Postdoc in Gender, Energy and Policy

We are recruiting a two-year postdoc in the area of policy for inclusive and sustainable energy use. The work is positioned within the broad theoretical fields of social science energy studies, gender and energy, and sustainable energy transitions. The candidate will evaluate existing policy frameworks, propose new data collection instruments and provide recommendations for policy.

Information about the research
The position is funded by the Swedish Energy Agency and part of a Task within the International Energy Agency's Technology Collaboration Programme on Energy users. For more information about this Task, see here. You will be part of the Chalmers' team that is leading the Task, and contribute to primarily two subtasks of the overall collaboration. First, undertaking comparative institutional and policy analysis in Sweden and other countries that are part of the task, and second, methodological development with a focus on household survey design and implementation. You will also support a scoping study on the state-of-the-art in gender and energy policy, and engage in interdisciplinary exchanges with researchers from all six research teams. The Task has a shared basis in intersectional gender theory, and involves social scientists and engineers. Research is transdisciplinary with emphasis on stakeholder interaction and dialogue. The aim is to identify and contribute to best practice in research and policy making. In this collaborative environment, you will contribute own skills and expertise, and acquire additional skills and knowledge, not the least on how to bridge disciplinary boundaries and communicate effectively with stakeholders outside academia.

Major responsibilities
The main responsibilities of the postdoc is to support deliverables in the program, in particular make a contribution to the scoping study, conduct country comparative policy analysis, contribute to development of new household survey instruments and analyze data from a large international survey. You will be responsible for the empirical work and expected to communicate results by writing scientific articles, program reports and presenting orally at seminars and conferences.

We are seeking a candidate with specialist skills related to the topic and interest in further enhancing these and acquiring new skills. There will be good opportunities for meriting yourself for a senior position in academia but also, for acquiring policy relevant knowledge and networks outside academia. You will be based in Sweden but conduct data collection in an international context, with some international travel for research exchanges and data collection. The case studies will involve text analysis, interviews, participation in workshops and stakeholder interaction. The Survey design and analysis will involve development of a new questionnaire, with rounds of testing. The analysis part involves statistical analysis of household data from a partner organisation, involving thousands of respondents. For a candidate who have not conducted such analysis previously, we expect that you undertake training and acquire necessary methodological skills.

We offer the possibility to develop a multitude of skills in a supportive environment. There are opportunities to engage in teaching and supervision, as well as the possibility to take courses at advanced level. You will be involved in various project-related activities, thus receiving a varied on-the-job training.

Qualifications
The general qualifications are a PhD in a relevant social science field of study, including (but not restricted to) political science, economics, science and technology studies, energy systems studies, gender studies, innovation studies, or human geography. The degree should generally not be older than three years. You should have published in high quality academic journals and have proven expertise in at least one of the main themes of gender analysis, energy use patterns, energy policy, or questionnaire design, and be interested in contributing to policy evaluation and development.

We seek a candidate who is intellectually curious and possesses good analytical skills. You have skills in multiple methods, knowing how to conduct qualitative text analysis, interviews and case study research. Experience or expertise in quantitative analysis of survey data is a strong merit. You should have ability to engage with new concepts, ideas and other scientific disciplines. You should also be self-propelled and know how to structure your work, with ability to work well independently for shorter periods, and in a team where participants have complementary skills. You have good social and communication skills, are a keen listener and interested in frequent interaction with people outside academia, especially in conducting interviews, but also interacting with colleagues and energy sector stakeholders. You have experience from and interest in other cultures and are open minded and non-judgmental.

The following qualifications are mandatory:
- Documented skills in applying qualitative social science research methods
- Successful completion of a PhD in a relevant field
- Ability to work well both independently and as part of a team
- Strong English language skills

The following qualifications are meriting:
- Expertise in comparative policy analysis, gender analysis in either the energy or policy field 
- Experience in policy evaluation, development and implementation
- Expertise or experience in qualitative or quantitative survey design and implementation
- Experience or expertise in the statistical software STATA and programming language R
- Proven skills in scientific publishing, in conducting literature review
- Proven experience in planning, executing and leading research tasks independently

Application deadline: 29 May, 2021
Read more and apply here