Post-Doc Researcher: Labour Market Effects and Political Economy of the Green Transition (0.8-1FTE)

Contract hours min: 30

Contract hours max: 38

Research Project Hy-Success: Social, User aCCeptable, Economically Sustainable Systems For hydrogen

Leiden University is offering a postdoctoral position within a collaborative research team. The position will specifically contribute to work focused on the labour market effects of the green transition and its relationship with public attitudes toward the transition.

What you will do

The postdoc will participate in the interdisciplinary research programme GroenvermogenNL, which supports the large-scale development and implementation of green hydrogen in the Netherlands and across Europe. The programme addresses the system-wide conditions required to enable a successful hydrogen transition, including policies, infrastructure, technology, safety, economic incentives, and public acceptance. 

You will be involved in three specific subprojects:

• Analyzing the employment effects of the green transition and how they depend on workers’ skill sets, using large-scale administrative microdata on the Dutch labour market;
• Analyzing the relationship between the employment effects of the green transition and attitudes toward public policies and political preferences associated with the green transition at the regional level by combining administrative labour market data and survey data on political preferences;
• Setting up and conducting a discrete choice experiment to identify how economic, psychological and political factors affect support for the green transition. 

The position comprises the following tasks:

• Conduct innovative research on the labour market effects and political economy of the green transition, as outlined in the three aforementioned subprojects; 
• Participate in seminars, workshops and conferences both within the Groenvermogen consortium, and the broader academic community;
• Actively disseminate research findings among researchers working on related projects within the Groenvermogen consortium and to academic and non-academic audiences outside the consortium;
• Publish the research results in academic journals and policy reports;
• Additional optional teaching opportunities in the programs of the Department of Economics.

Where you will work

Our Faculty

The Faculty of Law is based in both Leiden and The Hague and, with over 7,000 students and approximately 600 staff members, is one of the largest law faculties in the Netherlands. The faculty is committed to innovative, multidisciplinary research and a constantly evolving curriculum that addresses key societal challenges. Our faculty is large enough to make an impact on both a national and international scale, yet small enough to offer a personal and engaging learning experience. In this way, we contribute every day to a safer and more sustainable world. Impact with law! For more information, please visit here. 

Our Department

The Department of Economics is a young, vibrant research community. We work together to make a difference, celebrate our bigger and smaller successes and look out for each other. Moreover, a good work-life balance is important to us, and we offer the flexibility to combine work with other responsibilities. The department has a reputation of working together in teams on joint research projects, while at the same time giving individual researchers the autonomy and flexibility to pursue other research interests as well. In the broad field of economics, the activities of the department are concentrated on socio-economic policy, law and economics, the functioning of the labor market, and social security. In September 2025, the department started offering new bachelor's and master's programs in economics in The Hague. In addition, we co-organize the bachelor program ‘Economics, Governance and Management’ and the master program ‘Economics and Governance’ with the Institute of Public Administration. Finally, the department provides courses for a number of study programs, such as liberal arts and law.

What you bring

• A PhD in economics, political science, public administration or another relevant discipline with a substantive quantitative background;
• Experience in analysing labour force survey data, analysing public opinion data and/or quasi-experimental techniques is considered an advantage;
• Demonstrated interest in the green transition as well as in labour economics, and/or (comparative) political economy is considered an advantage;
• An excellent command of the English language. Command of the Dutch language is considered an advantage.
• Strong collaboration skills and the ability to work effectively in interdisciplinary research teams.

If you immediately recognise yourself in this profile, or if do you not quite meet all the requirements, but you believe that this is the right job for you, we look forward to your application!

What we offer

Our goal is to work together to create a transparent and inclusive work environment in which everyone feels welcome and appreciated. Our organisation is always evolving and we need your ideas for improvement and innovation to take us further. We want to devote attention to your personal development. 

You can count on an enjoyable job within the socially relevant world of education and research. The University's challenging and international work environment is located just steps away from Leiden’s lively city centre or the bustling city centre of The Hague. We also want to work with you to devote attention to your health and vitality, for example with the fun activities we organise through Healthy University. 

We also offer:

• We offer a full-time position (0.8 fte would also be possible) for three years. This contract falls under the CLA of Dutch Universities;
• A salary between €4728 - €6433 gross per month, based on a full-time appointment (38 hours) (Scale 11) resulting in €65,984 to €89,779 gross per year for a full-time position (scale 11), in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. This includes holiday (8%) and end-of-year bonuses (8.3%). Salary depends on education and experience;
• Start date: 1 August 2026 (flexibility is possible).
• Leiden University offers an attractive benefits package with training and career development (including, for example, language courses, teaching courses and project management courses). Our individual choices model gives you some freedom to assemble your own set of terms and conditions. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break.
• For more information on the terms and conditions of employment, click here.

What we value

Promoting an inclusive community is central to Leiden University’s values and vision. We strive to be an open community in which all students and staff members feel valued and respected, and are able to fully develop themselves. We consider an inclusive academic environment, where students and staff can share their experiences and viewpoints, to be essential for the development of talent.

Want to apply or find out more?

If you want to apply straight away, click the 'Apply' button above. 

Please ensure that you upload the following additional documents quoting the vacancy number (16487):

• A cover letter stating your motivation for this position;
• A curriculum vitae including a complete list of publications;
• A publication (or working paper);
• At this stage, it is not necessary to submit references or recommendation letters. 

Only applications received before 10 May 2026 will be considered. The selection procedure will take place in May 2026.  

If you would like more information about what the job entails, please contact Prof. Olaf van Vliet, at o.p.van.vliet@law.leidenuniv.nl.  

To help us get to know each other better, we follow a number of steps in the application procedure. For more information, see here

• Acquisition in response to this vacancy is not appreciated. If you nevertheless choose to send us CVs, no rights can be derived from this.