Scientific Researcher (27140)

   →  Apply before 07/05/2024 (DD/MM/YYYY) 23:59 (Brussels Time)
   →  Faculty of Sciences  
   →  Department: WE12 - Geografie
   →  Occupancy rate: 100%
   →  Number of positions: 1    
   →  Type of employment: Contract of limited duration 
   →  Term of assignment: 2 jaar 
   →  Wage scale:  PD1 to PD4 (doctoral degree) 
   →  Required diploma: PhD 

ABOUT GHENT UNIVERSITY

Ghent University is a world of its own. Employing more than 15,000 people, it is actively involved in education and research, management and administration, as well as technical and social service provision on a daily basis. It is one of the largest, most exciting employers in the area and offers great career opportunities. With its 11 faculties and more than 80 departments offering state-of-the-art study programmes grounded in research in a wide range of academic fields, Ghent University is a logical choice for its staff and students.

YOUR TASKS

You will join a growing team in the Department of Geography of UGent working on urban mobility and will support activities funded by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Urban Mobility, co-funded by the European Union. The postdoc researcher will work on travel behaviour research and will focus on developing and empirically validating econometric formulations of human decision-making in travel choice contexts. They will work with Prof. Circella and other researchers in the programme on projects involving data collection and analysis using revealed preference (RP), stated preference (SP), and/or passively collected (e.g. from connected vehicles and/or smartphone apps) data on topics such as the adoption of new mobility services, the impact of new transport technologies on travel behaviour, the relationship between individual attitudes and travel behaviour, the adoption of active modes of travel and Mobility as a Service (MaaS). The postdoc researcher will work closely with a team of graduate student researchers and will publish the results of his/her research in leading transportation journals and present them at scientific conferences and meetings with funding agencies. The postdoc researcher is also expected to support the establishment of the EIT Urban Mobility academic research board and help convene related meetings, draft EIT Urban Mobility research priority documents, integrate feedback from the board members, and support other activities of EIT Urban Mobility for a portion of their time.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Candidates should have completed a doctoral degree in Urban Mobility, Civil Engineering, Transport Planning, Economics, Geography, or a related field at the time of hire. Candidates with strong multidisciplinary skills covering more than one of these areas are particularly encouraged to apply. Extremely well-qualified candidates with slightly different qualifications and/or research focus might be also considered under special circumstances. The working language for this position is English.

Other qualifications for this position include:

• Evidence of an established track record of excellent scientific publications in peer-reviewed transport research journals;
• Knowledge of major travel behaviour theories and modelling approaches used in travel demand analysis;
• Experience with estimation of econometric, structural equations and/or various types of discrete choice models using RP or SP data;
• Ability to meet deadlines, work well with minimal direction and with a team, good time management and recordkeeping;
• Excellent organization and communication skills;
• Ability to work in a dynamic and multidisciplinary extended team of colleagues spread across multiple partner universities in Europe;
• Ability to effectively communicate in English (both written and spoken);
• Strong motivation to work on topics related to environmental sustainability and technological innovation in urban mobility;
• Excellent English-language paper writing and solid presentation skills;
• Previous experience working with students and academic institutions;
• Previous experience working on data collection methods, including online surveys, focus groups, in-depth interviews, and/or other engagement strategies, and analysis of data on individual travel choices, motivations, attitudes, and preferences;
• Previous experience working with quantitative methods for data analysis using statistical software such as R, Python, STATA, Limdep/Nlogit, Mplus, LatentGold or equivalent.

The following additional qualifications are desirable, but not required:

• Experience with spatial analysis using tools such as ArcGIS or QGIS;
• Experience with grant writing and maintaining rapport with funding agencies.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

• We offer you a contract of definite duration for the period of two years (100% time).
• Your contract will start on 1/07/2024 at the earliest.
• Your remuneration will be determined by a salary scale from PD1 to PD4.  Click here for more information about our salary scales.
• All Ghent University staff members enjoy a number of benefits, such as a wide range of training and education opportunities, and 36 days of holiday leave (on an annual basis for a full-time job) supplemented by annual fixed bridge days, bicycle allowance, and eco vouchers. Click here for a complete overview of all the staff benefits (in Dutch).

INTERESTED?

Apply online through the e-recruitment system before the application deadline (see above). We do not accept late applications or applications that are not submitted through the online system.

Your application must include the following documents:

• In the field ‘CV’: your CV and an overview of your study results (merged into one pdf file)
• In the field ‘Cover letter’: your application letter in pdf format
• In the field ‘Diploma’: a transcript of the required degree (if already in your possession). If you have a foreign diploma in a language other than our national languages (Dutch, French, or German) or English, please add a translation in one of the mentioned languages.
• In the field “other documents”: a reference letter and an overview of your study results.

Note that the maximum file size for each field is 10 MB.

As Ghent University maintains an equal opportunities and diversity policy, everyone is encouraged to apply for this position.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about this vacancy, please contact Prof. Giovanni Circella (giovanni.circella@ugent.be, +32(0)9/264 4556). Important: do NOT send your application by email, but apply online.                    

Do you have a question regarding the online application process? Please read our FAQ or contact helpdesk (dpo@ugent.be - tel. 09/264 98 98).