11 Postdoctoral Fellowship at University of Groningen, Netherlands

Topic of research: Fundamentals in the growth behavior of ultrahigh temperature TaC coatings for producing epitaxial SiC semiconductor

Reliable protective coatings are exigently demanded to coat graphite crucibles and susceptors for bulk SiC crystal and epitaxial SiC film growth processes for supplying wide bandgap materials in the fast growing market of semiconductor power devices. Presently thick TaC coating on graphite is being developed to catch up the demand. However, this crucial development is currently hampered by the high tendency of dense micro-cracks and delamination of TaC coating from the graphite substrate, which are mainly caused by the large thermal expansion mismatch between the coating and graphite substrate during chemical vapor deposition and during service by the thermal cycles from room temperature to the service temperatures (up to 2600 °C).
This research project aims understanding the fundamentals in the growth behavior of ultrahigh temperature TaC coating on graphite with chemical vapor deposition and eventually developing a crack-free and crack-tolerant TaC coating for the semiconductor industry.

Are you passionate about shaping the future of energy? We’re looking for an energetic Postdoctoral Researcher to join us in collaborative, leading-edge projects within expansive energy consortia. The focus involves expertise in energy modeling, optimization and analyzing diverse energy mixes, primarily emphasizing hydrogen-based systems.

As we move toward cleaner energy systems, the way we plan and optimize energy systems becomes critical in steering this shift. As a Postdoctoral Researcher, you will conduct innovative research in energy modeling and optimization across diverse energy sources.

The role is based at the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. You’ll be situated within the Department of Operations, affiliated with the Energy Transition and Climate Change research theme at the faculty. The team actively participates in various projects addressing the energy transition challenge.

The Postdoctoral Researcher is expected to work on European Commission projects and national projects funded by the Dutch Research Council that are focused on energy systems logistics.

As an example, a representative task would involve analyzing past energy consumption patterns and forecasting future energy scenarios for a specific region for hydrogen. These scenarios feed into the energy optimization models you develop and solve. The goal is to identify factors influencing the energy transition, assess potential risks, and create a comprehensive roadmap for an affordable shift to low-carbon, hydrogen-based energy solutions. Additionally, by examining the ecosystem surrounding hydrogen use, you will pinpoint key business opportunities, risks, and investment needs, providing valuable guidance for stakeholders in the energy industry.

The Faculty of Spatial Sciences is looking to appoint a postdoctoral researcher on the topic of perceived rural accessibility. Previous research within the Transport Geography research group shows that local accessibility to daily activities in rural areas is experienced rather positively. However, residents with a car are more positive than those without. We would now like to investigate to what extent perceptions of accessibility and the perceived importance of accessibility depend on the spatial scale considered. This plays out against the background of discussions about the accessibility of services and the liveability of the countryside, where some facilities have a local function, while others have a more regional or supra-regional character. In addition, it touches on discussions about potential and interregional large scale transport infrastructure projects, such as the Lelylijn and the Nedersaksenlijn, which also aim to improve the interregional accessibility of rural areas. Moreover, we aim to include a cross-border component, such as how activities/facilities across the border in peripheral areas influence perceived accessibility of residents. This research involves the following components

1. How is accessibility by various transport modes perceived across spatial scales (local, regional, national)?
2. How important do residents of rural areas consider accessibility at different spatial scale levels and the accessibility per type of transport mode?

After an extensive literature study, you will conduct an empirical study into the perception of accessibility in rural areas with an explicit distinction between different spatial scale levels and the influence of the mode of transport. The starting point is to first investigate the (im)possibilities with existing datasets.

Wil jij actief bijdragen aan het vormgeven van duurzame maatschappelijke transities? Ben je op zoek naar een uitdagende postdocpositie waarin je écht impact maakt op de samenleving? Dan nodigen wij je van harte uit om te solliciteren op deze functie binnen het dynamische transitieprogramma van de Faculteit Campus Fryslân van de Rijksuniversiteit Groningen.

Nederland bevindt zich midden in een reeks ingrijpende maatschappelijke transities. Het organiseren en begeleiden van deze veranderingen vereist specifieke kennis en competenties. Alleen met een systemische benadering en een diepgaand begrip van de samenhang tussen sociale, ecologische en economische factoren, kunnen we deze complexe transities succesvol ondersteunen.

