Thursday 31 March 2011

Two 2-year postdoc opportunities at the University of Twente in the field of “Regional development of bioenergy” and “Smart Energy Systems”

Post-doc: Regional development of bio-energy


The challenge

The University of Twente has recently started a regional innovation program on bio-energy with financial support from the Province of Overijssel. This multidisciplinary program focuses on the production and application of heat, electricity, fuels, chemicals and products from biomass and contains both a technical and a socio-economic component. The overall aim of the two year project is to accelerate uptake of biofuels and bio-energy to enhance socio-economic development in the province of Overijssel. Eight post doc projects will work on the technical side of bio-energy and two post doc projects will focus on the socio-economic impact of bio-energy innovations in the region.

The aim of the socio-economic project is:

• To develop a bio-energy roadmap for Overijssel

• To develop and test new biobased business models for the region

• To analyse innovation models applied in the region

• Monitoring the sustainability impacts of bio-energy in the region


The post-doc will be part of an active and internationally recognised multidisciplinary research team. They will be collaborating with the technology affiliated post docs and senior members of several research institutes of the University of Twente on the following key tasks

• Conducting research on the project themes

• Publication of research results in peer reviewed journals

• Contributing to developing and elaborating the research agenda on bio energy

• Preparing (inter)national research proposals

Your profile

For the socio-economic project we are recruiting a full-time post-doctoral candidate with a degree in one of the social sciences, economics, law, science technology studies or technical sciences with a strong interest in questions related to technology in society. The successful candidate will have a good track record of academic publications and will demonstrate a motivation to work in a multi-disciplinary team in an academic environment. They will be enthusiastic with good communication skills and with strong written and spoken English.

Our offer

We offer an exciting and challenging position in an inspiring multidisciplinary environment. As a postdoctoral researcher you will be appointed in a full-time position (38 hours/week) for a period of two years. The salary will amounts to a maximum of € 4.374 gross per month (in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities). Furthermore, the University of Twente offers additional attractive employment conditions.

Information and application

For more information on this position, please contact Dr. Maarten Arentsen : m.j.arentsen@utwente.nl ; Phone: 0031 53 489 5772. Cell phone: 0031 6 456 960 84.

To apply for this position, please fill in the application form including your resume and list of publication, through the link below, before 22 April 2011.

Post-doc: Smart Energy Systems

The challenge

An integrated project on Distributed Electricity Generation in combination with Electricity Storage (DGES) is looking for a post-doc with a socio-economic background to work on an exciting new project. DGES holds significant promise for climate change mitigation through its potential for improving efficiency of electricity production and consumption through continuous remote optimization of all electricity production, storage and consumption units in the system. In contrast to a conventional electricity system, DGES is ‘smart’ and operates both ways, using feedback from appliances to improve balance and energy efficiency. In combination with renewable electricity production (wind, solar and biomass) DEGS holds the promise of a really sustainable electricity system for the future. But there are still many questions with respect to the functioning of DGES. For example, on the technological side, dependable ICT hardware and software needs to be developed, tested and applied to streamline the production and demand of the electricity networks. The challenging issues on the non-technical socio-economic side include regulatory regimes, business models, user psychology and privacy, governance and social dynamics.

The promises and challenges of DGES are currently being explored in a multidisciplinary setting at the University of Twente in coordination with industrial and academic partners. Part of this research is the joint technical and non-technical Route 14 project on Smart Energy Systems.

In collaboration with a technology affiliated post doc and senior members of several research institutes of the University of Twente, the successful candidate will be engaged in realising the project goals:

• Establishing a multidisciplinary research agenda on smart energy systems and energy storage at the University of Twente in collaboration with the university research institutes

• Preparation of (inter)nationally funded research projects, including EU FP7 calls.

• Developing structural collaboration with (energy) industry, governments and other relevant organisations to initiate pilots and field labs.

• Linking with international networks on the theme, e.g. EIT theme Smart Energy and Eseia (European Sustainable Energy Innovation Alliance).

• Maintaining outputs of high quality publications in international journals.

Your profile

For the non-technical part of the project we are looking to recruit a full-time post-doctoral candidate for a period of two years with a degree in one of the social sciences, economics, law or science technology studies and who is interested in questions related to technology in society. The successful candidate will have a good track record of academic publications and will demonstrate a motivation to work in a multi-disciplinary team in an academic environment.

Our offer

We offer an exciting and challenging position in an inspiring multidisciplinary environment. As a postdoctoral researcher you will be appointed in a full-time position (38 hours/week) for a period of two years.The salary will amounts to a maximum of € 4.374 gross per month (in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities). Furthermore, the University of Twente offers additional attractive employment conditions.


Information and application

For more information on this position, please contact Dr Maarten Arentsen :

m.j.arentsen@utwente.nl. Phone: 0031 53 489 5772 . Cell phone: 0031 6 456 960 84

To apply for this position, please fill in the application form including your resume and list of publication, through the link below, before 22 April 2011.

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