Assistant professor Governance of Complex Societal Transformations

Introduction

Are the topics of complexity, governance and societal transitions appealing to you? Are you curiosity-driven to understanding, unraveling and solving the governance of complex societal transformation with innovative approaches and methods? Please feel invited to apply with your CV and motivation letter. 

Job description

As an assistant professor you will be contributing to the research, education and engagement/impact in the area of Governance of Societal Transitions and Behavioral Change. Today societies are confronted with complex public issues like sustainability, environmental challenges and climate change, and health and well-being inequalities which call for various transitions like energy transitions, food transitions, circular economy and restoration of biodiversity. The social practices of actors need considerable change. The governance of (interrelated) transitions is very challenging because of the multitude of stakeholders involved with different interests, logics, values and (social) practices and behaviors. The governance demands a systemic and integral approach in which sectors, domains and levels are interrelated. The governance of relationships among public, private, societal and knowledge partners becomes therefore important. For example, how can we develop trustworthy relationships between public, private and societal actors, how can organize good, reciprocal and responsive relations between community-based initiatives in various fields and institutional (government, market) partners? Which social practices of the actors need to be changed and in what ways to realize societal transitions? What are effective and legitimate governance strategies and approaches that lead to societal transformations and change of social practices?

The core tasks of the assistant professor include:

• participating in teaching in one or more of our programs at Bachelor’s and Master’s level at the department of public administration and sociology (DPAS). Teaching involves individual supervision of research internships and theses; lectures and workgroups;
• participating in the research programs of the school as well in the team of Governance & Pluralism in the faculty;
• developing activities that lead to creating positive societal impact and engagement;
• publishing research findings in (high impact) international scientific journals;
• developing further the collaboration with actors in the city and region of Rotterdam;
• contributing to the acquisition of external research funding for the benefit of the research programmes.

Job requirements

The following job requirements apply:

• A PhD degree in a relevant discipline (Public Administration, Public Policy, Sociology, Social Psychology, or related).
• Experience with working in academic environments, and a strong affinity with the themes of Governance, Complex Networks, Societal Transformations.
• Preferably experience with both qualitative and quantitative research methods.
• Experience with and committed to engaged, impact-driven research.
• Experienced in academic teaching in the social or behavioral sciences, with an eye for innovation in teaching methods, and the ability to contribute to various educational programs (broad employability).
• Candidates who don’t possess a formal teaching qualification, are expected to acquire it within two years (according to the standards of the so-called BKO-University Teaching Qualification).
• Ability to, and preferably experience with, acquire external research funding.
• Motivated to contribute to open and responsible science.
• Excellent communication skills, team player.
• Excellent proficiency in Dutch and English (both at least at level C1 of the Common European Framework).

Employment conditions and benefits

We offer you an internationally oriented and varied job in an enthusiastic team, with excellent working conditions in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU).

The start date of this position is 1 October 2026 and you will be based at Campus Woudestein in Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB). This position is for 0.8 fte - 1 fte. The salary is dependent on your experience and knowledge and ranges from a minimum of € 5.705 to a maximum of € 7.297 gross per month Scale 12 on a fulltime basis (38 hours), in accordance with the CAO-NU. The contract is offered for a period of 1 year and can be converted into an employment contract for an indefinite period if suitability is proven and if continued in the same position, if (financial and/or organizational) circumstances remain the same.

Everything else we offer you; you can find below!

- Everything you need for a good work-life balance: the option to work from home in consultation with your manager, 41 days of paid leave with a 40 hour contract, 8% holiday pay and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and a significant discount on a subscription for our on-campus sports centre!

- Sustainable, inclusive and diverse work environment with an open culture, where you can be yourself and we pay attention to each other and to the world around us. Make the most of our bicycle budget, or join networks such as Young@EUR, FAME or QuEUR.

- Time and space for your development in the broadest sense: development days and a personal career budget and free access to our university library.

- Good pension with ABP that EUR contributes 2/3rds towards, discounts on various collective insurances with Zilveren Kruis Achmea, Loyalis, and Allianz, and compensation for travel, working from home and home internet use.