Binnen deze positie richten we ons op de transitie naar regeneratieve landbouw -een vorm van landbouw die niet alleen voedsel produceert, maar tegelijkertijd de gezondheid van de bodem, de natuur en de mens duurzaam versterkt. Het zelfherstellende vermogen van ecosystemen staat hierbij centraal.

In dit onderzoek brengen we de oorzaken, mechanismen, richting en snelheid van deze landbouwtransitie in kaart. We hanteren daarbij een systemisch perspectief waarin aandacht is voor onder andere de rol van waarden, beleid, technologie, gemeenschappen, ecologische principes en economische kaders. De transitie speelt zich af op meerdere niveaus: van boer en erf, tot regio en internationale ketens.

This is a fixed-term, 24-month post-doctoral position under the supervision of Dr. Richard Rijnks. The aim of this post-doctoral position is to gain insights into the complex interactions between, on the one hand, social entrepreneurs and vulnerable individuals in rural areas, and, on the other hand, mental healthcare providers and individuals in vulnerable situations. The key methodological tools for these studies are digital ethnography and conventional primary data collection (surveys, interviews). The post is part of two Horizon Europe projects: INSPIRE and EQUICARES.

INSPIRE is a three year EU Horizon project that aims to provide a thorough understanding of social inclusion, trends, and challenges in rural areas. It is specifically targeted towards hard-to-reach populations, and aims to incorporate novel methodological advances to improve our understanding of these processes and point towards potential interventions. EQUICARES is a four year EU Horizon project that will investigate inequalities to mental health service accessibility for people in vulnerable situations, identify potential solutions, and pilot innovative activities tailored towards vulnerable populations.

The University of Groningen is responsible for deploying both conventional and novel methods for data analysis to study the way that providers of services for vulnerable groups interact with their populations. For both INSPIRE and EQUICARES, this involves using digital ethnographies within existing online communities to establish the patterns of interactions and manner of diffusion of service provision. These data will be complemented by data from a bespoke survey, designed and analysed by other members of the team.

This is a fixed-term position (under the supervision of Prof Dimitris Ballas, Dr Wander Jager and Dr Richard Rijnks) from 1 July 2025 until 31 May 2026 and will involve the development and application of spatial microsimulation and agent-based models in relation to the Horizon Europe project MOBI-TWIN (https://mobi-twin-project.eu).

ΜΟΒΙ-TWIN is a Horizon Europe project that investigates the mobility implications of the twin (Green and Digital) transition in the European Union. It builds on the idea that twin transition affects regional attractiveness – or otherwise, the drivers of human mobility- offering an opportunity to left-behind areas to attract new population based on characteristics related to living and environmental conditions and the changes it brings on job accessibility. It argues that this creates new spatial mobility patterns which tend to develop new equilibria between the different forms of mobility (permanent, circular, temporal), affecting both the ‘old’ and the ‘new’ sending and receiving regions. It uses big data and agent-based modelling to analyse the impact of those changing patterns of spatial mobility on EU regions and envisage policies to counterbalance their effects in terms of demographics, society, welfare system and labour market. The project has a four dimensional scope: (i) it will analyse the changing drivers of spatial mobility based on human mobility behaviour, encompassing the structural changes caused by twin transition in the definition of regional attractiveness; (ii) it will examine the new balance rising between the different forms of spatial mobility (permanent, circular, temporal) and their effects on EU regions following the changing nature of regional attractiveness; (iii) it will use agent-based modelling to capture and assess the impact of changing patterns of spatial mobility on EU regions in terms of demographics, society, welfare system and labour market; and (iv) it will use the insights to envisage place-based policies for harnessing the positive outcomes of twin transition. Specific attention will be placed on the ways in which the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 and Brexit have affected freedom of movement between EU regions. The post-doctoral researcher will contribute to the tasks involving the development and application of agent-based modelling.

