Research Associate in the field of Citizen Participation in Science and Decision

Date: 22 Oct 2025

Location: Esch-sur-Alzette, LU, L-4366

Company: LISER

The Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER)

is recruiting a

Research Associate (Post-doc, f/m) in the field of Citizen Participation in Science and Decision-making

• Ref: 25-32
• 24 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: October 30th, 2025

The Department Urban Development and Mobility at LISER is seeking a Research Associate in Citizen Participation in Science and Decision-making to contribute to innovative research at the intersection of social sciences, geospatial data, and experimentation. This position is tailored for a geographer or a social scientist who is passionate about expanding the research, debate and decision-making capacity of citizens, by applying methods and tools from citizen science, citizens' assemblies, (urban) experimentation and participatory GIS (PGIS). The selected candidate will apply a combination of these approaches to socio-spatial problems within fields such asmobility, urban studies, spatial planning, or urban health. Ideally, the selected candidate is familiar with these approaches and has preferably demonstrated expertise in at least two of them.

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.

In this context, the successful candidate will have five main missions :

• Develop a thematic research agenda supported by the use of citizen participatory methods and tools in research and decision-making in line with UDM's research directions ;
• Produce high-level academic publications and submit competitive research proposals in line with the research agenda ;
• Developing activities to stimulate societal impact in line with the research agenda ;
• Supervising a research associate on an EU project on citizens' assemblies ;
• Foster collaboration on citizen participatory methods and tools in and between the two research teams of UDM and inspire department members to embrace the advantages of these innovative approaches.

• Ph.D. degree in geography, social sciences, or other relevant field ;
• Expertise on one of the following fields: environmental studies, urban planning, urban health, transportation, socio-spatial inequalities, or related geographic areas ;
• A good knowledge of citizen science, citizen's assemblies, (urban) experimentation and participatory GIS and good expertise in at least two of these approaches;
• Sound experience with supervising PhDs and/or postdocs ;
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills ;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English. Proficiency in French or German will be considered as an asset to better understand the Luxembourg context.

LISER particularly encourage female researchers to apply

• 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.

Please submit your complete application in English via by including the following documents before October 30th, 2025 :

• 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 ;
• Two reference letters (to be uploaded with the application documents or sent separately to ).

Deadline to submit applications: October 30th, 2025

For any work-related question, please contact Prof. Martin DIJST at

For administrative matters, please contact Mrs. Vanya KIROVA at

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