Postdoctoral Research Fellow - Energy Economics and Applied Microeconometrics

The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) wishes to make an appointment to its energy and environmental economics research group. The position is a 3-year, fixed-term post and will involve work on fuel poverty funded by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC). The post also entails an adjunct position at Trinity College Dublin .

The Institute

The ESRI, founded in 1960, is located in Dublin’s South Docklands area. Our role is to provide high-quality research evidence for policy. We have over 100 staff, including economists, sociologists and psychologists, in addition to support and technical staff.

Energy and Environmental Research at the ESRI

The ESRI has an active energy research team that is part of the wider energy and climate economics group. The project is a new research programme conducted by the Energy Policy Research Centre (EPRC) under a multi-annual research programme funded by contributions from public and private sector stakeholders. Academic collaborations are ongoing with researchers from Irish and international institutions. Our researchers also have strong collaboration and engagement with industry stakeholders, the government departments and agencies responsible for energy, environment and climate-related topics, and the energy regulator with regular opportunities to disseminate their research findings. Research papers are expected to be published in leading international, peer-reviewed journals and presented at conferences.

Role Description

The postdoctoral researcher will join a team of dedicated researchers working on energy and environmental projects and will expand our work on applied micro econometrics and evaluation of energy and environmental policies.  In particular, the successful candidate will be the main researcher on a project aimed at producing academic and policy relevant insights for the design of policies to tackle fuel poverty. This project arises from work of the research network on fuel poverty and is funded by the Department of the Environment, Climate, and Communications (DECC). The network consists of representatives from the DECC, the Central Statistics Office, the Department of Social Protection, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, and other governmental bodies. 

The successful candidate will analyse survey data from the national Statistics Office (CSO) to identify those who are disproportionately burdened by fuel costs, covering the number of households and the severity of the burden. They will propose metrics to measure changes in the trend of fuel poverty regarding intensive and extensive margins and identify households that would benefit from support to improve income or energy efficiency levels, and those that require both supports.

The postdoctoral researcher will also use microsimulation techniques to analyse changes in fuel poverty under different scenarios, and design and analyse a bespoke survey to identify determinants and potential solutions to reduce fuel poverty in Ireland. 

Skills, Qualifications and Experience

The successful candidate will have:

• A PhD in economics or a related discipline (e.g. quantitative sociology, or other quantitative social science), completed or nearing completion;
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills (including microeconometrics);
• Excellent presentation skills;
• Excellent writing skills;
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills;
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to deliver high quality work to tight deadlines;
• The ability to work successfully as part of a highly motivated team and independently.

The following would be an advantage:

• Research experience in one of the following areas: poverty measurement, energy efficiency, spatial econometrics, microsimulation, survey design;
• Peer-reviewed journal publications;
• Experience in policy-oriented research;
• Experience in liaising with policymakers/external stakeholders.

Location

The ESRI is based at Whitaker Square, Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2. Applicants should note that staff have the option of working on a ‘blended’ basis with a minimum requirement of one day per week based in the ESRI office. The arrangement is running on a pilot basis and full details will be provided at interview. 

Terms & Application Procedure

The role is full-time (35 hours per week - standard working hours are 0930-1730, Monday – Friday; flexible working hours are supported). Starting salary will be €44,584, which is the first point of the ESRI Administrative Officer (Higher) salary scale.  

To apply for this position please follow the link below. The closing date for applications is5pm on Friday, 03 February 2023. All applications will be acknowledged. Late or incomplete applications will not be processed. The selection process will consist of a preliminary interview, written exercise, research presentation and final interview.

The ESRI is currently conducting selection processes via videoconference (MS Teams or Zoom).

The ESRI is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to accommodating the needs of people with disabilities to enable them to participate in the selection process. Please let us know if you have any particular requirements should you be invited for assessment/interview or that you wish us to take into account when considering your application.