The post-doctoral researcher will mostly work on tasks that are part of MOBI-TWIN work package 3 (Assessing the impact of spatial mobility on EU regions) led by Professor Dimitris Ballas and comprising an international team of researchers across Europe (and especially the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Polytechnic University of Milan, the University of Helsinki, the University of Barcelona and the Athens Regional Development Institute). In addition to Prof Dimitris Ballas, the University of Groningen team of researchers includes Dr Wander Jager, Dr Richard Rijnks, Dr Thanasis Ziogas and Sissal Dahl.

You will be based in the Faculty of Spatial Sciences and will be responsible for liaising with relevant partners and for collecting and analyzing suitable datasets as well as for developing spatial microsimulation models (and links to agent-based models that are also developed as part of this project). You will also take the lead in the analysis of model outputs and writing up the results as scientific manuscripts.

The postdoctoral researcher will study representations of making in ancient Roman visual culture (e.g. depictions of craftsmen at work, mythical scenes of making, or depictions of making in sacred or military contexts). They will take into account (where applicable) how images interact with epigraphic frames and contexts of production and reception. The researcher is free to design, within this broad topic, a research project with a specific focus. Questions that might be addressed with regard to such representations include, but are not limited to:

• the (in-)visibility and agency of different kinds of makers (especially those belonging to underprivileged groups)
• social or collaborative aspects of making
• making as an embodied practice
• sacred or religious dimension of making
• intermedial and self-reflexive elements of ‘showing making’

The postdoctoral researcher will work as part of a team which also includes the principal investigator, two junior researchers writing PhD theses on ‘making’ in Roman literature, and two research assistants who support the team. Together, we work towards a new understanding of the ethics and aesthetics of making in the Roman world. The position offers the opportunity to be part of an inspiring international university environment, to gain valuable research and teaching experience, and to collaborate with the other team members in the organisation of workshops and public engagement activities.

The advent of modern machine learning (ML) methodology is accelerating scientific progress by streamlining research across disciplines. In chemistry, it enables the modeling of complex structure-function relationships with unprecedented accuracy. Additionally, deep generative models allow for the generation of structures with desired function, thus enabling the design of novel molecules and materials.

Peptide-based materials provide attractive alternatives to materials derived from petrochemicals. By tuning the peptide sequence and modifications, material properties can be finely tuned. Their behavior at surfaces and interfaces are among the most fundamental, but also most important properties of small peptides. Control over these materials can enable a new generation of biodegradable materials, surfactants and coatings. However, how peptide sequence and modification affect the physicochemical properties and material performance remains unclear, let alone inverse design of these molecules.

The goal of this project is to develop ML models for: 1) predicting properties of oligopeptide materials based on peptide sequence and end-group functionalization; 2) guiding experimental structure optimization workflows to minimize the number of experiments to achieve desired properties; 3) generating new peptide sequences with desired target properties.
This position will be part of the 10 (https://bigchemistry.nl/), which combines laboratory automation with artificial intelligence. By building an autonomous ‘RobotLab’, large numbers of experiments can be carried out, yielding large datasets on properties of molecular systems. With this data, ML models are trained to predict the properties of molecular systems such as solubility, phase separation, critical micelle concentration, smell, toxicity, and reaction rates.

Ben jij een gedreven onderzoeker met een passie voor leefstijl en gedragsverandering in de zorg? Wil jij met wetenschappelijk onderzoek bijdragen aan betere leefstijlcoaching en daarmee de zorg van de toekomst verbeteren? Dan is deze postdoctorale-positie iets voor jou!

Leefstijlcoaching wordt steeds vaker ingezet om patiënten te ondersteunen bij het aanpassen van hun leefstijl, zowel ter behandeling van een ziekte als ter preventie van verergering. Huisartsen kunnen leefstijlcoaching voorschrijven als aanvulling op of als alternatief voor reguliere medische behandelingen. In Nederland bestaat een systeem van registratie en certificering voor vergoede leefstijl zorg, maar de kwaliteit van de huidige leefstijlcoaches is nog onvoldoende onderzocht.

Als postdoctoraal onderzoeker neem jij deze uitdaging aan. Je onderzoekt de kwaliteit van leefstijlcoaching in de zorg en levert waardevolle inzichten op voor de verdere professionalisering van leefstijlcoaching.