Postdoc Enabling the Prevention of Rebound Effects by Design

Do you want to push the boundaries of design for sustainability towards higher impact? 

If you have a PhD in Design & Innovation, Behavioral Design, Product Design & Development, Sustainable Design, Systems Design, or related areas and you want to work at the very front of the new scientific revolution within design for sustainability, this is a job for you to thrive. 

At DTU Construct you will break new ground at the absolute forefront for enabling the design of sustainable solutions and be an active part of REBOUNDLESS, a prestigious ERC Consolidator Grant project, awarded by the European Research Council. 

Your main goal will be to drive a paradigm shift in design science to enable the prevention of rebound effects (i.e., unintended consequences of interventions that arise due to behavioral and systemic changes, which undermine ca. 40% of all potential sustainability gains) by design. 

You will have the opportunity to join top interdisciplinary scientists from all over the world and make a personal impact in solving some of the most critical challenges the world is facing. Never before has there been a stronger global focus on solving the pressing sustainability challenges, but the expected positive societal impact will not be achieved unless rebound effects are prevented.

Responsibilities and qualifications

PhD in Design & Innovation, Behavioral Design, Product Design & Development, Sustainable Design, Systems Design, or related areas

We are looking for a talented and ambitious early-stage scientist with a collaborative mindset and critical thinking backed by excellent communication ability in written and spoken English. Equally important is it that you like to create results based on knowledge sharing and positive teamwork.

Unveiling design strategies that can enable the prevention of rebound effects.

Your focus will be to drive the identification of design strategies that can prevent rebound effects at the product, product/service-system, and socio-technical system levels.

More specifically, you will focus on expanding the current understanding of how design decisions give rise to rebound effects, further advancing current knowledge of rebound effects with a strong sustainability, design and behavioral perspective. 

In collaboration with the research team, you will drive the development of the so-called “reboundless design strategies”. Your primary tasks will include: 

• Explain how design decisions at the product, product/service-system or socio-technical system level trigger rebound effects.
• Develop strategies to prevent rebound effects by design, building upon best practices from related fields (e.g., behavioral design, behavioral economics, design for sustainable behavior).
• Simulate the potential of the developed reboundless design strategies in preventing rebound effects through alternative “what-if” scenarios. 

You will work in an interdisciplinary team, in close collaboration with the other team members in REBOUNDLESS. We expect that your research work resulting in the publication of high-end scientific articles and conferences.

As a formal qualification, you must hold a PhD degree (or equivalent). Furthermore, it is an advantage if you have knowledge of design for sustainability, behavioral design and/or behavioral economics.

Application procedure 

To apply, please read the full job advertisement, by clicking the 'Apply' button above.