Assistant or Associate Professor in Complex Systems and Urban & Regional Modelling

Welcome to Maastricht University!

How can cities and regions better understand, model and respond to complex societal challenges, including sustainability? And how can we train students to think across disciplines, systems and scales when working on real-world urban transitions?

At the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE), we are looking for an Assistant or Associate Professor in Complex Systems and Urban & Regional Modelling. You will build a new research line in Heerlen, strengthen complex systems thinking in interdisciplinary education and contribute to the further development of the Bachelor Urban Sustainability Studies.

Assistant or Associate Professor in Complex Systems and Urban & Regional Modelling

This is a position for an academic who enjoys building something new. You will help shape an emerging research cluster in Heerlen, develop and apply modelling approaches to urban and regional challenges, and connect complex systems perspectives with innovative interdisciplinary education.

You will initially work in both Heerlen and Maastricht and will gradually shift to Heerlen as the study programme and research line grow. Whether you are appointed as Assistant or Associate Professor depends on your experience and academic track record.

• Our goal: You build a new research line in urban and regional modelling and strengthen complex systems thinking within interdisciplinary education.
• Your colleagues: You play a key role in the development of a new branch of the Faculty of Science and Engineering in Heerlen. You will work alongside colleagues from the Urban Sustainability Studies programme, the Department of Advanced Computing Sciences and the Brightlands Institute for Smart Society (BISS). Working across academic boundaries, you connect research, teaching and regional engagement.

What you do

You balance teaching and research, contributing substantially to both. You:

• Initiate and develop research in urban and regional modelling and contribute to the emerging research cluster in Heerlen.
• Develop and apply modelling approaches to complex urban and regional challenges, including questions related to sustainability and regional development.
• Teach courses in complex systems theory, urban sustainability, complex systems modelling and related fields.
• Coordinate and contribute to course development and curriculum innovation.
• Supervise theses and mentor students in their academic development.
• Apply and further develop problem-based learning (PBL) methodologies in your teaching.
• Build collaborations across research groups and study programmes and with relevant external and regional partners.

What you bring

We are not looking for checkboxes; we are interested in who you are and what you bring. Do you recognise yourself in this?

• Academic background and research potential: You hold a PhD in a relevant technical or computational field, such as complex systems, data science, urban systems, spatial modelling, engineering, geography, computational social science or a related discipline. You demonstrate the ability and ambition to develop an independent research line.
• Expertise in complex systems: You have a strong conceptual understanding of complex systems theory and can connect it to real-world challenges such as urban sustainability and regional development.
• Expertise in modelling: You have experience with quantitative, computational or spatial modelling approaches that can be applied to urban and regional systems.
• Teaching mindset and experience: You are an enthusiastic educator with experience in, or a clear affinity for, interdisciplinary teaching and student-centred approaches. You are also motivated to contribute to course and curriculum development.
• Pioneering and entrepreneurial attitude: You are motivated to build new initiatives, develop a research line and contribute to an emerging academic environment in Heerlen.
• Collaborative and interdisciplinary orientation: You thrive in collaborative settings and are eager to connect across disciplines, study programmes and research groups within the faculty and beyond.

You will be based in Heerlen and actively contribute to the academic community there, while collaborating with colleagues from the faculty’s other research departments and study programmes in Maastricht, Sittard-Geleen and Venlo.

What we offer 
At Maastricht University, you’ll work in an international, open, and engaged environment. We offer:

• A 12-month contract (1,0 fte) with the prospect of a permanent contract based on mutual satisfaction. 
• A gross monthly salary between €4925,00 and €8199,00 (based on full-time employment of 38 hours per week). 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus.
• 29 vacation days (based on full-time), four additional days off (Carnival Monday and Tuesday, Good Friday, and Liberation Day), and the possibility to accrue up to 12 extra days through compensation hours.
• Flexible working hours, a home office allowance, and the option to work from home.
• Freedom and space to shape your work independently and develop your ideas.
• A close-knit community of colleagues to collaborate and grow with.
• A solid pension plan via ABP, company fitness schemes, and access to various university sports facilities.
• An inspiring work environment in the heart of Europe.

Faculty of Science and Engineering  
At the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE), we focus on themes such as circularity and sustainability, future farming, digitisation and (scientific) instrument development.  FSE's leading projects, like the Einstein Telescope Pathfinder, are sure to grab anyone's attention.  The faculty is a vibrant hub of education and research in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS).  At FSE, over 450 staff members and 3700 students gather to explore exciting interdisciplinary research and educational programmes. Feel welcome, be part of our team and put your brilliant mind to work!  
 
FSE at the Brightlands Campuses  
Maastricht, Sittard-Geleen, Heerlen, and Venlo, the home of four creative Brightlands campuses, are bustling with 30,000 entrepreneurs, researchers, and students working diligently to solve global challenges. The Faculty of Science and Engineering is active on all four Brightlands campuses, and this is where our impact reaches its peak. To give you an idea of what is happening at each campus: Sittard-Geleen is home to the largest chemical site in the Euregion, while Venlo is a large hub for agri-food innovation. Maastricht is the site of the Health Campus, and Heerlen is the place to be for Smart Services.  

Interested?
Want to know more about this position or what it’s like to work at our university? Reach out to Peter Vermeer, peter.vermeer@maastrichtuniversity.nl or Harm Askes, harm.askes@maastrichtuniversity.nl for questions on education or research, respectively. The end date of the publication is the 25th of October 2026. The first interview round will be held on Thursday the 5th of November 2026.

In addition, please outline (max 1 A4) your key ideas for research and teaching in complex systems modeling.

Apply now via the button below. We look forward to getting to know you!

About Maastricht University
At Maastricht University, we collaboratively seek solutions to help move the world forward. We do this with 23,300 students and 5,400 employees across 5 regional locations, 6 faculties, and more than 70 research institutes. We encourage you to push boundaries and discover new opportunities for yourself and the world around you. Together, we can find the answers for tomorrow.

The vacancy is open for internal and external candidates. In case of equal qualifications, internal candidates will be prioritized.

At Maastricht University, we prefer to contact potential candidates directly. We therefore kindly ask that no agencies or intermediaries submit offers or approaches.

Maastricht University is committed to promoting and nurturing a diverse and inclusive community. We believe that diversity in our staff and student population contributes to the quality of research and education at UM, and strive to enable this through inclusive policies and innovative projects led by teams of staff and students. We encourage you to apply for this position.