Organisation/Company Fundació per a la Universitat Oberta de Catalunya Research Field Economics Political sciences Sociology Environmental science Technology » Energy technology Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Application Deadline 29 Oct 2026
- 23:59 (Europe/Madrid) Country Spain Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 38,5 Offer Starting Date 1 Dec 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Other EU programme Reference Number 50048 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No Offer Description Would you like a job in which your talent really has an impact on your surroundings? The UOC is not simply a university: our institution is dynamic, determined and ambitious, and drives social and educational changes. Over 30 years ago, we made history as the world's first online university. Our goal is to generate, transfer and join together knowledge to build a more critical, responsible and non-conforming society. We are seeking to recruit a highly motivated PhD researcher to join the Collaborative Doctoral Partnership (CDP) programme jointly coordinated by the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) and the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission. This is a unique opportunity to develop research directly relevant to one of the European Commission's policy priorities: the economic aspects of Energy Governance. The PhD candidate will work directly with policy actors and internationally recognized researchers. The PhD project will focus on a key area of European policy: the economic aspects of energy governance. Decisions on whether to fund energy infrastructure rely, among other factors, on cost estimates, a field characterised by deep uncertainty.



This uncertainty is even less tractable when it comes to new technologies with still rather low maturity levels, such as small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs). This PhD project will develop decision-support tools to improve robustness of decision-making, transparency about uncertainties, and responsiveness to diverse societal values and knowledge systems. In theoretical terms, the project will apply a post-normal science framework to support policy under conditions of uncertainty and complexity. Post-normal science describes situations in which "facts are uncertain, values are in dispute, stakes are high and decisions are urgent." Under these conditions, quality is not reduced to metrics or procedural standards but is understood as social robustness. Post-normal science introduces inclusive quality assurance mechanisms, such as NUSAP and extended peer communities. During the first year, the selected candidate will develop the methodological framework to assess the quality of key economic characteristics of new energy infrastructures across their lifecycle and as valued from their total contribution to society, informed by a post-normal science approach. Next, the quality assessment methodology developed will be tested and refined via different case studies, with a focus on new nuclear builds and specifically small modular reactors (SMRs) as well as other forms of power generation. In the third and final phase,



technology-neutral procedures for quality assessment will be developed and results will be transferred to policy actors. The programme provides a unique opportunity to collaborate with a wide range of policy actors, including: EC policy services (e.g. DG Energy), the European Industrial Alliance for SMRs, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency). Responsibilities
* During the first year, the selected candidate will develop the methodological framework to assess the quality of key economic characteristics of new energy infrastructures across their lifecycle and as valued from their total contribution to society, informed by a post-normal science approach.
* Next, the quality assessment methodology developed will be tested and refined via different case studies, with a focus on new nuclear builds and specifically small modular reactors (SMRs) as well as other forms of power generation.
* In the third and final phase, technology-neutral procedures for quality assessment will be developed and results will be transferred to policy actors. The contract will be fixed-term (predoctoral contract) and full-time. The start date will be 1 December 2026. Mobility: In the first year, the contract will be with the UOC (Barcelona, Spain), and in years 2 and 3 with the JRC (Karlsruhe, Germany). The successful applicant will join UOC's Society, Technology & Culture PhD program and the Urban Transformation and General Change Laboratory under the Supervision of Dr. Zora Kovacic, expert in post-normal science and energy policy. The applicant will be located in UOC's Interdisciplinary Research and Innovation Hub alongside more than 100 researchers working in the interface of technology and society relatio

📌 PhD researcher for the UOC (Vigo)
🏢 Fundació Per A La Universitat Oberta De Catalunya
📍 Vigo