Research Associate (Post-doc, f/m) in Social Sciences - Ref: 25-35

The Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER)

is recruiting a

Research Associate (Post-doc, f/m) in Social Sciences

• Ref: 25-35
• 36 months fixed-term contract
• Full-time, 40hours/week
• Department : Urban Development and Mobility (UDM)
• Work location: Belval (Luxembourg)
• Deadline: October 19th, 2025

LISER is looking for a Research Associate (Post-doc) who will play a key role in developing high quality, scientific and policy-relevant work on cross-border housing governance within the Urban Development and Mobility department (UDM), and in collaboration with the Housing Observatory.

The Housing Observatory is a multi-annual collaboration between LISER and the Luxembourg Ministry of Housing and Spatial Planning. It is the authoritative source in Luxembourg for housing prices and rental statistics, as well as for information related to residential land (price, availability, ownership), and housing affordability. The Housing Observatory also supports the Ministry of Housing and Spatial Planning in the development of policy, through the drafting of thematic research reports. The Housing Observatory is currently preparing a new international project exploring the social, spatial and political effects of cross-border residential mobility in the Greater Region. The project’s central question focuses on how to strengthen cross-border housing governance within the Luxembourg functional area, with a particular focus on sustainable housing and urban planning, spatial planning, and access to housing. Addressing this challenge requires the development of innovative research methodologies, such as a co-creation approach that actively engages public authorities at local, regional, and national levels, together with scientific partners from all five regions of the Greater Region.

More information on the past and current studies of the Housing Observatory is available here: https://logement.public.lu/fr/observatoire-habitat.html

The Urban Development and Mobility department brings together researchers from a number of different disciplines (including geography, economics, sociology, and urban planning) who draw on both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, with a strong spatial analysis component. The department has two research teams: Living with Urban Dynamics, focused on individual behaviors related to flexible living, health & space and urban analytics, and Governance of Urban Dynamics, working on cross-border integration, housing, land & planning and networks of finance. The department offers tailored support for those interested in developing research proposals for competitive funding opportunities. More information on the department can be found here: https://www.liser.lu/urban-development

Your role

In this context, the successful candidate will have the following missions:

• To advance the social analyses linked to the topic of the cross-border housing governance ;
• To develop an innovative research agenda and produce research outputs in line with the scientific topics of the Urban Development and Mobility department.

Your profile

The successful candidate is expected to have:

• A Ph.D. (or to be close to the completion thereof) in housing studies, geography, sociology, political sciences or other relevant social sciences ;
• Proven experience with qualitative methodologies including in-depth interviews, focus groups, design thinking, and related approaches ;
• Previous research experience in the field of housing studies, cross-border integration, or governance in metropolitan areas ;
• Demonstrable social impact in research outputs ;
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills ;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and proficiency in French or German;

LISER particularly encourage female researchers to apply

What we offer

• A dynamic and international research environment with attractive working conditions and a stimulating work environment ;
• Flexibility in the organisation of the working hours and the possibility of teleworking ;
• Competitive remuneration according to the Collective Labour Agreement in force (half of a 13th month salary, meal vouchers, etc.) ;
• Investment in career support and development (trainings, seminars, participation to international meetings and conferences) ;
• 32.5 days of annual leave for a full-time contract.

The yearly gross salary for full-time position is set to 92’123,25 euros. 

How to apply

Please submit your complete application in English via https://jobs.liser.lu/jobs by including the following documents before October 19th, 2025 :

• Curriculum vitae ;
• Motivation letter ;
• Recent piece of research ;
• Copy of your PhD diploma ;
• Two reference letters (to be uploaded with the application documents or sent separately to recruitment@liser.lu).

Deadline to submit applications: October 19th, 2025

For any work-related question, please contact Dr. Magdalena GORCZYNSKA-ANGIULLI at magdalena.gorczynska@liser.lu.

For administrative matters, please contact Mrs. Vanya KIROVA at recruitment@liser.lu

Why LISER?

LISER is a publicly funded research institute located in Luxembourg and dedicated to applied empirical research in economic, social and spatial sciences. The Institute attracts top researchers from all over the world and high-level student training is a vibrant part of the Institute’s activities. LISER staff consists of approx. 200 employees, about 60% of the staff being researchers; mainly from the fields of economics, geography and sociology. The vision of the institute is to be a socio-economic research institute internationally recognised, focused on scientific excellence and societal impact, able to contribute through multi-disciplinary and intersectoral research, in an active and inclusive way to a sustainable and inclusive society at national and international level.

The institute is located on the new Belval campus in the south of Luxembourg (Cité des Sciences, Luxembourg), which hosts the University of Luxembourg and a substantial part of the country’s publicly funded research facilities, i.e. LISER, the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS) cross-national data centre, the Luxembourg institutes of Health (LIH) and of Science and Technology (LIST). Information on research in Luxembourg is accessible via the national EURAXESS platform.

LISER is an Equal Opportunity Employer