2-year postdoctoral position in stakeholder perceptions & acceptance of multifunctional land use solutions

The Department of Management at Aarhus BSS, Aarhus University, invites applications for a 2-year fulltime postdoctoral position offering an exciting opportunity to join the new international research project SAGE.

The position is based at the Department of Management at the heart of the new University City of Aarhus University in Aarhus, Denmark. The position focuses on stakeholder perceptions and acceptance of innovative multifunctional land use solutions, and on how such solutions are perceived, debated, and accepted by different stakeholder groups.

The starting date is August 1, 2026 or subject to mutual agreement.

The research project

The postdoc will be part of the SAGE project, a highly interdisciplinary European research collaboration on solar grazing: the integration of photovoltaic systems with grazing livestock as a multifunctional land-use strategy.

SAGE examines how solar grazing can contribute to more sustainable land use by combining renewable energy production with animal husbandry. The project brings together expertise from agricultural science, animal welfare, ecology, engineering, economics, and social science, and works closely with partners and Living Labs across Europe, including Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, South Tyrol, and the Netherlands. Within this broader collaboration, the Aarhus University team is responsible for generating in-depth knowledge about stakeholder perceptions, concerns, and acceptance of solar grazing across different regional and institutional contexts. The project is funded by the European Union under the Agroecology Partnership and by Innovation Fund Denmark.

The postdoc will join a research environment with strong interests in sustainability, stakeholder engagement, food and renewable energy systems, and socio-technical change. The department offers a broad, active and supportive social science environment with regular knowledge exchange activities, a strong early-career researcher community, and participation in relevant agrivoltaics research networks.

The position is particularly well suited for candidates interested in questions such as:

• how stakeholders make sense of contested sustainability innovations
• how perceptions, values, and framings influence acceptance and adoption of complex systems
• how land-use transitions are negotiated across agriculture, energy, environment, and local communities
• how communication and policy can be better aligned with stakeholder realities

Job description

The successful candidate will be responsible for the Aarhus University team’s core contributions to the work package on Stakeholder Perceptions. This includes designing and carrying out qualitative and mixed-method research on stakeholder acceptance, discourse, and argumentation around solar grazing, in close collaboration with international project partners. The work includes e.g. in-depth stakeholder interviews across partner regions and countries, visual mapping of stakeholder arguments, development of stakeholder personas, and a systematic literature and media review on solar grazing in Europe.

The successful candidate will contribute to the overall objectives of the project and to other phases of the research process such as writing academic articles and project reports, disseminating results to relevant academic and societal audiences, participating in project meetings and workshops, and collaborating closely with other researchers in the project team.

The candidate is encouraged to produce high-quality research while engaging with a societally important topic at the intersection of sustainability transitions.

The position is primarily research-oriented but may also involve teaching assignments.

Qualifications

Applicants must hold a PhD in a field relevant to the Department of Management or adjacent social science disciplines, such as management, organisation studies, marketing, sociology, human geography, science and technology studies, sustainability transitions, public policy, rural studies, or a related field.

We are particularly interested in candidates with strong competences in one or more of the following areas:

• Qualitative research methods, especially interviews, coding, interpretation, and cross-case analysis
• Stakeholder analysis, discourse analysis, media analysis, or argument mapping
• Sustainability transitions, social acceptance of innovation, land-use conflicts, or environmental governance
• Interdisciplinary collaboration across social science and technical or environmental domains

Experience with agri-food systems, rural contexts, renewable energy, or land-use innovation is an advantage, but it is not a prerequisite. We especially welcome applicants whose main strength lies in social science theory and methods and who are motivated to apply these competences to an important emerging sustainability field.

Strong written and verbal communication skills in English are required; additional proficiency in German or Italian is an asset. Experience working in international and interdisciplinary research projects is an advantage. The successful candidate should be able to work independently while also contributing actively to a collaborative research team.

Who we are

The Department of Management is one of the six departments at Aarhus BSS - one of the five faculties at Aarhus University. Aarhus BSS unites the business and social science-related research fields and brings them closer together to reflect the close relationship between society and the business community. As part of a Top 100 university, Aarhus BSS and the Department of Management have achieved the distinguished AASCB, AMBA and EQUIS accreditations.

The department’s research and teaching environment is highly international and culturally diverse with a mix of Danish and international academic staff members and PhD students. We employ more than 160 academic staff including researchers, PhD students, research associates and cover a broad range of disciplines within management.