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University of Groningen

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Postdoctoral Researcher in Social Dynamics of the Energy Transition Using Agent-Based and LLM-Agent Modelling University of Groningen in Netherlands

Degree Level

Postdoc

Field of study

Sociology

Funding

Fixed-term 1.0 FTE contract for three years, with a salary of €3,706–€4,599 per month. The position includes an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, 8% holiday allowance, 232 vacation hours annually based on a 38-hour workweek, and extensive personal and professional development opportunities.

Deadline

Nov 20, 2026

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Country

Netherlands

University

University of Groningen

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Keywords

Sociology
Social Media
Agent-based Modeling
Social Influence
Energy Transition
Computational Social Science
Opinion Dynamics

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About this position

The University of Groningen is seeking a postdoctoral researcher for the ECHO project, Energy transition, Collective dynamics and Human Opinions in agent-networks. The project investigates how societal debates about the energy transition develop through interconnected computational approaches: agent-based opinion-dynamics models and models built with large language model agents.

Based in the Department of Sociology at the University of Groningen, the postdoc will work on the agent-based modelling and opinion-dynamics component of the project under Prof. Andreas Flache. The research will connect computational models to empirical social-network data from communities facing debates about local renewable-energy initiatives.

The researcher will develop existing opinion-dynamics agent-based models for empirical research settings, using simulation tools such as NetLogo or Python. The role also involves comparing and, where possible, integrating these models with LLM-based agent models developed by the project team at the University of Oldenburg.

A further part of the project is empirical testing of hypotheses generated by the computational models. Depending on interests, skills, and data availability, this may involve social-network datasets, behavioural experiments, or online and digital-trace data. The position offers close interdisciplinary collaboration with the project teams at the University of Groningen and University of Oldenburg.

The postdoc will be embedded in the Department of Sociology, the Interuniversity Center of Social Science Theory and Methodology, and the Norms and Networks research cluster. The researcher will collaborate with Prof. Andreas Flache, Prof. Sebastian Lehnhoff, Prof. Jacob Dijkstra, a PhD candidate, and research assistants, while contributing approximately 10% of work time to departmental teaching.

Funding details

Fixed-term 1.0 FTE contract for three years, with a salary of €3,706–€4,599 per month. The position includes an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, 8% holiday allowance, 232 vacation hours annually based on a 38-hour workweek, and extensive personal and professional development opportunities.

What's required

Applicants must hold a PhD in sociology or a related discipline, preferably with a dissertation related to computational sociology. They should have a relevant publication record in peer-reviewed international academic journals; demonstrable experience in computational sociology, especially agent-based computational modelling; interest in and knowledge of the social aspects of the energy transition and social influence processes; skills in social-network research and/or behavioural experiments or digital-trace data; interest in collaborative interdisciplinary research; excellent English; the ability to work independently and manage joint research activities; and strong communication and teamwork skills. German and Dutch are desirable.

How to apply

Apply through the AcademicTransfer vacancy page using the “Apply now” button. Prepare the application materials requested in the application portal and submit before 20 November 2026.

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