Postdoctoral Researcher - Regio Deal New Towns

Help municipalities tackle their growing physical-social and socioeconomic challenges in former Dutch New Towns—bridging research, practice and policy to create lasting public impact.

Job description

Bring science and practice together, investigate how municipalities can address complex socio-spatial challenges in an integrated way and create genuine societal impact. Dutch public organisations such as municipalities operate in an increasingly complex and dynamic environment. Globalisation, rapid technological developments, and societal changes require organisations to perform reliably and to adapt continuously, while facin a decrease in resources. Which new ways of working and organisational capabilities do municipalities need te develop to successfully address complex societal and spatial challenges in an integrated way?

In this project, you will investigate this transdisciplinary question, working closely with three municipalities: Capelle aan den IJssel, Nissewaard, and Zoetermeer, partners of the "Regio Deal New Towns". Many neighbourhoods in these former New Towns were developed during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s in response to the large housing shortages. Today, these municipalities face a set of intertwined physical, social and economic challenges, such as a relatively uniform, ageing housing stock, deteriorating public spaces and infrastructures, decreasing residential attractiveness, eroding social cohesion, and growing socioeconomic inequalities. The number of low-income households is increasing and many young people are growing up in vulnerable circumstances. Addressing these challenges requires municipalities to develop new capabilities and new ways of collaborating across departments, together with other public actors, housing associations, developers, and of course residents. Through the Regio Deal New Towns, these three municipalities have committed to jointly exploring and developing more integrated and effective approaches to these complex societal and spatial challenges, in collaboration with Delft University of Technology and Erasmus University Rotterdam (in the Resilient Delta initiative).

In this postdoc position, you will genuinely be a transdisciplinary researcher, simultaneously participating in municipal projects and carrying out academic research. You will investigate how municipalities address the tensions between social, governance and spatial issues in specific local projects aimed at increasing the quality of the living environment. On average, you will spend one or two days per week at one of the municipalities and the remainder of your time at Delft University of Technology.

The successful candidate will join the Urban Studies section at the Department of Urbanism in the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment. Consisting of a group of highly interdisciplinary (spatially-oriented) scholars, this section studies the interactions between people and their built environments, and the effects of urban design on their behaviour.

The postdoc project is conducted in strong collaboration with researchers from The Hague University of Applied Sciences and Erasmus University Rotterdam.

More specifically, the tasks of the postdoc will include:

• Develop and conduct academically sound and practice-relevant research into the specific New Town challenges, their proposed solutions, and the related governance challenges;
• Collaborate closely with the selected municipality and translate scientific research and insights into practical applications, but also the other way round;
• Collaborate and exchange with the involved researchers at the Haagsche Hogeschool and Erasmus University Rotterdam;
• Organise and facilitate workshops and reflection sessions, contributing to collaborative and transdiciplinary knowledge development under the principle of “learning together, developing together";
• Publish articles in both peer-reviewed academic journals and practitioner magazines;
• Present your research at national and international academic and practitioner conferences and actively develop your (academic and practitioner) network.

Job requirements

This position is very well suited for candidates who want to bridge and integrate scientific research, creative practices and governance transformations, and who are not afraid of a bit of uncertainty and complexity. Applicants must have:

• A PhD degree in a relevant field, e.g. urban geography, urban planning, innovation studies, (social) design (research), public administration, sustainability transitions, urban sociology, or another related, spatially aware discipline.
• A proven taste for and pleasure in working in multi- and transdisciplinary settings, being able to actively and enthusiastically contribute to the Regio Deal consortium.
• A strong interest in topics such as socio-physical challenges societal transitions,collective action, public-sector collaboration, and community-driven innovation.
• Proven experience with qualitative research skills (interviews, case studies, participatory methods) and/or design research skills (e.g., co-design, visualisation, prototyping).
• Strong written and verbal communication abilities, enabling you to engage effectively with diverse audiences, to facilitate workshops, and to translate (research) findings into practical frameworks and tools.
• Strong proficiency in the written and spoken use of both the Dutch and English language.

Previous experience with working with civil servants, residents, or other public and private actors in transdisciplinary settings, is considered an asset.

Conditions of employment 

• Duration of contract is 2,5 years. Temporary external finance.
• A job of 36-40 hours per week. 
• Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities.
• An excellent pension scheme via the ABP. 
• The possibility to compile an individual employment package every year. 
• Discount with health insurers on supplemental packages. 
• Flexible working week. 
• Every year, 232 leave hours (at 38 hours). You can also sell or buy additional leave hours via the individual choice budget. 
• Plenty of opportunities for education, training and courses. 
• Partially paid parental leave 
• Attention for working healthy and energetically with the vitality program. 

Will you need to relocate to the Netherlands for this job? TU Delft is committed to make your move as smooth as possible! The HR unit, Coming to Delft Service, offers information on their website to help you prepare your relocation. In addition, Coming to Delft Service organises events to help you settle in the Netherlands, and expand your (social) network in Delft. A Dual Career Programme is available, to support your accompanying partner with their job search in the Netherlands.  . 

Additional information
If you would like more information about this vacancy or the selection procedure, please contact Dr. Reinout Kleinhans, via e-mail: r.j.kleinhans@tudelft.nl.

For more information about the application procedure, please contact Paulien Stastra, HR advisor, 
via recruitment-BK@tudelft.nl.    

The project is a collaboration within the Resilient Delta Initiative, one of the five programmes of Convergence, an alliance between Delft University of Technology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, and Erasmus University Medical Center. Within the Resilient Delta Initiative, we work in a transdisciplinary manner to design solutions for the major challenges facing society. The Resilient Delta Initiative will include the successful applicant in its RDI Fellowship Program, providing a network of peers, activities, and location services.

Application procedure
Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than 6 October 2026 via the application button and upload the following documents:

• CV including details of all academic outputs.
• Coverletter outlining your qualifications and motivation (max.1 side, A4 format, font size no smaller than 9 points).
• Proof of writing that is specifically targeted towards practice (e.g. a blog post, Dutch magazine article or article on an online platform, such as Socialevraagstukken.nl).

The first round of interviews is scheduled for the afternoon of 16 October, followed by a second round on 27 October. 


Please note:

• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post. 
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