PostDoc Researcher at UNU-MERIT (data): impact of green and digital technologies on labor markets

UNU-MERIT is looking for a Research Fellow to work on two EU Horizon Europe projects (ST4TE and TWINRD) studying emerging green and digital technologies, and their impact on employment and wages. 

Job Description

The Research Fellow will contribute to: i) identify digital and green technologies using patent data; ii) combine these with information on occupations, industries and skills to measure the exposure of industries and occupations to digital and green technologies; iii) estimate their adoption in Europe using Online Job Vacancies data; and iv) estimate the unequal impact of the digital transition on employment opportunities. The Research Fellow will use data mining, network analysis, machine learning (text analysis methods). They will combine patent data with data on online job vacancies (were needed matched with ORBIS) to provide an unprecedent analysis on the potential impact of digital and green technology on inequality though skills in demand.
The Research Fellow will work in collaboration with a team of top innovation scholars, economists, data scientists and other Research Fellows in a vibrant research environment at UNU-MERIT and at partner organisations. Funding will be available to recruit Research Assistants to support data collection and analysis, participate in projects research meetings and workshops to refine methods and data, as well presenting results at relevant external conferences and workshops. As part of ST4TE, the Research Fellow will have access to several data sources on job ads, companies, and processed STI metadata.

The work will lead to publications in top journals led by the Research Fellow.

The Research Fellow will:
•    Contribute to identifying digital and green technologies using natural language processing;
•    Estimate the exposure of industries and occupations to these technologies employing large language models on patent data and industry and occupation descriptions;
•    Use patent and publication meta data to identify firms and industries producing green and digital technologies;
•    Estimate the adoption of digital and green technologies combining patent and job market vacancies of adopting firms;
•    Estimate the changes in the intensive labour demand for skills at the occupation-industry level that can be attributed to these emerging digital and green technologies;
•    Estimate the potential impact of green and digital technologies on wage inequality using information on the salary available for a subsample of the online job ads;
•    Support the writing of publishable project deliverables in collaboration with project team members;
•    Supervise Research Assistants helping with data cleaning;
•    Work in collaboration with a team of top innovation scholars, economists, and data scientists in UNU-MERIT, University of Ferrara, Utrecht University and Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI); 
•    Present results at international conferences and submit working papers to journals

Requirements
The ideal candidate will have a PhD in Economics, Innovation, Computational Social Sciences, Data Science, or related quantitative social sciences. They will have curiosity to explore new data and methods, and wiliness to work in an interdisciplinary, collaborative, and stimulating team and project. They may have a background on the analysis of STI corpora, and other unstructured data, and a background on economics of innovation theories, especially in relation to employment and the organization of work and industries. Ability to think about new ways of combining data to explore the dynamics of technologies is welcome.

Essential:
•    A PhD (or near to completion) in Economics, Innovation, Computational Social Sciences, Data Science, or related quantitative social sciences
•    Experience with the analysis of STI data (patents and publications), and or job vacancy data, and or other textual data
•    Excellent programming skills with data analysis packages (Python, R, SQL, NoSQL); some experience with Natural Language Processing
•    Ability to explore new unstructured data and methods
•    Strong attention to detail with good organisation skills; ability to manage multiple, concurrent tasks
•    Evidence of engagement in high-quality research activity; excellent presentation skills, with the ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with students, colleagues and external audiences
•    Ability to work individually on own initiative and without close supervision, and as part of a team
•    Ability to exercise a degree of innovation and creative problem-solving; excellent organisational and administrative skills; ability to prioritise and meet deadlines

 What we offer
As a PostDoc at the School of Business and Economics, you will be employed by the most international university in the Netherlands, located in the beautiful city of Maastricht. In addition, we offer you:

• Good employment conditions. The position is graded in scale 10 or 11 according to UFU profile Researcher, function level 3 or 4, with corresponding salary based on experience ranging from €3345,00 and €6148,00 gross per month (based on a full-time employment of 38 hours per week). In addition to the monthly salary, an 8.0% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus apply.
• An employment contract for a period of 24 months (start date: as soon as possible, but no later than 1 January 2025) with a scope of 0.8 - 1.0 FTE.
• At Maastricht University, the well-being of our employees is of utmost importance, we offer flexible working hours and the possibility to work partly from home if the nature of your position allows it. You will receive a monthly commuting and internet allowance for this. If you work full-time, you will be entitled to 29 vacation days and 4 additional public holidays per year, namely carnival Monday, carnival Tuesday, Good Friday, and Liberation Day. If you choose to accumulate compensation hours, an additional 12 days will be added. Furthermore, you can personalize your employment conditions through a collective labor agreement (CAO) choice model. 
• As Maastricht University, we offer various other excellent secondary employment conditions. These include a good pension scheme with the ABP and the opportunity for UM employees to participate in company fitness and make use of the extensive sports facilities that we also offer to our students. 
• Last but certainly not least, we provide the space and facilities for your personal and professional development. We facilitate this by offering a wide range of training programs and supporting various well-established initiatives such as 'acknowledge and appreciate'. 
   

The terms of employment at Maastricht University are largely set out in the collective labor agreement of Dutch Universities. In addition, local provisions specific to UM apply. For more information, click here.

Maastricht University
Why work at Maastricht University?

At Maastricht University (UM), everything revolves around the future. The future of our students, as we work to equip them with a solid, broad-based foundation for the rest of their lives. And the future of society, as we seek solutions through our research to issues from all around the world. Our six faculties combined provide a comprehensive package of study programmes and research.

In our teaching, we use the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) method. Students work in small groups, looking for solutions to problems themselves. By discussing issues and working together to draw conclusions, formulate answers and present them to their peers, students develop essential skills for their future careers.

With over 22,300 students and more than 5,000 employees from all over the world, UM is home to a vibrant and inspiring international community.

Are you drawn to an international setting focused on education, science and scholarship? Are you keen to contribute however your skills and qualities allow? Our door is open to you! As a young European university, we value your talent and look forward to creating the future together.

Click here for more information about UM. 

The School of Business and Economics
The School of Business and Economics (SBE) is one of Maastricht University’s six faculties. Our mission is to contribute to a better world by addressing societal problems, by co-creating knowledge and developing team players and leaders for the future.

By joining SBE, you will be part of the 1% of business schools worldwide to be Triple Crown accredited (EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA). You will join an inspiring and international environment, where learning and development is priority. 

 
Department

UNU-MERIT is a research and training institute of the United Nations University (UNU) and Maastricht University. UNU-MERIT aims to advance societal policy and innovation research, provide education and mobilise knowledge to unlock innovation's full potential for achieving inclusive sustainable development. UNU-MERIT ranks among the leading research groups working in the field of innovation studies. Our research contributes to academic and policy debates on the economics of innovation and technology, providing a bridge between academic and policy communities by addressing real-world problems through societally relevant research grounded in academic excellence. 

Curious?
Are you interested in this exciting position but still have questions? Feel free to contact D. Tommaso Ciarli at ciarli@merit.unu.edu and Dr. Önder Nomaler at nomaler@merit.unu.edu  for more information.

Applying?
Or are you already convinced and ready to become our new PostDoc? Apply now, no later than 8 September 2024, for this position.

Please upload your CV, motivation letter, 2 reference letters and your most relevant piece of work (e.g. Job Market Paper, Publication, Working Paper, PhD Chapter).

The first interviews preferably take place between 23 September and 4 October 2024. The second interviews will be held on shortly after.

A reference check will be part of the application procedure.

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.