Postdoctoral Research Fellows in Energy and Behavioural Economics

21 Feb 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

The Economic and Social Research Institute

Department

HR

Research Field

Economics

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

Ireland

Application Deadline

5 Mar 2024 - 17:00 (Europe/Dublin)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Hours Per Week

35

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) wishes to hire two Postdoctoral Research Fellows in energy and behavioural economics. These are three-year, fixed-term positions. The successful applicants will hold  adjunct positions at Trinity College Dublin .

The Institute

The ESRI, founded in 1960, is located in Dublin’s South Docklands area. Our mission is to produce high quality research, relevant to Ireland’s economic and social development, with the aim of contributing to knowledge and informing policymaking and public debate. We have over 100 staff including economists, sociologists and other social scientists, in addition to support and technical staff.

Energy and climate research at the ESRI

This work will be carried out at the ESRI Energy Policy Research Centre, with strong collaboration with the ESRI’s Behavioural Research Unit and the University of Galway, where we will be building a team to assess energy consumption and behaviour. These projects are funded by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland and Horizon Europe.

The Energy Policy Research Centre (EPRC) is a multi-annual research programme focussing on various aspects of energy economics, including consumer behaviour, energy markets and climate change. The successful candidate will join a team of energy economists and behavioural scientists exploring decision-making associated with energy investment and consumption. Each successful candidate will be expected to lead one of two projects, with the opportunity to contribute to others if desired.

Role Description: Position A

• This will comprise an SEAI-funded behavioural field experiment conducted with an energy supplier. We will investigate the impact of information stimuli on electricity consumption and time-of-use tariff uptake.

Role Description: Position B

This role comprises two components:

• The first component comprises a lab experiment to investigate the determinants of pro-environmental behaviour.
• The second component comprises a Horizon Europe-funded pan-European survey of consumer attitudes. The successful candidate will explore the behavioural factors driving preferences towards novel energy technologies.

Applicants will be considered for both roles. If an applicant has a preference for a particular role, this should be indicated in the cover letter.

The research team is highly motivated with the workplan formulated to publish high-quality articles in top-ranking economics journals, and we seek equally motivated candidates. There is potential scope for the appointees to explore aspects of consumer behaviour that they find interesting.

They will have opportunities to disseminate their research findings to stakeholders, both in industry and to relevant government departments.

Skills, Qualifications and Experience

Successful candidates will have a PhD (completed or nearing completion) in economics, behavioural science, or a closely-related discipline. Publication experience or potential to publish in leading international, peer-reviewed journals will be a distinct advantage.

The candidates will be expected to have:

• Strong econometric skills;
• Strong computer and coding skills (Expertise in Stata, R or Python an advantage);
• Excellent writing, interpersonal and communication skills, with a view to writing high-quality journal articles;
• Ability to present and communicate research findings to non-technical and technical audiences;
• Careful attention to detail while maintaining the drive to meet tight deadlines;
• Demonstrated ability to work successfully in teams and on their own initiative;
• Enthusiasm for applying behavioural economics/behavioural science to policy problems.

In addition, experience in setting experiments or survey design would be an advantage.

Location

ESRI, Whitaker Square, Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2.  Applicants should note that staff have the option of working remotely from their home in Ireland on a ‘blended’ basis with a minimum requirement of one day per week (or as business requires) based in the ESRI office.   This arrangement is running on a pilot basis. Full details will be provided at interview.

Terms & Application Procedure

The role is full-time (35 hours per week - standard working hours are 09.30-17.30, Monday – Friday; flexible working hours are supported). Appointments will be on a three-year, fixed-term contract basis and starting salary will be €46,226 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 is05 March 2024 at 5.00pm.  All applications will be acknowledged. Late or incomplete applications will not be processed. The selection process will consist of a preliminary interview and, for candidates successful at that stage, a final interview, presentation and written assessment.   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.

Requirements

Research Field

Economics

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Languages

ENGLISH

Level

Excellent

Research Field

Economics

Additional Information

Website for additional job details

https://www.esri.ie/careers

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

ESRI – The Economic & Social Research Institute

Country

Ireland

State/Province

Dublin

City

Dublin

Postal Code

D02K138

Street

Whitaker Square, Sir John Rogerson's Quay

Where to apply

Website

https://www.esri.ie/careers

Contact

State/Province

Dublin

City

Dublin

Website

https://www.esri.ie/careers/current

Street

Whitaker Sq, Sir John Rogersons Quay

Postal Code

D02K138

E-Mail

[email protected]

STATUS: EXPIRED