Your function
The postdoc project is part of the collaborative European BIODIVERSA+ project JustBioSolar that investigates, with a group of partner institutes across Europe, conflicts around the deployment of solar panels on agricultural lands in Europe.
At VU Amsterdam we are tasked with providing a European scale overview of recurring trade-offs and conflicts in deployment of photovoltaics. Locations of documented conflict will be harvested through AI-assisted media analysis. We will use a form of topic modelling as a method for automated content analysis. Topic models are a probabilistic method that allows organizing the contents of a text corpus into a set of semantically coherent concepts. As a data source we will use a wide range of sources including newspapers and social media and the scientific literature. Based on the obtained data we aim to make an archetypical characterization of these conflict situations and a map of locations where there is the probability of finding these archetypes. The task collaborates with other project partners that gather in-depth insights in case studies conducted and variations in multi-level governance conditions across European countries addressed by another project partner. Outputs are an overview of archetypical situations with trade-offs between biocultural and biodiversity values and photovoltaic deployment. In addition, the WP will describe the role of contextual factors in these trade-offs and produce a European scale risk map of potential conflicts.
Your duties
- you collect data, employ automated content analysis, prepare maps and exchange insights and data with other project partners
- you engage in project collaboration to add value to the European consortium and link top-down and bottom-up approaches of gathering information on conflicts surrounding photovoltaic deployment
- you collaborate with the project partners towards making the case studies comparable
- you publish high quality, peer-reviewed research in international scientific journals
Your profile
- you have a PhD in geography, environmental sciences or a related discipline
- you have a track record of peer-reviewed publications as well as the ability to initiate and complete original research
- you have knowledge of the literature and demonstrable expertise in applying state-of-the-art socio-ecological systems analysis methods
- you are familiar with automated content analysis methods and geographic information systems
- you have excellent written and oral command of English
- you are available to start around April-May 2026
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.
What do we offer?
A challenging 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 € 3.546,00 (Scale 10) and maximum € 5.538,00 (Scale 10) gross per month, on a full-time basis. This is based on UFO profile Researcher 4. The exact salary depends on your education and experience
- a position for at least 0.8 FTE. Your employment contract will initially last 1 year. Afterwards, the possibility of a 2-year expansion exists
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
- contribution to commuting expenses
- optional model for designing a personalized benefits package
- a wide range of sports facilities which staff may use at a modest charge
About us
Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM)
IVM is a leading environmental research institute that is internationally recognized for its high quality research output in a range of environmental disciplines, as well as for its interdisciplinary work. The mission of the institute is to contribute to sustainable development and care for the environment through scientific research and teaching. IVM aims to do excellent problem-oriented research that is useful to a wide range of stakeholders in the Netherlands and internationally. A unique strength of our research is to understand sustainability problems in their social and economic context. IVM research community works within four departments: Environmental Economics; Environmental Policy Analysis; Environmental Geography; and Water and Climate Risk. IVM is part of the Faculty of Science at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (www.vu.nl /ivm ). This position is based within the Environmental Geography department. The Environmental Geography department conducts interdisciplinary research on the spatial aspects of environmental and social challenges and the solutions sustainable land use can provide to these.
Faculty of Science
Working at the Faculty of Science means collaborating with students, lecturers and researchers who are focused on their field, yet have a broad view of the world. We are proud of a positive and inclusive workplace culture within the faculty, where we work together with great energy and a pragmatic attitude to tackle social challenges. At the Faculty of Science, scientists and students work on fundamental and complex societal issues for a sustainable, healthy and just future.
From forest fires to big data, from obesity to malnutrition, from helium to the universe and from genetics to medicine: our education and research cover the full breadth of science, from molecules to mankind. Our academic education and research are highly experimental, technical and interdisciplinary in nature. That is why we collaborate extensively with leading scientific institutes and industry. The faculty has more than 8,000 students studying in one of the 39 programms and employs more than 1,400 staff across 10 scientific departments, making us one of the largest science faculties in the Netherlands.
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam stands for values-driven education and research. We are open-minded experts with the ability to think freely - a broader mind. Maintaining an entrepreneurial perspective and concentrating on diversity, significance and humanity, we work on sustainable solutions with social impact. By joining forces, across the boundaries of disciplines, we work towards a better world for people and planet. Together we create a safe and respectful working and study climate, and an inspiring environment for education and research. Learn more about our codes of conduct
We are located on one physical campus, in the heart of Amsterdam's Zuidas business district, with excellent location and accessibility. Over 6,150 staff work at the VU and over 31,000 students attend academic education.
Diversity
Diversity is the driving force of VU Amsterdam. VU wants to be accessible and receptive to diversity in disciplines, cultures, ideas, nationalities, beliefs, preferences and worldviews. We believe that trust, respect, interest and differences lead to new insights and innovation, to sharpness and clarity, to excellence and a broader understanding.
We stand for an inclusive community and believe that diversity and internationalisation contribute to the quality of education, research and our services.
Therefore, we are always searching for people whose backgrounds and experience contribute to the diversity of the VU community.
Interested
Are you interested in this position and do you believe that your experience will contribute to the further development of our university? In that case, we encourage you to submit your application.
In your application please submit a motivation letter indicating why your are specifically interested in this position and a CV. In case publications are not yet available online please send these to us as well to get an impression of your work. Please also provide the contact details of two potential references. Submitting diplomas is only part of the following steps in the application process and do not need to be submitted at this stage.
Applications received by e-mail will not be considered.
Acquisition in response to this advertisement is not appreciated.
