Postdoc: Agent-Based Modelling of Energy-Transition Debates

University of Groningen; Groningen; On-site; EUR 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

End-of-year bonus 8.3%

Holiday allowance 8%

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

University of Groningen seeks a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to study social aspects of the energy transition using computational modelling methods. The project combines agent-based opinion dynamics with LLM-based agent models and requires close collaboration with the University of Oldenburg.

The role focuses on expanding ABM to empirical settings, linking models to social networks, and testing hypotheses with empirical data and experiments where possible.

Qualifications

• PhD in sociology (or related discipline) with relevant computational sociology work.
• Publication record in peer-reviewed international journals.
• Demonstrable skills in computational sociology and ABM.
• Interest in social aspects of energy transition and literature on social influence processes.
• Experience with social network research and behavioral experiments or digital trace data.
• Collaborative, interdisciplinary research mindset and independence.
• Excellent command of English; German and Dutch desirable.

Responsibilities

• Develop ABM to study societal debates on energy transition.
• Link ABM with empirical data on social networks in local communities.
• Collaborate with German partners to align ABM with LLM-based models.
• Test hypotheses using empirical data or experiments or online data.

Skills

Agent-based modelling

Computational sociology

Python

NetLogo

Social networks data

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Independent work

Team player

English proficiency

German & Dutch desirable

Education

PhD in Sociology

Tools

NetLogo

Python

Job description

University of Groningen seeks a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to study social aspects of the energy transition using computational modelling methods. The project combines agent-based opinion dynamics with LLM-based agent models and requires close collaboration with the University of Oldenburg.

The role focuses on expanding ABM to empirical settings, linking models to social networks, and testing hypotheses with empirical data and experiments where possible.