PhD position: Individual Behaviour Under Climate Change Risks

The Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) has a new position for a PhD student in the field of behavioural economics. You will become part of a new interdisciplinary research programme (INSUREADAPT) funded by the European Research Council (ERC). This project aims to improve preparedness of households and businesses for multi-hazard climate change risks in the EU, such as floods and storms.

The PhD project will be supervised by Prof. Wouter Botzen, Dr Peter Robinson, and Dr Sanchayan Banerjee. You will also collaborate with other researchers who will be recruited for this project. Your main tasks are to:

1. design and apply theories from the fields of behavioural science and psychology that explain why some people take effective measures to prepare for the various risks posed by climate change, whereas many others do not.
2. implement surveys among households and businesses that empirically test these behavioural theories in various EU countries with varying climate risks.
3. draw lessons for public sector policy makers and insurance companies that aim to stimulate individuals to better prepare for natural hazards posed by climate change, such as building-scale measures that limit damage to properties.

An important part of the ERC project INSUREADAPT is the integration of the insights from this PhD project in an agent-based model of climate change risks and human adaptation processes in collaboration with the project team. An inter- or multidisciplinary background and good communication skills are therefore important assets.

Your duties

• you publish research results in international peer-reviewed journals
• you teach for 0.1 FTE in Bachelor and/or Master’s educational programmes and supervise Bachelor and Master students
• you contribute to project tasks, meetings and activities
• you present your research fundings, for example at international conferences

Requirements:

• you have an MSc degree in (behavioural) economics, psychology or a related discipline
• you possess quantitative statistical and/or econometric skills
• you have excellent writing and verbal communication skills in English
• you are interested in doing cutting-edge scientific research

Nice to have

• affinity with environmental sustainability and/or climate change topics

We realise that each individual brings a unique set of skills, expertise and mindset. Therefore we are happy to invite anyone who recognises themselves in the profile to apply, even if you do not (fully) meet all the requirements.

Salary Benefits:

An interesting position in a socially engaged organisation. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable. So in return for your efforts, we offer you:

• a salary of minimum € 2.770,00 (PhD scale 85.0) and maximum € 3.539,00 (PhD scale 85.3) gross per month, on a full-time basis. This is based on UFO profile PhD candidate.
• a position for at least 1 FTE. Your employment contract will initially last 1 year. If there is sufficient perspective, this will be extended to a total of 4 years. Your dissertation at the end of the fourth year forms the end of your employment contract

We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and regulations. Some examples:

• A full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata.
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• solid pension scheme (ABP)
• contribution to commuting expenses
• optional model for designing a personalized benefits package

Additionally, we also offer a PhD education programme including training for teaching assistants and courses that are part of the SENSE graduate school.

De Boelelaan 1111