Energy transition and governance Tilburg University in Netherlands

Are you interested in exploring how firms can collectively contribute to decentralized, sustainable energy systems? Are you curious about how digital platforms connect businesses with distributed energy resources to enable energy sharing, reduce grid congestion, and enhance sustainability? Are you motivated to investigate the types of governance arrangements that make these platforms work in practice? Are you eager to advance academic knowledge and make practical contributions to the energy transition? If so, this postdoctoral position offers you the opportunity to investigate these questions as part of the SYNERGY project, a collaborative research project funded by NWO.

The SYNERGY project brings together a large consortium of researchers from multiple Dutch universities and knowledge institutes (Tilburg University, Eindhoven University of Technology, Utrecht University, University of Twente, Delft University of Technology, Avans University of Applied Sciences, TNO) and several societal partners (e.g., Province of Noord-Brabant, Tilburg Municipality, RVO, Enexis). Together, the consortium investigates the role of social dynamics in the energy transition.

Job description
Within the SYNERGY project, the postdoc will contribute to work package 2, “Decentralized energy systems and SMEs: governing energy hub platforms”. The transition to a decentralized, sustainable energy system depends on collective energy solutions involving groups of business end-users. One such solution is the energy hub, a smartly controlled, decentralized energy system established in a business park, where multiple companies coordinate the generation, storage, and consumption of renewable energy. To make this coordination possible, digital platforms play a crucial role. They connect the businesses within the hub to distributed energy resources, enabling energy sharing, reducing grid congestion, and enhancing sustainability.

Your research will investigate the governance models adopted for energy hub platforms. These include, for example, decision-making processes, coordination mechanisms, and the allocation of roles and risks among participating actors. These governance decisions will impact the implementation of energy hubs. The project’s partners will facilitate connections with energy hubs in Noord-Brabant and other regions in the Netherlands, allowing you to combine theoretical and empirical insights.

In this role, you will contribute to both academic knowledge and practical impact. Tasks for this postdoctoral position include:

writing at least one high-quality research paper fit for an international scientific journal;

co-developing a decision-making tool based on your research to support stakeholders involved in energy hubs;

co-organizing one or more workshops that bring together academics and practitioners to discuss your findings and develop practical tools;

actively participating in academic conferences, consortium meetings, joint research activities and workshops;

leading co-creation processes and knowledge exchange activities with both academic and non-academic partners.

contributing to the activities of the university-wide Academic Collaborative Center for Climate and Energy at Tilburg University.

You will be supervised by Dr. Francesca Ciulli (Tilburg University), with co-supervision from Prof. Anna Wieczorek (Eindhoven University of Technology) and Dr. Christina Bidmon (Utrecht University).

As postdoctoral researcher, you will be embedded in the Department of Organization Studies at Tilburg University, where researchers examine the adaptiveness of organizations from a relational perspective, with sustainability and digitalization as key themes. In addition, you will be affiliated with the University-wide Academic Collaborative Center on Climate and Energy, which brings together researchers and societal partners to address challenges related to climate change and the energy transition. You will also regularly visit the co-supervisors’ institutions, i.e., Eindhoven University of Technology and Utrecht University.

You will have access to a wide network of academics, policymakers, and practitioners, and work in a supportive, inspiring, and collaborative research environment.