All Things Urban

Since Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam was founded in 1880 VU Amsterdam has been known for its distinctive approach to knowledge. VU is an open organisation, strongly linked to people and society. What matters is not just the acquisition of a greater depth of knowledge, but also a wider one. We ask and expect our students, researchers, PhD candidates and employees to look further – to look further than their own interests and their own field, and further than what is familiar and further than the here and now.

The Department of Spatial Economics of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is looking for candidates with a background in (transport) economics or closely related disciplines for a Postdoc (PD) position within the ZonMw project ‘Mobility during and after corona lockdown: sustainability, safety, inclusion'.

We are looking for a postdoc researcher for a large ZonMw cooperation project dealing with mobility during and after the corona crisis lock-down measures. The mobility consequences and challenges of lock-down and relaxation are unprecedented. The big shocks provide, in addition the great social relevance, also unprecedented possibilities for research.

In this project MOCOLODO (MObility during and after COrona LOck-DOwn: sustainability, safety, inclusion) our goal is to gain insight in and offer policy recommendations for the mobility consequences and challenges in the short and long term. We want to learn empirically from the behavioral adjustments and structural changes in attitudes, vehicle ownership and work organization during the lock-down, and the behavioral effects that we expect to be able to measure in the expected intermittent relaxation and possible re-tightening in the event of new corona waves. These exceptional dynamics enable empirical identification of behavioral effects considerably better than what we are used to, and thus also offer an important opportunity to better estimate behavioral expect the current shock(s).

The research connects questions around the lock-down with long-term sustainability and accessibility objectives. Both are high on the social agenda. Within this project, we address three related research questions: (1) what effects do lock-down and relaxation measures have on the spatial and mobility behavior of different groups, and on the functioning of transport systems; (2) what this means for the effective, efficient and fair design of the relaxation of corona measures and any new tightening; and (3) how can this be made consistent with long-term societal goals about mobility for sustainability,
energy transition and accessibility?

The research combines behavioral research, surveys and modeling. The project will be carried out at the Department of Spatial Economics at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. The department is engaged in economic problems in which space plays a prominent role. The academic staff (around 60 persons) address, in their research, urban, regional, transport and environmental challenges from a primarily economic perspective, combining theoretical research and empirical approaches, often enriched through multi-disciplinary collaborations.

• The Postdoc will be based at the Department of Spatial Economics of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and will divide her/his time between conducting research (main focus) and (if so desired) teaching
• The Postdoc will conduct theoretical and empirical research on the theme outlined above
• The Postdoc will work jointly with postdocs at other universities in The Netherlands, from different disciplinary backgrounds (including geography, traffic, engineering and psychology)
• The Postdoc will also work together with representatives from various societal partners in this project, and will for example discuss (intermediate) results with them
• The Postdoc will, if so desired, also be involved in the teaching activities of the Department of Spatial Economics

• a university PhD degree in (transport) economics or a closely related discipline (e.g. econometrics, transportation sciences, (economic) geography) or close to completing the PhD
• proven experience with empirical (behavioural) research
• ability to combine creative and analytical thinking
• ability to collaborate in groups as well as carry out work individually
• demonstrable flexibility and strong communication skills required to collaborate with national and societal partner(s) and perform research as an embedded researcher in a field setting
• affinity with the economics of transportation
• proficient in written and spoken English, preferably also proficient in Dutch
• academic writing skills

A challenging position in a socially involved organization. On full-time basis the remuneration amounts to a minimum gross monthly salary of €2,790 (scale 10) and a maximum €4,402 (scale 10), depending on your education and experience. The job profile: is based on the university job ranking system and is vacant for at least 0.7 FTE.

The appointment will initially be for one year. After a satisfactory evaluation of the initial appointment, the contract will be extended for 6-12 months (dependent on initial working time factor).

Additionally, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers excellent fringe benefits and various schemes and regulations to promote a good work/life balance, such as:

• a maximum of 41 days of annual leave based on full-time employment
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• contribution to commuting expenses
• optional model for designing a personalized benefits package
• good paid parental leave scheme

We’re not fully sure whether this role is open to international candidates. If you would need visa sponsorship or work authorisation, we recommend checking directly with the employer before applying.