen van onderwijskansen enerzijds en het mentale welzijn van leerlingen anderzijds.

Het project bestaat uit vier studies, variërend van grootschalig kwantitatief onderzoek tot kwalitatieve casestudies op school- en leerlingniveau. De promovendus verzamelt data voor het project, met hulp van onderzoeksassistenten en docenten of schoolleiders. De data omvatten gegevens uit het leerlingvolgsysteem over de schoolloopbaan van leerlingen, vragenlijsten, documentanalyses, observaties en interviews met leerlingen, docenten, ouders en schoolleiders.

Jouw verantwoordelijkheden:

• onderzoek uitvoeren, waaronder het lezen van wetenschappelijke literatuur, het ontwerpen van instrumenten, het werven van scholen, het vooraf registreren van studies, het verzamelen en analyseren van kwalitatieve en kwantitatieve gegevens, en het voorbereiden en opslaan van data;
• schrijven van internationale wetenschappelijke publicaties en een proefschrift;
• presentaties geven op nationale en internationale wetenschappelijke conferenties;
• actief deelnemen aan het onderzoeksteam van de afdeling Educatie van de Universiteit Utrecht;
• kennisbenutting: samenwerken en bevindingen delen met partners in het veld (bijvoorbeeld publiceren in vakbladen voor leraren en presenteren op lerarenconferenties);
• cursussen/trainingen volgen in het kader van de ICO Research School (het Interuniversitair Centrum voor Onderwijskunde);
• het geven van onderwijs aan of begeleiden van bachelor-/masterstudenten kan ook deel uitmaken van de functie.

PhD Positions Human-Centered, Data-Centric Design of Soundscape Platform for Healthcare Environment

Job description

Neonatal and Paediatric Intensive Care Units (NPICU) represent particularly sensitive acoustic environments where sound exposure can negatively impact the physiological and emotional development of young patients and contribute to professional fatigue among nursing staff. Despite growing awareness of these issues, current technological solutions focus primarily on measuring sound pressure levels in decibels, which are difficult for non-experts to interpret and fail to capture, even in decibel A, how sounds are actually perceived by humans in context.

This PhD position is part of the NWO-funded project "Auditory Footprints: A novel soundscape assessment platform for neonatal and paediatric ICUs, which aims to develop the first integrated technological solution that automatically evaluates the perceived quality of the NPICU sound environment and empowers nurses to actively mitigate indoor sound exposure.

This PhD research envisions the design of an NPICU Data Commons, a digital infrastructure empowering nurses, and potential other key stakeholders, to understand and actively shape their working environment through data. Rather than a traditional top-down monitoring system, this platform will enable continuous, nurse-driven investigation where data is collected, explored, and acted upon by and for the nurses themselves. While the platform revolves around soundscape data as its core focus, it will be designed to open up and encourage integration of other forms of contextual and behavioral data (e.g., activity patterns, workflow rhythms) that nurses identify as relevant to understanding their acoustic environment. This vision includes establishing appropriate data governance mechanisms that enable nurses to make informed decisions about data sharing, both within their professional community and potentially with researchers or hospital management. The goal is not simply to create another dashboard, but to facilitate a shift in how nurses can capture, explore, and intervene in their acoustic environment, positioning them as active investigators and designers of their workplace rather than passive recipients of noise measurements.

The research will follow an iterative research and development process characterized by deep, on-site engagement with NPICU nurses throughout all phases. The work begins by defining human-centered design requirements through data probes combined with qualitative research methods including observations, interviews, and user diaries to understand the user journey and establish how occurring sounds relate to nurses' contextual needs and workflows. Building on these insights, the candidate will co-create the platform prototype through participatory design sessions with nurses, integrating the computational models (developed by another PhD candidate working in parallel on sound modelling) with user experience requirements, while simultaneously collecting and analyzing behavioral data (e.g., activity levels and sleep patterns) and conducting iterative data reflections with stakeholders. This co-creation process will lead to an implementation and evaluation of a live prototype: a server-based, functional digital platform that integrates the soundscape assessment algorithms and can be tested both in controlled environments and in-situ within the actual NPICU context. The candidate will observe, capture and analyze how nurses respond to, appropriate, and potentially transform the platform in their daily practice, with each iteration informing the next phase of development and deepening our understanding of how data-centric tools can meaningfully support healthcare professionals in addressing complex environmental challenges.

This PhD project offers a unique opportunity to contribute to a pioneering interdisciplinary initiative. The candidate will collaborate with experts from academia, hospitals, and industry to create a solution that has direct societal impact for improving healthcare environments and outcomes.

