Research Associate in Social Sciences and Territorial Dynamics (f/m) - Ref: 26-22

Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER)

is recruiting a

Research Associate in Social Sciences and Territorial Dynamics (f/m)

• Ref : 26-22
• Contract type: 12-month, full-time fixed-term contract (40 hours/week)
• Department: Urban Development and Mobility
• Workplace: Belval (Luxembourg)
• Start date: As soon as possible

LISER is seeking a Research Associate who will play a key role in developing local observatories in Luxembourg. These observatories produce relevant quantitative and qualitative analyses for the design and monitoring of public policies, particularly social policies, at the municipal level. The successful candidate will join LISER’s Urban Development and Mobility (UDM) department and will work within an interdisciplinary team responsible for the delivery of observatory-based analysis. The mission will involve contributing to the production of various demographic, socio-economic, urban, and environmental indicators, writing socio-spatial analyses, identifying territorial challenges, and providing recommendations to stakeholders when necessary. The precise distribution of tasks will depend on the skills and profile of the selected candidate.

An overview of previously completed work is available via the following links:

• https://www.vdl.lu/fr/la-ville/engagements-de-la-ville/actions-sociales/plans-communaux-sociaux (please click on the section Observatoire social)

• https://schifflange.lu/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Rapport-Observatoire-social-Schifflange-final-compressed.pdf
• https://administration.esch.lu/observatoire-social/

Your role

Your missions will include:

• Actively participating in local observatories and, more broadly, in the development of the UDM department;
• Collecting, processing, and analyzing data relevant to each observatory;
• Writing scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals using the data;
• Contributing to the day-to-day management of projects and interacting with stakeholders and partners;
• Drafting reports and widespread publications;
• Presenting and communicating results through various formats (reports, scientific articles, public or academic conferences, etc.).

Your profile

The primary skills required for this position are:

• PhD in social sciences or cognate discipline (geography, sociology, planning, urban studies, economics);
• Experience in publishing high-level academic articles;
• Proven experience in studies or research work addressing one or more of the following topics: housing, urban development, urban sociology, spatial planning, urban environment;
• Experience in writing scientific reports;
• Proficiency in quantitative methods and spatial analysis;
• Proficiency in the statistical software R and statistical analysis;
• Proven experience in communicating results to policymakers and the general public;
• Creativity, critical thinking skills;
• Excellent oral and written command of French, which is the drafting language for reports. A good command of English, which is the main language of LISER, is also required.

The following additional skills will be considered an asset:

• Knowledge of the Luxembourgish context;
• Proficiency in GIS (such as ArcGIS or QGIS);
• Qualitative approaches: interviews, workshops, etc.

LISER particularly encourage female researchers to apply

What we offer

• A dynamic, stimulating and international research environment with attractive working conditions;
• Flexibility in the organisation of the working hours and the possibility of teleworking;
• Competitive remuneration according to the Collective Bargaining 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.

How to apply

Please submit your application via our online platform https://jobs.liser.lu/jobs including the following elements:

• CV;
• Cover letter detailing your expertise and interest in the position;
• Copy of your PhD diploma;
• A selection of reports / notes / articles (published or under review), preferably related to the socio-spatial topics / methodologies mentioned in the job description;
• Contact details for two references.

Please note that this position will remain open until filled.

For any further information, please send an email to 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