Research Associate (f/m) in the field of Participatory Research for Urban Sustainability - Ref 26-08

For title

The Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER)

is recruiting a

 Research Associate (Post-doc, f/m) in the field of Participatory Research for Urban Sustainability

• Ref: 26-08
• 36 months fixed-term contract (with the possibility of an extension)
• Full-time, 40hours/week (possible part-time arrangement)
• Department : Urban Development and Mobility (UDM)
• Work location: Belval (Luxembourg)
• Deadline: March 31st, 2026

The Department of Urban Development and Mobility (UDM) at LISER is seeking a Research Associate to contribute to innovative, high-impact research at the intersection of citizen participation, urban transitions/transformations, geospatial/data science, and experimentation. The position is suited to an individual who is passionate about strengthening citizens’ capacity to engage in research and decision-making, and about translating evidence into actionable policy and practice.

Building on UDM’s strategic priorities, the successful candidate will apply and further develop participatory and deliberative approaches (e.g., citizen science, citizens’ assemblies, urban experimentation/living labs, and participatory GIS) to socio-spatial challenges such as sustainable mobility, urban sustainability, spatial planning, and urban health. The role explicitly combines societal impact with scientific excellence: you will work with UDM’s researchers and the LISER Policy Lab to co-design research with stakeholders, produce publishable insights, and develop reusable methods and approaches.

Join us in exploring innovative avenues in research on citizen participation in research and in decision-making. As a Research Associate, you will have the opportunity to engage in cutting-edge research that addresses key challenges in urban development. 

Your role

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

• Co-develop and lead a thematic research agenda on citizen participation and participatory methods aligned with UDM’s strategic priorities (e.g., sustainable mobility, urban sustainability and transformation pathways, urban health, and data/AI-enabled analysis);
• Design and implement participatory and deliberative processes (citizen science, citizens’ assemblies, participatory GIS, and urban experimentation/living labs) in collaboration with policymakers, local communities, and other stakeholders, ensuring inclusivity and robust research ethics;
• Integrate participatory approaches with UDM’s core scientific work (mixed-methods, geospatial analysis, and evaluation) to develop new contributions to knowledge and the science-policy interface;
• Produce high-quality academic publications for peer-reviewed international journals and disseminate results at international conferences and in practitioner-oriented outlets;
• Lead and/or contribute to competitive research proposals (e.g., Horizon Europe, FNR) and support project coordination, reporting, and data management;
• Drive societal impact and knowledge-exchange activities (co-design workshops, policy briefs, stakeholder events) and evaluate pathways to societal impact in collaboration with LISER’s core research teams and the LISER Policy Lab;
• Supervise and mentor junior researchers (including a research associate on an EU project on citizens’ assemblies) and foster collaboration across UDM’s two core research teams and more widely across LISER.

Your profile

• Ph.D. degree in geography, social sciences, urban/regional planning, political science, public health, data science, or another relevant field;
• Demonstrated experience with citizen participation approaches (citizen science, citizens’ assemblies, participatory GIS, urban experimentation/living labs), with strong expertise in at least two of these;
• Track record of producing high-quality research outputs (peer-reviewed journal publications and/or equivalent) and the ability to link applied work to theoretical debates;
• Experience in developing competitive research proposals and working on externally funded projects;
• Methodological breadth (qualitative and/or quantitative), with familiarity with GIS/spatial analysis and research data management; experience with digital participation tools is an asset;
• Proven ability to engage and facilitate with diverse stakeholders and a clear motivation to generate societal impact at the science-policy interface;
• Experience with supervising and/or mentoring PhDs, postdocs, or junior researchers;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English. Knowledge of French, German or Luxembourgish is an asset to better engage within the Luxembourg context.

LISER particularly encourages 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 Bargaining Agreement (CBA) 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.

How to apply

Please submit your complete application in English via https://jobs.liser.lu/jobs by including the following documents before March 31st, 2026 :

• Your curriculum vitae ;
• Motivation letter, in which you present your relevant skill with respect to the main missions (2 pages max) ;
• A recent piece of research ;
• A copy of your PhD diploma ;
• Contact details for two referees.

Deadline to submit applications: March 31st, 2026

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