- Are you currently combining your job with parenthood, or do you want to do so in the future? EUR offers partially paid parental leave and fully paid additional birth leave for partners, and our campus features a daycare (daycare not paid for by EUR).

- Moving to the Netherlands for your job with EUR? Then you may be eligible for the Expat-ruling if you meet the requirements of the Belastingdienst (Dutch tax agency), and with our Dual Career Programme we will also help your partner find the right job for them.

Employer

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is an internationally oriented university with a strong social orientation in its education and research, as expressed in our mission ‘Creating positive societal impact’. EUR is home to 4.100 academics and professionals and almost 33.000 students from more than 140 countries. Everything we do, we do under the credo The Erasmian Way – Making Minds Matter. We’re global citizens, connecting, entrepreneurial, open-minded, and socially involved. These Erasmian Values function as our internal compass and create EUR’s distinctive and recognizable profile. From these values, with a broad perspective and with an eye for diversity, different backgrounds and opinions, our employees work closely together to solve societal challenges from the dynamic and cosmopolitan city of Rotterdam. Thanks to the high quality and positive societal impact of our research and education, EUR can compete with the top European universities. www.eur.nl.

Faculty / Institute / Central service

Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB) combines various disciplines such as public administration, pedagogical sciences, psychology and sociology. In addition, the Erasmus University College is affiliated with the faculty. Within ESSB, we work in teams on education and research, emphasising interdisciplinarity, diversity, inclusion and sustainability. Together, we strive for societal and scientific impact.

ESSB distinguishes itself through inter-, multi- and transdisciplinary research, in which academics and students work together on complex social issues. Thanks to this approach, ESSB successfully attracts national and international research subsidies and funds, with which we continuously strengthen and renew our education and research.

ESSB serves almost 6,000 students annually with a wide range of bachelor's and master's programmes and has more than 600 employees. These programmes are highly rated by students and alumni. Within ESSB, developing new insights and realising positive societal impact are central, always with a focus on people and society.

Visit our website for more information about the faculty, and click here for more information about our academic teams.

Group

Department of Public Administration and Sociology (DPAS)

DPAS encompasses the disciplines Public Administration and Sociology: two related scientific fields each with a unique profile. Public Administration studies governance capacity and policy interventions. It focuses on institutional power to organize and intervene in the relations between different social, political and economic actors. Public Administration in Rotterdam goes far beyond the public realm to also pay attention to public-private cooperation and the networks of organizations. Sociology investigates the social structures of societies and the way these evolve. Sociologists in Rotterdam focus, inter alia, on processes of globalization and individualization, and the effects of these processes on international social relations, the labor market and family relations. Social issues that are studied under this banner include migration, flexibilization and solidarity. The perspectives of Public Administration and Sociology complement each other. Together they guarantee a highly relevant and scientific approach to topical administrative and social issues. The bachelor- and master programs of DPAS are built on this profile and develop students into scientifically schooled professionals.

Department

Team Governance and Pluralism
The Governance and Pluralism team studies complex, multi-value, and multilevel issues related to various societal challenges. We take the pluralistic nature of these challenges as a given and approach them from various social layers, lifestyles, and identities. We investigate how these complex societal issues can be addressed through different forms of governance, such as public-private partnerships, multilevel collaborations, community initiatives and triple helix partnerships. Our team’s work is highly regarded by (inter)national colleagues, civil society organisations, policymakers, and governments. This is reflected in their visibility within design, impact, and academic research projects and programs.

For more information, please visit our website.

Applying

Please submit your application, consisting of a motivation letter and CV, before the vacancy closing date.

The selection procedure consists of one or two rounds of interviews. Interviews are expected to be held end of August 2026/beginning of September 2026. 

You can find more information about the EUR on our website www.eur.nl. For more information about this vacancy, please contact prof. dr. Jurian Edelenbos via edelenbos@essb.eur.nl.

We look forward to receiving your application.

Persons of all gender identities or expressions, sexual orientations, religions, ethnicities, ages, neurodiversities, functional impairments, citizenships, or any other aspect are welcome to apply and join the EUR community.