PhD position AMBITIONS: accelerating transitions by navigating values in the built environment
Circularity, energy transition, extreme heat, and flooding: all potentially conflicting challenges that eventually converge in the built environment. Consider, for instance, how the civil infrastructure required to realize the energy transition or changing material flows to construct bridges and roads in a circular way can affect each other.
Circularity, energy transition, extreme heat, and flooding: all potentially conflicting challenges that eventually converge in the built environment. Consider, for instance, how the civil infrastructure required to realize the energy transition or changing material flows to construct bridges and roads in a circular way can affect each other. While national strategies and missions give directions to address such grand societal challenges, local decisionmakers, such as municipalities and project developers, need to deal with making implementation decisions in their daily activities as asset manager, investor, construction manager or area developer. Transitions should therefore not be governed in isolation but collectively. Stakeholders, however, often hold their own individual values and interests. Think, for example, of a municipality that strives to address climate targets by realizing 50 new power stations in their city while citizens aim for a quiet living situations with little interventions, or contractors that want to use regional bio-based materials while construction materials from other contingents are cheaper. Transitioning towards a future-proof built environment hence starts with dealing with value tensions between stakeholders.
This multidisciplinary PhD project aims to generate the necessary knowledge and tools to equip local decisionmakers to better deal with conflicting values in parallel transitions and requires an interest in both theory development and engagement with practice. The PhD position is part of the larger AMBITIONS project involving TU Delft, Utrecht University, and Avans Hogeschool, working together with public and private stakeholders in the built environment, including ministries, municipalities, consultancies, and network organizations that have a similar aim. Accordingly, the PhD candidate will work closely with both other academics and practitioners to increase the understanding of the transition processes in practice and develop ways to better govern the collection of transitions. This research setting builds on knowledge and theories at the intersection of innovation studies, construction management, and public management with many opportunities to collaborate with other research fields related to, for instance, responsible innovation, innovation policy, and transition studies. We are hence looking for a candidate that not only wants to apply engaged qualitative research approaches, but also really impacts practice to contribute to a future-proof built environment.
Information and application
Are you interested in this position? Please send your application via the 'Apply now' button below before September 30th 2025, and include:
- A cover letter (maximum 2 pages A4), emphasizing your specific interest, qualifications, and motivations to apply for this specific position.
- A Curriculum Vitae, including a list of all courses attended and grades obtained, and, if applicable, a list of publications and references.
- Contact information of two scientific staff members (one of whom could be the supervisor of your thesis/final project) who we may contact for references.
Date of first round interviews: Mid-Oktober 2025.
Date of second round interviews: Start of November 2025.
For more information regarding the topic of position, you are welcome to contact Tom Coenen (t.b.j.coenen@utwente.nl).
About the organisation
The Faculty of Engineering Technology (ET) engages in education and research of Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering and Industrial Design Engineering. We enable society and industry to innovate and create value using efficient, solid and sustainable technology. We are part of a ‘people-first' university of technology, taking our place as an internationally leading center for smart production, processes and devices in five domains: Health Technology, Maintenance, Smart Regions, Smart Industry and Sustainable Resources. Our faculty is home to about 2,900 Bachelor's and Master's students, 550 employees and 150 PhD candidates. Our educational and research programmes are closely connected with UT research institutes Mesa+ Institute, TechMed Center and Digital Society Institute.
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