项目介绍

2025年2月26日

The University of Gothenburg tackles society’s challenges with diverse knowledge. 37 000 students and 6 000 employees make the university a large and inspiring place to work and study. Strong research and attractive study programmes attract scientists and students from around the world. With new knowledge and new perspectives, the University contributes to a better future.

The University of Gothenburg promotes equal opportunities, equality and diversity.

The School of Business, Economics and Law offers a unique breadth, with over 3 700 full-time students, 470 staff members, 160 international partner universities, four departments and three main subject areas – business, economics and law. The uniqueness is also manifested in the School’s close collaboration with trade, industry and the public sector. The School of Business, Economics and Law is accredited by EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA and is thereby the only Triple Crown-accredited business school in Sweden.

The Department of Business Administration is the largest department at the School of Business, Economics and Law and offers comprehensive research and education at first-, second- and third-cycle levels in the subjects of business administration and economic geography. The Department has approximately 150 employees and is divided into four sections: Industrial and Financial Management & Logistics (IFEL), Management & Organisation, Marketing and Accounting

Subject description

Business administration specializing in specializing in stakeholder adoption of sustainable urban freight innovations.

Radical technological development such as autonomous operations, electrification and digitisation provide the opportunity for a shift toward sustainable and fossil-free freight movement, but it is urban freight actors that are expected to put such sustainable innovations to use. Urban freight stakeholders have varying degrees of awareness and capacity to engage with freight issues. Furthermore, rapid technological development makes it difficult for stakeholders to assess and engage with sustainable freight innovations.  Particularly small- and midsized companies (SMEs), a previously overlooked source of urban transport emissions, regard rapid technological change and associated risks as considerable barriers to adoption of new sustainable freight solutions. Furthermore, due to limited resources and geographical restrictions of SMEs it is possible for actors with a broader scope of operations, such as local authorities, to support the transition to sustainable urban freight practices. In addition, support needs to align with the policies and principles that steer the work of those administrative units. To facilitate the transition toward a more sustainable and efficient freight transport system, it is thus important to understand how SMEs can be encouraged to engage with sustainable freight innovations and how the engagement can be supported through policy design.

Duties 

The applicant is primarily expected to explore how SMEs engage with sustainable urban freight innovations and how SMEs successfully can apply sustainable strategies such as the Avoid-Shift-Improve (ASI) framework. The applicant is also expected to work with issues related to municipal and government policy support for sustainable urban freight.

The research will be carried out in an inter-disciplinary manner, collaborating with researchers from multiple academic disciplines. The research will also be done in close cooperation with industry and public sector organizations. During the position a maximum of 20 % of work time can be devoted to teaching.

Qualifications 

The candidate shall have completed a doctoral degree in an area relevant to the position by the closing date of the announcement of vacancy. Primarily candidates who have completed their doctoral degree no more than three years prior to the closing date will be considered. Eligibility for postdoctoral fellowship in accordance with university agreement Avtal om tidsbegränsad anställning som postdoktor (2022-02-01) and Appointments Procedure for Teachers at the University of Gothenburg.

Assessment

In the assessment of applicants, particular weight will be assigned to research potential in relation to the subject description.

The following are requirements for the position:

• A high level of English communication and writing skills.
• Experience with qualitative and quantitative methods including the use of interviews, workshops, multi-actor-multi-criteria-analysis (MAMCA) or similar.
• Experience with research on urban freight stakeholder acceptance of radical technological innovations (e.g. autonomous deliveries, electrification, digitisation etc.) and/or new freight services.
• Work or research experience with sustainability issues.

The following are considered important merits:

• Experience from working in applied projects with SMEs, research institutes, municipalities and/or commercial actors.
• Proficiency in Swedish and another non-Scandinavian Northern-European language besides English is not required but is beneficial due to research being conducted with Swedish and Northern European organizations.
• Ability to cooperate and overall personal suitability will be given thorough attention.

Employment 

This position is a fixed term, 100 % employment for two years, in accordance with university agreement Avtal om tidsbegränsad anställning som postdoktor (2022-02-01). The position may be extended on special grounds, i.e. sick leave, parental leave, clinical duties, elected positions in trade unions or other similar circumstances.

The postdoctoral fellowship position starting spring 2025 or as agreed, will be located at the Department of Business Administration, at Vasagatan 1 in central Gothenburg, Sweden.

Contact information for the post 

If you have any questions about the position, please contact

• Professor Michael Browne at michael.browne@handels.gu.se or
• Senior Lecturer Jon Williamsson at jon.williamsson@handels.gu.se

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact human resources officer Natalie Axell at e-mail natalie.axell@gu.se

Unions 

Union representatives at the University of Gothenburg can be found here: https://www.gu.se/om-universitetet/jobba-hos-oss/hjalp-for-sokande 

Application 

To apply for a position at the University of Gothenburg, you have to create an account in our recruitment system. Submit your application via the University of Gothenburg’s recruitment portal by clicking the “Apply” button. It is your responsibility to ensure that the application is complete as per the vacancy notice, and that the University receives it by the final application deadline. 

Applications must be received by: 2025-03-20