Project staff member (pre-doc) (ID 2928)

WU Vienna University of Economics and Business; Osterreich; On-site; PEN 113,000 - 135,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

In-house medical officer

Meal allowance

Employee discounts

Athletic activities

Job summary

WU Vienna University of Economics and Business is hiring a pre-doctoral researcher at the Institute for Data, Energy, and Sustainability. The position is 30 hours per week, starting January 1, 2027 and ending September 30, 2029, in a highly interdisciplinary, international environment.

You will design data pipelines, apply NLP and econometric methods, and co-supervise bachelor and master theses while pursuing a PhD at WU.

Qualifications

• Master's degree or equivalent required for doctoral enrollment in quantitative/analytical fields (data science, CS, IS, stats, math, physics, econ, engineering).
• Experience building datasets from heterogeneous sources and motivation to create novel datasets.
• Strong English writing and speaking skills; German a plus.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to research projects and publish in peer-reviewed journals.
• Pursue a PhD at WU and allocate one third of working hours to dissertation.
• Co-supervise bachelor and/or master theses.
• Engage with industry, government, and academia to communicate research insights.
• Support teaching and administrative tasks within the institute.

Skills

Building datasets

Coding

Empirical analysis

Energy & climate interest

Education

Master's degree (quantitative/analytical)

Tools

Python or R

Job description

WU Vienna University of Economics and Business

Organisation/Company WU Vienna University of Economics and Business Research Field Technology » Knowledge technology Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions Master Positions Application Deadline 11 Nov 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Vienna) Country Austria Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Part-time Hours Per Week 30 Offer Starting Date 1 Jan 2027 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Do you want to use data to understand why the energy transition is so hard, and how to accelerate it? We offer an environment where you can realise your full potential, at one of Europe's largest and most modern business and economics universities, on a campus where quality of work is also quality of life.

Institute for Data, Energy, and Sustainability

Part-time, 30 hours/week

Starting January 01, 2027, and limited until September 30, 2029

We are hiring a pre-doctoral researcher (project staff, 30 hours/week) at the Institute for Data, Energy, and Sustainability (IDEaS), led by Prof. Kavita Surana and supported by the BMIMI Endowed Professorship for Data-Driven Knowledge Generation: Climate Action. The position starts on January 1, 2027 and ends on September 30, 2029.

What to expect

You will join a research group that develops data-driven evidence for energy transitions and climate action, starting from the research question and then building the data needed to answer it. This position focuses on (i) why capital-intensive energy technologies and infrastructures, such as offshore wind, geothermal, hydrogen, carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), and energy grids, succeed or stall, and (ii) how technology, firms, investors, and policy shape those outcomes.

You will build novel datasets by designing pipelines that combine and harmonise sources, with a special emphasis on turning unstructured and scattered information into structured, validated data using NLP, large language models (LLMs), or other relevant methods. You will then analyse these data with empirical methods, such as econometrics and statistical or network analysis. You will work in a highly interdisciplinary, international environment, with dedicated mentoring and regular, constructive feedback to support your growth as a researcher.

As part of the institute's team, your responsibilities will include:

• Conducting research: You will contribute to the institute's research projects, build and maintain high-quality datasets and data pipelines, and publish in leading international peer-reviewed journals.
• Writing a dissertation: You will pursue a PhD at WU and devote one third of your working hours to your dissertation, which can complement your project work
• Supervision: You will co-supervise bachelor's and/or master's theses.
• Engaging with external stakeholders: You will work with the institute's partners in industry, government, and academia to co-develop and communicate research insights.
• Supporting organisational duties: You will take on organisational and administrative tasks for the institute.
• Supporting teaching: Independent teaching within this position is available to support your career path -- non-continuous teaching of max. 3 SWS is supported as part of an external teaching assignment outside working hours. Within working hours, you will support the institute's teaching, including preparing course materials and assisting with the organisation and delivery of courses at the bachelor's and/or master's level.

What you have to offer

• Academic degree: You have a master's degree (or equivalent) that qualifies you for enrollment in a doctoral programme at WU, in a quantitative or analytical field such as data science, computer science, information systems, statistics, mathematics, physics, economics, or engineering (especially with a focus on empirical or data analysis). An interdisciplinary degree in the social sciences, public policy, or management with substantial quantitative training also qualifies.
• Essential skills:
  • Building datasets: Demonstrated experience constructing datasets from unstructured or heterogeneous sources, and motivation to build novel datasets rather than only analyse existing ones.
  • Coding: Advanced proficiency in Python or R, including version control, shown through projects, a thesis, or code you can share.
  • Empirical analysis: Training in econometrics or statistics.
  • Interest in energy and climate: Genuine motivation to work on the energy transition, especially on capital-intensive energy technologies and infrastructure.
• Experience in any of the following is a plus: web scraping and data collection, document and information extraction, data integration and entity resolution, NLP and large language models, knowledge graphs, network science or complex systems, and a background in energy technology innovation, climate tech, energy policy, climate finance, industrial policy, or energy economics. You do not need all of these. We care more about how you approach a data problem than about any specific method.
• Language skills: You have excellent skills of written and spoken English. Knowledge of German (or willingness to learn it) is a plus.
• Working style: You take ownership of your work and enjoy being part of a team where people contribute to each other's success. You set high standards for yourself, care as much about asking the right question as about applying the right method, and thrive in an interdisciplinary, collaborative environment where you engage with multiple audiences.

We particularly encourage women to apply, including those from analytical fields who are new to energy or climate topics but have a strong interest in them.

• A wide range of benefits, from an in-house medical officer to athletic activities and a meal allowance to a variety of employee discounts
• Meaningful work in an open-minded, inclusive, and family-friendly environment
• A modern campus with spectacular architecture in the heart of Vienna
• Inspiring campus lifewith over 2,400 employees in research, teaching, and administration and approximately 21,500 students
• Excellent accessibility by public transportation

Curious? Visit our website and find out more at www.wu.ac.at/benefits

The minimum monthly gross salary amounts to €2,877.08 (14 times per year). This salary may be adjusted based on job-related prior work experience. In addition, we offer a wide range of attractive social benefits.

WU is committed to diversity and inclusion and actively encourages applications from people of all backgrounds. We particularly welcome applications from women. Not sure if your profile fully matches our requirements? In case of equal qualification, female candidates will be given preference. Applicants with disabilities will be supported throughout each stage of the recruitment process. Candidates' qualifications will be assessed in the context of their academic age.

Number of offers available 1 Company/Institute Institute for Data, Energy, and Sustainability Country Austria Geofield