Job requirements

• MSc Degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Industrial Design Engineering or related fields.
• Strong background in human-centered design and qualitative research methods.
• Experience with data-centric design approaches and data visualization.
• Proficiency in prototyping tools and methods (both digital and physical).
• Solid background in programming and experience with machine learning.
• Knowledge of participatory design and co-creation methodologies.
• Ability to learn independently and passion for research.
• Strong communication skills in English and Dutch.
• Team player, open to discussion and constructive criticism.
• Previous involvement in scientific research is a plus.
• Open-minded and excited for multidisciplinary input.
• Positive attitude to diverse approaches and inclusive behaviour.
• Interest in healthcare solutions is highly valued.

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)
Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

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.

Postdoc: The renewable energy transition on farms

In the context of renewable energy production at the farm level, new innovations such as the production of electricity via agrivoltaics or through bio-methanation are practices with realistic and practical potential.

In the agricultural sector, the transition to more sustainable systems requires innovations and practices that enhance environmental conditions whilst improving the economic revenue of the farm. In the EU H2020 Value4Farm project (value4farm – Sustainable renewable energy value chains for answering farmers’ needs), an Audit tool will be developed for supporting and assisting farmers to select and take the best decisions about establishing and upscaling renewable energy production on their farms.

Building on the 3 pillars of sustainability, this Audit tool will help a farmer to evaluate the actual farm potential for renewable energy and provide insights into the key considerations requiring consideration for on-farm renewable energy production.

The audit tool will help a farmer to explore the possibility of producing electricity by implementing agrivoltaics, or via the production of biogas. This solution-oriented tool will have both qualitative and quantitative components, requiring the user to reflect on their own farm situation to provide an assessment for the production of renewable energy.

The Postdoc will help in the development and testing of the audit tool, working closely with an international team from the VALUE4FARM project.

The Postdoc will combine theoretical knowledge with qualitative and quantitative analysis, supported by wider team members. Alongside scientific social research, and multicriteria analysis, the postdoc will collaborate with partners to identify operational needs and elaborate the prototype of the audit tool.

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• The co-development and testing of the audit tool
• Social and economic analysis of the implementation of the Audit tool

Your team
You will work with an international team from the VALUE4FARM project. Weekly meetings will take place with local partners of the project, and monthly meetings (mainly online) will be performed with partners abroad.

Junior onderzoeker: onderzoek naar verhogen van de implementatie van hybride CGT

Wil jij wetenschappelijk onderzoek doen naar de implementatie van Blended Cognitieve Gedragstherapie (bCGT) in de klinische praktijk? Wil je met op maat gemaakte implementatieadviezen de implementatiegraad van bCGT binnen drie GGZ-instellingen verhogen? Solliciteer dan nu voor deze junior onderzoeker-positie aan de afdeling Klinische Psychologie van de VU!

Om de zorg toegankelijk en betaalbaar te houden, hebben het Ministerie van Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport (VWS) en diverse zorgpartijen, waaronder de GGZ, beleidsafspraken vastgelegd in het Integraal Zorgakkoord (IZA). Een van de speerpunten van dit akkoord is de digitalisering en automatisering van processen in de GGZ. Het uitgangspunt daarbij is ‘digitaal als het kan,’ met als doel dat ten minste 50% van de daarvoor geschikte patiëntenpopulatie hybride zorg ontvangt.

De afgelopen decennia zijn verschillende evidence-based digitale behandelvormen ontwikkeld voor angst- en stemmingsstoornissen, waaronder bCGT. In bCGT worden online behandelmodules gecombineerd met face-to-face sessies binnen één behandelprotocol. Ondanks de bewezen effectiviteit van deze interventies, de tevredenheid onder cliënten en therapeuten, en het feit dat er in de GGZ vaak aan randvoorwaarden wordt voldaan (zoals de beschikbaarheid van online behandelplatformen), blijft de implementatiegraad van bCGT in de klinische praktijk vaak achter.

Het BEACON-project richt zich op het verhogen van de implementatiegraad van evidence-based blended therapieën voor angststoornissen en depressie binnen de zorglijnen angst en depressie van drie GGZ-instellingen. Dit wordt bereikt door het ontwikkelen en toepassen van op maat gemaakte (tailored) implementatieadviezen. De theoretische basis voor deze adviezen ligt in modellen zoals RE-AIM (Reach Effectiveness – Adoption Implementation Maintenance), CFIR (Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research) en ERIC (Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change). Gedurende het gehele proces wordt intensief samengewerkt met relevante stakeholders.

Jouw taken

• Meelopen bij en verwerken van interviews met managers, behandelaren en andere betrokkenen over de implementatie van bCGT, aan de hand van bovengenoemde implementatiemodellen
• Meeschrijven aan adviesrapporten voor GGZ-instellingen, met implementatieadviezen op maat
• Meeschrijven aan wetenschappelijke artikelen
• Intensieve samenwerking met onder andere implementatiedeskundigen en science practitioners (incl. een andere junior onderzoeker en twee postdocs)